A permanent fixture at the Charlotte Street venue, Cometa will take over Carousel’s existing wine bar in Fitzrovia and focus on pairing British fish and seafood with Mexican flavours.
Cometa, meaning ‘comet’ in Spanish, will use top-quality UK day-boat fish and seafood from Carousel’s long-standing suppliers, including Fin & Flounder, Flying Fish, Keltic Seafare and The Sea The Sea.
Loosely taking the shape of a classic French brasserie-style format, with Mexican flavours at the forefront, the menu will offer a selection of raw dishes, including ceviches and aguachiles; sharing plates such as chilpachole rice, brown butter and chive; and larger grilled dishes to share for the table, such as lobster, chintextle and smoked butter sauce, served with seasonal sides.
Drinks will include tepache and homemade aguas frescas as well as agave-based cocktails such as Cometa’s Spicy Margarita and a mezcal old fashioned.
Cometa builds on years of guest chef collaborations with prominent Mexican chefs including Tomás Bermúdez (La Docena), Thalía Barrios Garcia (Levadura de Olla), Santiago Muñoz (Maizajo) and Gerardo Vázquez Lugo (Nicos).
The kitchen will be led by Ollie and current Carousel employees José Lizarralde Serralde and Alejandra Juarez.
Re-designed by the Templeton brothers themselves, the space will offer a cosy, intimate dining experience.
“There’s been a Mexican heartbeat to our kitchen for several years now,” says Ed Templeton, Carousel co-founder.
“These are the flavours that we keep going back to, so opening Cometa felt like the natural next step for us.
“Our guest chef programme isn’t going anywhere, but with this new restaurant we wanted to put our own style of cooking and our own personality front and centre, where it deserves to be.
“Cometa marks an exciting new chapter for us, and we hope it will become a much-loved destination for diners in search of some of the best seafood in London.”
Carrousel’s wine bar will close early in the new year.