Bistro Sablé doubles up, serving up its classic French food at a Shoreditch pub residency

The original Bistro Sable opened in Islington late last year, taking over from The Smokehouse in Islington. That seems to have worked pretty well as the people behind it also own The Princess of Shoreditch and will now be bringing Bistro Sablé there too.

That pub has a restaurant space upstairs that used to be a big deal (particularly when run by Ruth Hansom), but has been coasting for a few years. So they've decided to revamp the pub's restaurant, turning it into a second Bistro Sablé, or more accurately a Bistro Sablé residency as the French Bistro will be popping up there until the end of the year.

It'll be smaller than the Islington original (just 32 seats) and the menu will be very similar, but it is noticeably shorter than the Islington original. So you'll find classic French dishes like pâté de campagne, jambon persille and rotisserie chicken with vin jaune sauce on the menu. They even have a jambon-beurre baguette if you're after a quick lunch. The snacks in the pub downstairs will also change, so expect a pâté en coute on the blackboard there. 

The dining room itself is getting a light refit too, aiming to look a little more French bistro-like, with retro posters on the wall. At the moment, this is being pitched as a limited residency, but frankly we wouldn't be surprised if it ends up hanging around a little longer if it proves to be a success. 

It's due to open properly in October, but they're already serving up lunch this week and dinner next week so if you fancy something very French in Shoreditch, you can try it out now.