In Conversation with: Jackson Boxer
Chef/Proprietor
Jackson Boxer is certainly busy. Chef/co-owner of Brunswick House in Vauxhall and Below Stone Nest on Shaftesbury Avenue; consultant at Cowley Manor, the Experimental Group’s Cotswolds property; founder of Jackson Boxer at The Corner Store in Selfridges; and, in west London, chef/owner of the much-loved Orasay. Father of four, he’s an eloquent, talented, all round great guy, and he’s made the time to tell us about a few of his favourite west London things.
Where is your west London restaurant and how long has it been there?
Orasay is a small, beautiful restaurant specialising in wild fish and seafood from around the UK, working with a network of day boats and divers. We opened at the top of Kensington Park Road in 2019.
What’s special to you about this area?
I love Portobello and its rich and varied streetlife. I love that it has a bustling fruit and veg market which people use and appreciate. I love that, despite Notting Hill’s reputation as an enclave of huge wealth, the area has retained a huge amount of its diversity and character, all of which can be appreciated walking around Portobello, Golborne, Ladbroke Grove.
What are some of your favourite restaurants/food outlets in the area?
I love Panella under Trelick Tower for generous bowls of delicious pasta at lunch. I love Makan under the Westway for quick plates of char kway teow between lunch and dinner service. I also really like Dorian on Talbot Road, I think Max is a very talented cook.
Are there any other local businesses / venues that you can’t live without?
I’m devoted to Cable Coffee Co. on Blenheim Crescent, who have kept me suitably caffeinated over the last few years. Noor Hardware on Portobello have been lifesavers on many occasions when something vital in the restaurant has broken and I’ve needed to pull out the emergency toolkit to keep the show on the road. Most of the beautiful things in the restaurant – fabrics, candles, vases, etc. – have come from either Cloth Shop or Katrina Philips, both shops on Portobello I love.
Anything else ‘insider’ you want to tell us about the area?
I’m very much hoping to get an evening off ASAP to go and visit legendary chef Rowley Leigh at his pop up in Laylow. Rowley is one of my all-time heroes and having him back cooking, if only for a short moment, is amazing.
THANK YOU!
@brunswick_house @jboxer_thecorner @cowleymanor @belowstonenest
