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1 Michelin Star Chefs: Simon Shand, head chef, Leroy
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Simon Shand is the head chef of one Michelin-starred Leroy in Shoreditch, London.
18 Phipp St, London EC2A 4NU
Opening Hours:
Lunch: Tuesday to Saturday - 12pm to 2:30pm
Dinner: Monday to Saturday 6pm to 9:45pm
Closed on Sunday
Sommelier: Bradley Tomlinson
Tel: 020 7739 4443
Instagram: @leroyshoreditch
Twitter: @leroyshoreditch
Biography
As many a young person before him, Simon first worked in hospitality while he was at college, taking on a part-time job at a café doing service and cooking.
He then spent two years as chef de partie at Gravetye Manor before moving on to Anthony Demetre’s restaurants Arbutus and Wild Honey where he rose to the position of junior-sous.
Then, after spending 2016 at Frenchie, he became head chef at the Corner Room in Bethnal Green Town Hall, before taking the helm at Leroy in 2021.
Leroy
Leroy is a wine bar and restaurant in Shoreditch, created by Ed Thaw, Jack Lewens, and Sam Kamienko, the team also behind now-closed, once Michelin-starred Ellory - the anagram of which gave Leroy its name.
Showing that the guide is willing to recognise restaurants without white tablecloths, the neon-lit unassuming restaurant was awarded a star in the Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland 2019.
Cooking style and menu highlights
Head chef Simon Shand continues the Leroy ethos of simplicity and flavour with food that is thoughtful but not showy.
The restaurant's constantly changing seasonal menu reflects the restaurant's stripped-back, modern take on the classical European tradition established by Sam Kamienko at Ellory and Leroy.
Current menu highlights include roast scallops, cauliflower purée, brown butter and capers; Monkfish, broccoli and chorizo with muscle velouté; and sot-l’y-laisse, strozzapreti, girolles and black truffle.
Reception
Despite only bestowing stars on the basis of good cooking, the Michelin Guide notes that the restaurant's atmosphere is worthy of praise, too.
"How can you not fall for a place where the first thing you see is a couple of shelves of vinyl? Putting all their experience to bear, the owners have created a restaurant with a relaxed, easy vibe and great food," it reads.
"The core ingredient shines through in every unshowy dish; there's little division between starters and main courses - just order a few dishes to share.
The Guardian food critic Grace Dent described Leroy as "a dark, noisy, naughty wine bar with a pleasing menu," deeming it to be a place without the pomp of other Michelin-starred restaurants but with food that is just as good.
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