THE 2023 AUTUMN LINE UP AT CAROUSEL

This autumn, Carousel welcomes a characteristically diverse programme of guest chefs to Fitzrovia, from Malmö and Mexico City to Galway and the Galapagos. Meanwhile, their buzzy neighbourhood wine bar continues to offer one of best value set lunches in the city, along with an increasingly ambitious evening menu of boldly flavoured seasonal small plates to match their impressive list of low-intervention wines.

IN THE RESIDENCY KITCHEN

MALIX | 17th-21st October | MEXICO CITY

MALIX is the debut project of seasoned chef Alonso Madrigal, who cut his teeth under Elena Reygadas (Rosetta), René Redzepi (Noma Mexico) and Kristian Bauman (108). Taking Mexico City by storm, MALIX combines the traditions and sentimental flavours of Mexico with influences from cultures around the world. Madrigal’s frequently changing menus showcase the fruits of his international travels and new techniques learned along the way.

Fans of Carousel’s Mexican residencies can brace themselves for five nights of contemporary cooking, inspired by Madrigal’s neighbourhood spot in Polanco. The menu will include the likes of Chanterelles, Mussel Escabeche & Frijoles Caldosas with Flatbreads & Chintextle Butter; Squash Tamal, XO and Watercress; and signature Duck with Malix Mole and Beetroot.

Sahin Erdal | 24th-28th October | MALMÖ

Having shaken up the Swedish food scene with his contemporary Turkish restaurant, Aster in Malmö, next Sahin Erdal will set up a solo enterprise in Paris, continuing his journey of bringing the best of traditional Turkish cuisine, influenced by the tastes and smells of his homeland, to food lovers further afield.

Carousel guests will try dishes from Erdal’s in-the-works restaurant concept. Alongside his signature dolma, diners can expect Fried Panisse, Heirloom Tomato Ezme, Mint and urfa chilli (Isot Biber) and Braised Swiss Chard Manti, Smoked Yoghurt, Pul Biber and Pine Nuts, meanwhile from Erdal’s impressive repertoire of dishes cooked over flames: Grilled Octopus Salad, Amandine Potatoes, Braised Shallots and Chermoula; and Grilled Mackerel, Fennel, Carrots, Tarhana Sauce and Dill.

Jules St-Cyr | 31st October-4th November | MONTRÉAL


Following a two-year stint at Berlin’s Ernst restaurant, which ranked at No. 55 in the World’s 50 Best list 2023, French Canadian Jules will be channelling his Ernst ethos into a 12 course tasting menu at Carousel, taking on the nuances of delicately balanced Asian flavours from his travels. Having entrenched himself in the world of high end gastronomy throughout his culinary career, staging in Scandinavia and spending three years at Copenhagen’s 180, Jules developed a versatile cooking style that moves fluidly with the ebbs and flows of seasonal produce to reflect the purity of nature’s offering. Fresh from a summer of cooking alongside chef Edoardo Pellicano in China, his menu will include highlights of Pumpkin Tempura with Pumpkin Seed Sauce; Grilled Venison Tartare with Shiso Garnish and a dish of Mustard Greens with Cured Sardine and Wasabi.

Aniar | 7th-11th November | GALWAY
Michelin-starred Aniar restaurant, located in Galways’ West End, brings Ireland’s Atlantic Coast to life under the guidance of Head Chef JP McMahon. Drawing upon a larder bursting with locally foraged and considerately sourced ingredients, Aniar serves up a daily changing set menu using everything the restaurant finds at its fingertips that day. Led by the unpredictable changing seasons, guests are served a slice of Galway’s terroir with micro-seasonal dishes. The restaurant’s distinctive ethos of ‘looking back in order to look forward’ and idiosyncratic approach to sustainability in fine dining were what earned Aniar a coveted Michelin star in 2023, retained ever since. At Carousel, JP McMahon will revisit his favourite cooking techniques of curing, pickling, smoking and fermenting.

Locale Firenze | 14th-18th November | FLORENCE

Within the renowned Florentine cocktail bar Locale Firenze, in the Palazzo Concini, Chef Simone Capponetto is drawing upon the finest ingredients from Tuscany and wider Italy to deliver an adventurous à la carte menu, deeply rooted in Tuscan cuisine but peppered with influences from all corners of the globe: Vietnam, Cambodia, India, France and more. Working closely with bar manager Matteo di lenno, who landed the cocktail bar at No.39 in the World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 list, Capponetto looks back to staples learned from his nonna but with innovative twists, using experimental and fermentation techniques picked up along his international travels and work in kitchens such as Tokyo's Narisawa, Heinz Beck in Rome and Monte Carlo, and, particularly, Mugaritz. At Carousel, he will be bringing his inventive flair to every dish with the likes of Risoni Pasta with Squid Liver, Squid Ink, Confit Yellow and Red Cherry Tomatoes and Lemon Purée; Steamed Turbot, Turbot Stock and Lamb’s Lettuce; and Confit Casentino Duck, Duck Stock Curd and Bee Pollen.

Mirali Dilbazi | 20th-25th November | KYIV

Four months before Russia invaded Ukraine, Mirali Dilbazi opened his first solo enterprise, ‘Mirali’ restaurant, making waves in the capital’s fine dining food scene. With the art of fermentation at its core, the restaurant’s menu is an exploration of Ukraine’s best products, through the lens of liberally used house-ferments, which have since landed Mirali a well deserved place on the 50 Best Discovery platform. Diners will experience Dilbazi’s vibrant flavours, bold presentation and an insight into his sought-after Ukrainian cuisine at his Carousel residency.

Elisa Da Prato | 28th November-2nd December | BROOKLYN

Chef Elisa De Prato is busy popping up around the world with her “botanically driven” food concept, formerly housed in a restaurant called Etrusca in Lower Manhattan, and before that, at restaurant Elisa in Barga. With her staple avant-garde take on Tuscan trattoria dining, De Prato puts flora and fauna first, with menus that see the likes of rabbit ragùs dressed with nettle leaves, goats milk robiola sprinkled with pollen and other wild and wonderful ingredients incorporated along the way.

Ana Oritz | 4th-9th December | SOMERSET

Galapagos Island born Ana Oritz has since established herself in Somerset, where she soaks up her bucolic surroundings and cooks with fire. Influenced by childhood memories of eating with her 30-something-large family in Ecuador, and preparing meat nose-to-tail to be cooked over fire and stroked with bundled herbs, Ana co-founded ‘Fire Made’, designing bespoke fire equipment for lovers of outdoor grill cooking and cooking directly with embers. Ana will bring the smoky flavours of her Ecuadorian cuisine to Carousel for five nights only.

DOWN TO THE WINE BAR

Carousel’s own restaurant offers a laid back dynamic, welcoming guests for a leisurely lunch or casual evening sharing plates, all singing the flavours of Latin American and the Mediterranean, and washed back with a lively selection of low-intervention wines. The modestly priced prix fixe lunch menu (£22 for two courses, £25 for three) showcases the best of what Carousel’s Ollie Templeton has to offer, as he draws inspiration from the vibrant and diverse menus that keep the guest chef ‘carousel’ rolling. The wine bar's evening menu features the likes of Mangalitza Pork Skewers, Fermented Pineapple Glaze; Fried Chicken, Pickled Cucumber, Scotch Bonnet Honey; and John Dory, Smoked Butter, Chintextle, Spinach".

For more information please contact pink@gemmabellandcompany.com