Templar is part of the Stratford Cross development, which is located between The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and The London Stadium and is also home to Sadlers Wells East, the V&A, UAL and BBC Music Studios.
The kitchen is being overseen by Richard Sinclair, whose CV includes London Italian restaurants Terra and Lardo as well as the Michelin-starred Pied à Terre.
Billed as a celebration of modern European dishes his menu includes watermelon radish, taramasalata and crispy focaccia; pig’s head croquette, fennel and Muscat grape salad; sea bass crudo, Amalfi lemon, cucumber, wild fennel and coriander; chargrilled monkfish tail, white wine sauce, sea herbs and pickled mushrooms; and Mandarin semifreddo with blood orange and gin jelly.
The wine list is focused on Old World low-intervention producers. Cocktails will include an Olive Oil and Sea Salt Martini (olive oil-washed vodka, vanilla liqueur, a dash of cream and Maldon salt); and Honey Bee Good (Avallen Calvados, chartreuse, Park honey, apple juice and absinthe).
Upon entering the restaurant, guests will be greeted by an open dining room and ‘opulent’ bar stocked with fine Italian spirits.
Inspired by Italian Modernism with mid-century design, the dining room has signature blue accents, reclaimed terrazzo floor, dark cherry seating and leather burgundy banquettes, complemented by vintage lighting reminiscent of 1950s Italy.
Up above in the rafters is a mezzanine which is home to a wine cave and a semi-private dining room overlooking the restaurant.
“The name Templar derives from the history of this brilliant location in which Knights Templar owned the land back in the 1080s building wooden watermills on the adjacent river Lea to grind the locals’ cereal crops,” Goodman says.
“This is also referenced in the nearby Temple Mills Lane. Discovering the local history of the area, it shows a long-forgotten connection to use of the land in the distant past which many people will not know about. Fast forward to the present where we are really happy to be a part of the new development here as it continues to be regenerated as London’s new Cultural Quarter.”