EKTE nordic kitchen

Restaurateur Soren Jessen Announces New City Site in Bloomberg Arcade

EKTE Nordic Kitchen will launch in early April 2018 in Bloomberg Arcade in the City of . The informal Scandinavian-influenced restaurant, café and sandwich bar will join a prestigious and varied line-up of other establishments on the ground level of Bloomberg’s new European headquarters.

Danish-born restaurateur Soren Jessen, who launched successful City stalwart, 1 Lombard Street in 1998, is enthusiastic about the new project, which will offer him a platform for his favoured native cuisine. “Our offering at EKTE will be very different from 1 Lombard Street,” he explained. “We want to explore fresh and seasonal Nordic-inspired cooking, and also create a vital take away offering for busy City locals, including the hugely popular smørrebrød sandwiches and Scandinavian pastries.”

Central to the design will be a food bar with an open kitchen. Devised by London based Danish Design studio JLKDS, the glass-fronted 60 seat space will also feature an expansive outdoor seating area for up to 20. The interior is inspired by the Nordic menu: elegant, but simple and pure, utilizing raw materials of weathered oak, tanned leather, polished concrete, charred timber and pale stone.

EKTE, meaning genuine or real in Norwegian, will serve a varied Nordic menu with typical dishes including - Snaps-cured dill salmon, pickled radishes, onion and beet; Mustard marinated herring with caramelised apple; New potato salad with smoked mayo, fried onion and toasted rye crumbs; Seared pepper venison with preserved plums, apple pistachio and almonds; Danish apple cake with cinnamon ice cream; and Norwegian hazelnut cake with chocolate sauce.

Smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches on rye bread) will feature Smoked trout, Curried herring, Greenland shrimp, Goat’s cheese with burnt beetroot, and Roast beef with burnt onion, light pickled cucumber and horseradish cream. Breakfast will include a selection of Danish pastries, Charcuterie, Gravad lax and eggs, and numerous other traditional Scandinavian and British items.

Commenting further on the new project, Soren Jessen added: “It is a privilege to be included in the magnificent new Norman Foster building. EKTE will complement the other food outlets, with our modern design plans and our repertoire of Nordic classic cuisine, plus some fun, casual menus for takeaway. City workers and Londoners in general are in for a culinary treat with the launch of Bloomberg Arcade.”

EKTE Nordic Kitchen will be open throughout the day from Monday to Saturday from 7am- 11.30pm. The full address will be – 2-8 Bloomberg Arcade, London EC4N 8AR.

Bloomberg Arcade Bloomberg Arcade runs through the site of Bloomberg’s new European headquarters in the . The covered pedestrian arcade will bring together independent restaurants from some of the biggest names in food, creating a culinary and cultural destination in the heart of the Square Mile. Curated by Bloomberg’s Chief food critic Richard Vines, the restaurant line-up includes a new concept by Michelin star chef Andrew Wong, Brigadiers - a new concept by JKS Restaurants - and new sites for Homeslice, Caravan, Vinoteca, Koya, Bleecker Burger and Ahi Poké.

Bloomberg’s new European headquarters Opening on the 24th Oxtober 2017, Bloomberg’s new European headquarters occupies 3.2 acres between St Paul’s Cathedral and the , providing approximately 1.1 million square feet of office and retail space. Two nine-storey buildings clad in sandstone are divided by Bloomberg Arcade and flanked by public squares featuring artworks that pay homage to the river . Situated on one of the UK’s most significant archaeological sites, the new Bloomberg development will also be home to London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, an anticipated cultural hub that will restore the ancient Temple of Mithras to the site of its discovery and display a selection of the remarkable Roman artefacts discovered during excavation.

For further information, contact: Network London PR – Maureen Mills, Tom Rogers, or Jess Day Tel – 020-8947 4474, or Email – [email protected]

October 2017