All day dining, 76 cover (+20 outdoor) restaurant Ara will officially open its doors on 1st May, with a soft opening from 15th April, in Aldgate East a few streets from its thriving sister restaurant Amber.

Chef patron, Murat Kilic’s cooking at Ara is a complete departure from his previous ventures; here he’ll be influenced by his love of travel and experimentation. The menu will be a melting pot of global flavours without borders; guests can expect seasonal produce and ingredient-led cooking.

Murat started his hospitality career pot washing at a greasy spoon, having moved to London as a teenager to train as an electrical engineer. He quickly got a taste for the industry and learnt the trade from the bottom up, front and back of house. He launched successful café/bistro, Route in Dalston in 2012 (now sold) and then Amber in Aldgate East in 2018. Murat credits his Grandfather with teaching him the foundations of cooking and the pair spent many hours in the kitchen together in their native Turkey.

Credit: Oh Gravy! Media – Burak Can Aksit
Commitment to sustainability at Ara began from the very foundations when Murat brought in Nina Woodcroft (Nina+Co) who also designed Silo. Ara’s interior incorporates materials to minimise waste throughout. Fallen & Felled has created sleek banquette and booth seating from rescued diseased London elm wood that would otherwise have been burned while the table tops and bar facade have been crafted using innovative, recycled Smile Plastics sheets. Upholstery in pineapple leather from pineapple farm discards and light installations from galvanised steel offcuts are just a few other ethically driven design features.

Responsible practices will perpetually evolve as the team builds on knowledge and dedication to make even better choices in the future. The team reduces waste creatively by using kitchen by-products for innovative cocktails and works with sustainable drinks producers like Discarded Spirits Co. and 58 and Co. The restaurant’s wine list features organic, biodynamic, and low-intervention wines that each tell their own story of sustainability.

Ara’s wine list has been created by general manager, Wade Mundford who previously won praise from critics when he launched The Melusine in 2019 which he co-owned with Theodore Kyriakou, having met the Greek chef when they worked together at The Greek Larder.

Building on his success with Amber, which continues to flourish seven years after its launch, Murat Kilic hopes to introduce another vibrant destination and local dining spot to Aldgate East.