Founders of London’s Bleeding Heart and The Don restaurants, Robyn and Robert Wilson, have announced the launch of a new restaurant, to be run by chef James Walker. The Sign of The Don opens on 3rd November in St Swithins Lane and aims to offer a more informal dining experience to its considerably more corporate sister venue, The Don.
With a CV boasting stints at The Ritz, Oxo tower restaurant and Le Pont de la Tour, Head Chef James Walker certainly has a vast amount of experience to bring to the (dinner) table. Reuniting with Head of Operations Giuseppe de Wilde, who worked with Walker for seven years at Le Pont de la Tour, Walker promises modern European cuisine inspired by his time spent in Paris and the restaurant’s Portuguese heritage. Whilst we’re slightly uninspired by the King Prawn with chilli main course, the 12-hour Confit suckling pig with grape mustard and black pudding has certainly caught our attention.
Adjacent to The Don restaurant, The Sign of The Don sits on the site of the original Sandeman Port and Sherry Cellars and careful thought has gone into reflecting this heritage through the restaurant’s decor, with seats fashioned from reclaimed Sandeman Port casks, a Portuguese cork floor and cork bar.
Despite offering a muted, more informal service, The Sign of the Don still has a strong wine focus (echoing sister restaurants Bleeding Heart and The Don). Co-Founder Robert Wilson has hand-picked thirty wines, which will regularly feature Spanish and Portuguese offerings and unsurprisingly, a selection from the Wilson’s own vineyard, Trinity Hill.
Address: 21 St. Swithins Lane, London, EC4N 8AD, UK
