The story
Cycene, housed within Blue Mountain School on Chance Street in Shoreditch, is a restaurant that emulates the warmth and intimacy of dinner in a private home. The name itself, the Old English word for ‘kitchen’, sets the tone for a dining experience rooted in simplicity and care. The nine-course menu extracts optimum flavour from the simplest of ingredients, marrying classic techniques with subtle influences while drawing on a deep passion for seasonal British produce.
The kitchen’s philosophy embraces the natural rhythm of the seasons, highlighting the freshest local produce alongside the finest seafood and game. Through time-honoured techniques, dishes are created that balance subtle influences with deep, satisfying flavours. Each course is a tribute to simplicity, ensuring a dining experience that is both genuine and memorable. This dedication to quality and craftsmanship has earned Cycene a Michelin star, a recognition of its high-quality cooking and thoughtful approach to modern cuisine.
The evening begins at the ground-floor bar, where guests are welcomed with a short list of apéritifs, low-intervention wines, and kombuchas. This is accompanied by house-made bread and a seasonal broth, presented in artisanal clay beakers by renowned British potter and long-standing Blue Mountain School collaborator Steve Harrison. The meal then continues in the 16-cover first-floor dining room, a space designed for focused, intimate dining.
For larger groups, the Hearth Room table adjoins the kitchen, offering a chef-led experience for four to six guests. On Saturdays, a relaxed lunch service celebrates the bounty of the week with a changing menu led by seasonal ingredients from small-scale British market gardens and farms, featuring exceptional cuts from Farmer Tom Jones and delicate seafood from Henderson’s. The wine list comprises coveted estates practising minimalist, terroir-driven winemaking, with rare and unique bottles rotated from an offsite cellar.
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