Craig Johnston: How to keep a city seafood restaurant thriving

Despite his tender years, Craig Johnston already boasts plenty of chef pedigree.

The 30-year-old is head chef at Michelin-starred London restaurant Angler, with his other impressive accolades including MasterChef: The Professionals champion in 2017 and The Roux Scholarship winner in 2025.

Angler is a seafood-focused restaurant in Moorgate, with Craig taking the reins in October 2024, succeeding Gary Foulkes.

He has maintained the Michelin standards since and delivers a varied range of menus, with different diner demands depending on the time of day.

“With our location in London, we are based in Moorgate, the Liverpool Street area,” Craig explained.

“Our clientele is very business-led. We are a city restaurant, so we do lots of fast-paced, à la carte, à la minute cooking and people are up against the clock.

“They have to be in and out, three courses in an hour-and-a-half. That puts a lot of pressure on the back of house team in the kitchen.

“What we notice always at dinner is everyone just relaxes a little bit. They've got more time and that's where we see our tasting menus come into play.

“People want to have a more leisurely evening, more wine on the table, extra courses.

“We have two very different service styles here at Angler.”

He added: “With Angler having a Michelin star now for 13 years, there is a lot of pressure being in this role.

“I've only been a part of this restaurant for almost two years now, so for me it's about staying true to the restaurant and staying true to what the ethos of this restaurant is about: great ingredients cooked simply, but with thought.

“It's about bringing a bit of character, a bit of personality into the food as well, which I think I do as a chef.

“And just making really tasty plates of food. That's what Angler's about.

“Angler is a modern British restaurant and we are super seafood focused.

“We use the best ingredients from the British Isles, all the way down on the Cornish coast up to the Highlands of Scotland.

“We get the best fish and shellfish that we can get our hands on, and we cook it in a beautiful, simple way that's really, really tasty.”

Behind the seafood at Angler

Angler specialises in its seafood, with around 20 kilograms of fresh fish coming through the doors each day.

Produce includes Orkney scallops, Cornish monkfish, Scottish cod and Dorset cockles.

“A lot of people think of fish cookery as one-dimensional,” said Craig.

“It's thought of as the fishmonger does all the work. You just have a fillet of something, you put it in the oven, or you pan fry it, and that's it.

“What we do is a lot more complex than that. We do all of our fish prep in house, so we're taking everything off the bones ourselves.

“Nothing goes to waste. We're making stocks and sauces from all the trim.

“It takes time. The fish all goes through various stages, whether it be the breaking down, going through brining processes and when it's cooking as well.

“Obviously we are a fish restaurant, so if we cooked every single piece of fish the same, the menu would be one-dimensional.

“It's about how we utilise the produce in a lot of different ways. We have roasted fish, steamed fish, barbecued fish, we make our own raviolo and lots of different things just to have a lot of variety on the menu.”

Having a menu focused on fish also has an extra perk.

“There are a lot of factors at play with the restaurant because of where we are in the city,” he said.

“When it gets to the school holidays, like Easter, for example, everyone's working from home or they go away, so there's no one in the area.

“We find half term and school holidays, the footfall around here is very quiet. There'll be slow times of the year, so Easter and summer holidays, we always take a bit of a lull.

“Then Christmas as well. The fish markets always close, so there's always a two-week period where we can't get fresh fish. Naturally, we have to close.

“But it’s nice to have Christmas off.

“It's the pros and cons at Christmas of having a fish-led menu. There isn't any fresh fish, so we can't cook.”

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Craig’s calm kitchen style

Craig began his career in hospitality in his hometown of Maidenhead, under chef Daniel Woodhouse at Boulters Riverside Brasserie.

He went on to work at The Royal Oak, Paley Street, before joining Marcus Wareing’s brigade at The Berkeley.

Now at Angler, how does Craig like to run his kitchen?

“We have a team of eight,” he said.

“For me, having a team that is trained across all sections is vitally important.

“We spend a lot of time every couple of weeks giving the guys time to shift section and they're also cross-trained on all the areas of the kitchen.

“It's about nurturing the other members of the team and broadening their skill set as well.”

He added: “In a kitchen environment, stress can easily run high. I think a calm approach is always best.

“Shouting comes through frustration. If training is put into place and everyone knows what is ahead of them, and you do as much as you can ahead of time to limit mistakes and limit that frustration, then there's no excuse really to be stressed and to have that classic shouting in the kitchen.

“We are a small team here, so we spend a lot of time nurturing the team.

“We spend a lot of time with each other. We are like family, we are friends at the end of the day.

“We are a tight-knit team. We just work so closely with each other.”

Life after winning the Roux Scholarship

Little over a year ago, Craig joined illustrious company of chefs to have won The Roux Scholarship.

Asked what the past 12 months had been like, he explained: “For me, the last year has been so exciting. It's been a year full of so many learning opportunities both in and out of the kitchen, going on various stages and trips as part of the Roux Scholarship.

“When I go on these trips, I learn so many new things and it's so exciting to be able to bring that knowledge back into the kitchen and share that with my team.

“I think the Scholarship is something that's not just one-dimensional. It changes so many people at the same time because I get to share that knowledge with the team and grow this restaurant as well.”

The gift of surprise at Angler

Asked what impression he hopes guests have after leaving his restaurant, Craig said: “Angler is on the seventh floor of South Place Hotel.

“We are nestled slightly above the streets. We are really a hidden gem in the City of London.

“I think the main hope when guests leave the restaurant is that they've been really satisfied with their meal, but they've also been surprised.

“Maybe they've come in with expectations here and they've left and we've exceeded them. That's the dream.

“Fine dining is in a tricky area at the moment. Not everyone has that disposable income to eat out every day or often, so when we get the guests in, it's important that we meet their expectations and over deliver.

“That gives a higher chance of guests coming back to dine with us again, and word of mouth.

“We want guests to be satisfied and happy. That's our job. We're here to be hospitable.”