Husband and wife team James Knappett and Sandia Chang are to open Bubbledogs this July at 70 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia. Knappett (The Ledbury; The Berkeley; Noma; Per Se) will be Head Chef while Chang (Roganic; TheBerkeley; Noma; Per Se) will be General Manager.
There will be two distinct elements: Bubbledogs will serve Grower Champagne, sparkling wine and hot dogs. Meanwhile, hidden from sight at Kitchen Table, Knappett and his team will host intimate lunches and dinners with a maximum of 19 guests, seated directly around his kitchen.
“We are very excited to be opening our first restaurant together on Charlotte Street, and to be introducing something a little different,” say Knappett and Chang.
Bubbledogs will offer a menu of ten hot dogs served on traditional steamed buns, including the BLT dog, wrapped in bacon and served with truffle mayo and caramelized lettuce; the Jose dog with guacamole, sour cream, salsa and jalapenos, and a regularly changing guest chef’s special. Prices will start at £6. A short menu of sides, including Tater Tots, will add a further taste of classic Americana.
Bubbledogs will offer a concise list exclusively of Grower Champagne and sparkling wines available by the glass and the bottle. Chang will be introducing lesser-known producers and regions to her list, with prices starting at £6/glass and £26/bottle. A changing list of five cocktails will feature updated versions of classics, priced from £9, such as the Old-Fashioned made with bacon-infused bourbon and maple syrup, and a gin and tonic mixed with homemade tonic. A selection of American and British craft beers will also be available by the bottle.
Bubbledogs’ design, created by Knappett and Chang, will incorporate an anaglypta ceiling; original reconditioned flooring; a copper-topped bar; reclaimed pine wall cladding; exposed brick, and Georgian wire windows.
Kitchen Table, meanwhile, will showcase Knappett’s contemporary European cooking and innovative use of ingredients, which bears the hallmarks of his time at Noma and Per Se. Knappett will prepare, serve and talk through his dishes with diners, who can opt for lunchtime menus of three or five courses, priced from £25, or an evening menu, priced from £50. Sample dishes include: Beetroot, fennel and garlic scapes; Chicken skin, grilled onion and burrata milk; Beef, dead nettle and carrot; and Hay, strawberry, malt and sweet cicely. The wine list will consist of 100-150 bins, primarily lesser-known fine wines and small producers.
Kitchen Table will feature seating for 19 diners around an open kitchen, with a stainless steel tabletop. A wine wall behind a caged frontage, and an ‘ideas board’ - a blackboard which Knappett will use both to plan and to guide diners through his menus - will complete the scene.