Village East, a modern European bistro in Bermondsey, is metamorphosing into Loyal Tavern, a “relaxed neighbourhood” restaurant with Duck & Waffle’s former executive chef Tom Cenci in charge of the kitchen.

As reported by Hot Dinners, the restaurant will serve a seasonal, “produce-led” menu, ranging from venison tartare with beef dripping to Cornish mackerel with apple, pine nut and truffle. Daily-changing specials might include rib of retired dairy cow or gurnard with crab bisque, carrot and seaweed. Loyal Tavern will be open until 1:30a.m. — there’ll be cheese toasties on offer late at night to soak up the evening’s excesses.

Drinks-wise, there’ll be wine flights available — ticking the natural, new world British and international boxes — to have with or without food, as well as a cocktail list with “sharing punch bowls.”

“We strongly believe in the quality of produce that we use and where it comes from,” says Cenci, who left Duck & Waffle in late 2018 after six years on the 40th floor of 110 Bishopsgate. “With simple, rustic comfort food we want it to be a local restaurant that not only Bermondsey is proud of but London too.”

The restaurant will remain under the auspices of Adam White’s House Café Company, which also runs Fitzrovia’s Riding House Cafe and Rail House Cafe in Victoria. Loyal Tavern is set to open on 6 September at 171 — 173 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3UW, with a soft launch running until 15 September.