Chef Neil Rankin will launch his plant-based restaurant Simplicity Burger in London’s Brick Lane on 1st November 2019. In Rankin’s previous restaurants such as Smokehouse, temper and Pitt Cue, meat played a pivotal role Simplicity Burger will adopt the same meticulous approach to the provenance and preparation of ingredients to serve outstanding plant-based burgers in East London.
Simplicity Burger was born out of a combination of Neil’s constant drive to challenge himself as a chef, as well as the obvious and urgent environmental need for us all to make changes to the way we prepare and consume food. Simplicity Burger aims to prove that plant-based food can be a no-brainer in terms of both quality and cost.
Rankin has spent over eight months developing his unique take on the plant-based burger. The resulting recipe — while something of a secret — uses a combination of techniques including dehydration and fermentation to create the restaurant’s patties.
As with all Rankin projects, Simplicity Burgers’ food will be made using the highest-quality produce, and in its drive to be sustainable and zero waste, the restaurant’s vegetables will be the ‘seconds’ and not feature any single-use plastic and will use compostable plates.
It is this drive for sustainability and minimum waste which also led to Simplicity Burger re-using the venue’s previous décor rather than ripping it out and starting again. The result is a stripped-back, friendly diner-style experience. The restaurant can cater for 45 covers, and while it does not take reservations, diners can kick back with a cocktail and wait in the restaurant’s subterranean bar, Last Days on Earth. Here, head barman Chris O’Neil, formerly of temper, will serve a fully-vegan array of cocktails and snacks until 1am.
Simplicity Burger does not pay lip service to the notions of plant-based food or sustainability. Instead it is a committed response to these issues from a passionate chef keen to demonstrate that in 2019, plant-based burgers can showcase the same skill and attention to detail as those containing meat, while being easier on the pocket and, of course, the environment.
