Inside Behind: Andy Beynon's Michelin-starred London seafood restaurant
Maintaining standards in a Michelin-starred restaurant is a big challenge in itself, so to do so with a daily changing menu is even more eye-catching.
Chef owner Andy Beynon has never done things conventionally at Behind.
By his own admission, the restaurant in Hackney can be a “mission” for people to get to from central London, but for those who make the journey, he is determined to make it worth it.
Opening Behind During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Behind launched in the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, swinging open its doors towards the end of 2020.
After 10 days of trading, lockdown forced it to close. It eventually reopened and just 10 days later, national restrictions saw it shut again.
Then, Behind was incredibly awarded a Michelin star, after just 20 days of serving the public.
It has retained that star ever since, with the restaurant offering a fish-led tasting menu.
But there is no menu available to view before visiting, as it is only finalised on the day.
Andy explained: “With seafood it changes daily because we mainly work with day boats. We don’t really age fish here; we just dry it out.
“So, we have to change the menu to work with sustainability and with what fish is best on the day.
“We have very tight contacts with our suppliers and the day boats that come in.”
He added: “The philosophy at Behind is seafood focused. When diners arrive, we explain that we like to work with natural seasonings. We reduce stocks down and use things like fish roe to add seasoning naturally, so we stay away from sulphates.
“Seafood is quite niche as well. Not many people know where to buy it or how to cook it. And on a tasting menu, seafood is a lot lighter to eat.”
From The Square to Hackney: Andy Beynon’s Career Path
Andy’s background has seen him work with some of the country’s top chefs.
Prior to joining Jason Atherton’s Social Company, Andy worked for the likes of Michael Wignall at The Latymer, Claude Bosi at Hibiscus and Phil Howard at The Square.
In 2020, he decided to branch out and go it alone.
“We opened in September 2020, between lockdown one and two, which was pretty crazy,” he recalled.
“I wanted to really bring my concept to life, which is a chef’s table with completely open dining.
“My process with dishes all stems around flavour and not overcomplicating things, something I’ve learned throughout my career.
“I love drawing, so I sketch dishes before we even develop them. I still have sketches from when I first opened with the original dishes, which is incredible.
“At that point, me and the team start developing it. There are always four or five tweaks from the first version before it becomes what we serve to customers.”
Cooking with the Sea: Seasonality, Sustainability and Day Boats
Examples of the type of dishes Andy serves are his take on prawn toast, a crab croustade and goat’s milk and truffle dessert.
“It’s always about the seasons of the fish and weather makes a massive impact, especially on shellfish from Scotland,” Andy explained.
“Some weeks vary from each other. You have to go from scallops to lobster or langoustine depending on the weather and what the divers can catch.
“The produce changes daily. Sustainability and freshness are key. For example, one day recently we swapped John Dory for red mullet, because it was better quality and better value.
“Pricing as well is quite a key thing. It’s important to work with the best produce, whilst keeping costs down.
“John Dory was more expensive, but the red mullet was better quality to serve on the day.”
Discussing one of the regular dishes on the menu, Andy said: “What we like to do here is utilise every part of the seafood we can. It’s about giving diners more while maintaining a zero-waste ethos.
“The Sicilian prawn is now a staple dish on the menu. We utilise the whole prawn.
“The tail is extremely creamy, so we use a head-meat sauce mixed with olive oil, which is very traditional, and that seasons the dish.
“When I was younger, Chinese takeaways were a big thing in our household and we used to have prawns on toast.
“So here we use the heads almost like the toast shell and make a prawn-on-toast mousse with lots of sesame, stuffed into the head.
“We also serve a small consommé on the side.”
A Small Team, Big Standards
Behind operates with a small team of four or five chefs, as well as front of house, opening for four days a week.
“I believe in everyone staying fresh, so we don’t go longer than three months without a little break,” Andy said.
“We’re a really tight team.
“Because we’re close as a team and everyone is passionate about food, there’s a lot of input when it comes to shaping the menu. Everyone has worked in incredible restaurants, eats out, and travels.
“We’re very open to trying different techniques, like curing fish on seaweeds for example. The team really moulds what we do here, and it’s important that their ideas come alive and we work together on that side.”
Why Hackney Was the Right Home for Behind
As for the location, Andy said: “A lot of people ask: ‘Why Hackney?’
“I’ve been around here a long time. I know the neighbourhood. I know it’s a mission from central London, which I get told all the time by customers, especially people who are here on holiday and don’t realise it is quite a distance out from central. But I think this area is incredible.
“There are lots of interesting people, independent businesses, and restaurants. We all know each other and help each other out.
“We’re also really tucked away, in quite a busy area, which links to the name Behind. It feels hidden, just off London Fields.”
He added: “When people leave, I want them to think, ‘wow, that was incredible,’ and feel like they’ve had a totally different experience.
“It’s about great food, but also about feeling relaxed. Some diners want lots of detail about the food, others don’t. Some are on dates, some are real foodies, there are a lot of solo diners, which I extremely love. We get to talk a lot about food, the restaurant and our ethos.
“We gauge what each diner wants when they come in. There are young guests, here for their 18th birthday, or young chefs on budgets.
“I love helping them try wines and enjoy the experience without feeling restricted by money.
“We’re trying to create something special on the fine dining scene, where feeling comfortable is super important.
“My diners knowing they are coming into a non-stuffy environment, in a fine dining setting.”
The Staff Canteen has always been more than a website—it’s a community, built by and for hospitality. We share the wins, the challenges, the graft, and the inspiration that keeps kitchens alive.
We believe in staying open to everyone, but creating this content takes real resources. If you’ve ever found value here—whether it’s a recipe, an interview, or a laugh when you needed it most—consider giving just £3 to keep it going.
A little from you keeps this space free for all. Let’s keep lifting the industry, together.
Support Us
CONTRIBUTE
Inside Behind: Andy Beynon's Michelin-starred London seafood restaurant
