Tasting menu

He was last in London heading up Jason Atherton's Sosharu but now chef Alex Craciun is back with his own restaurant that plays with multiple influences in a great-looking setting. We went down to check it out. 

30/10/25 - updated with the opening date

It's been almost a decade since we last encountered the cooking of chef Alex Craciun in London. Back then, the chef had taken on the head chef position at Jason Atherton's Sosharu, for which he received almost universal praise from the critics. Grace Dent said his was 'the best chicken

Tucked away on a side street off Old Street roundabout, an old boozer has been given a new lease of life in this chef's table restaurant with its own subterranean cocktail bar.

Cycene sees chef Theo Clench take over at Shoreditch's Blue Mountain School with an inventive tasting menu and a whole new look for the space. We head down to try it out.