“It was never just going to be about putting burrata on a plate and taking people’s money off them,” says chef Matthew Scott about his and wine merchant Charlie Carr’s approach to their new restaurant, Papi, in London Fields. Not that anyone vaguely acquainted with Matthew’s previous project and Papi precursor, HOT 4 U, was expecting him to just put burrata on a plate. The chef, who headed up Cub in Hoxton until it closed in the first lockdown, dealt with being unemployed and feeling let down by the government by setting up a food delivery service turned pop-up he describes as “no-holds-barred, anarchistic fun”. If the operation was DIY, the food was outright punk, with foie gras mini Magnums, garum Pom Bears and builder’s tea Basque cheesecake becoming signatures. Burrata there was not.

Another lockdown disruptor, Charlie was championing under-represented natural wines at pop-ups across London under the moniker Wingnut Wines (which now has a permanent space in Netil Market) when he met Matthew and the two started collaborating. Listening to them reminisce about that day is like hearing a couple talking about how they fell in love, probably because it’s not far off. “I feel like we were supposed to meet,” says Matthew. From then on, it’s been one big love train and Papi, their first bricks-and-mortar restaurant, is its final destination (for now, anyway). We pay a visit.

Charlie: “I remember it was the first really sunny spring day of the year when we met, two years ago. Matthew was doing fried chicken and caviar, which I paired with champagne. Everyone got really drunk.”

Matthew: “The day we met was also the day I got engaged to my girlfriend. It felt like me and Charlie were always supposed to meet. Why? Because we love each other very much. We hit it off immediately and became part of each other’s lives. It was perfect timing because we were just coming out of lockdown and, although HOT 4 U was so healing during the pandemic, really like therapy for me, I was also starting to miss the connection to people in a room. When you do pop-ups and markets you’re just putting things into bags and hitting the road. I wanted more of a dialogue with customers again.

“We decided it was the right time to grow and mature together. I had a daughter just over a year before when we landed on this site and Charlie’s father passed away in the early throes of the pandemic as well, so Papi was an obvious name for us. It connected us both to the things that we loved the most in our lives. And it meant that we could stick a flag in the ground and truly represent the people that matter to us while building new families together.

“What we do here wouldn’t be possible without happiness and love. I don’t see this as a job but something that encourages me to throw myself out of bed, plant my feet on the floor and get to work. So without love, this would be completely banal. Love is what keeps the cogs turning and it’s inherently the most important part of Papi. It informs the way that we treat one another, our staff, our team, our customers, our suppliers, and how that all comes back. Everything is built around community and love.”

Charlie: “I want people to feel excited but comfortable in this space. People often say that they want to feel at home when they visit restaurants but when I go out to eat – which is my favourite thing to do, I never get tired of it – I want to feel like I’m not at home. I want to feel elegant and like I’m out. That’s how I want people to feel too – and to feel like they can do what they want.”

Matthew: “It really is about hospitality for us and how we can make everybody feel safe and welcome. I truly believe that food is for the people and always should be, which is why we don’t price anything over £20 on our menu. And we want people to be able to engage with the underrepresented producers that Charlie showcases without feeling patronised or scared.

“The food has matured and grown up since HOT 4 U. It’s now just about showcasing seasonality with a sense of nostalgia. My favourite thing to hear from customers is, ‘That really reminds me of something that I had when I was a kid,’ or ‘That’s given me a food memory.’ Then, I know I’ve reached an emotional level.

“We don’t waste anything here and always try to bring out the best of an ingredient so that it can shine on the plate. It’s just a very happy way of cooking, which is a nice thing. You feel a lot less restricted creativity-wise when you are free. You can just run.

Charlie: “When we found this space it needed some love. The red bathroom was our first choice, before the food, before the wine, everything. I had gone on a three-week road trip around Spain with my mum and we went to this old-school restaurant where the bathroom was red. It really stuck in my mind.”

Matthew: “We’re missing a red toilet seat. There’s more rouge to come.”

Charlie: “Someone was asking me about how me and Matthew work together the other day. I think creatively we’re very aligned, but our things are slightly different. It means we’re both happy with what each other does. It’s very natural.”

Matthew: “I trust Charlie with everything. He’s the godfather of my daughter and I know he’s going to be around for the rest of my life, which makes me incredibly happy. We’ll grow old together and we’ll drink lots of wine and we’ll eat well and we’ll make sure our families are looked after and our friends are merry and that life is good.”

Matthew’s recipe for clams, spring vegetables and elderflower crème fraîche

“This recipe underpins Papi’s core values as a seasonal wine bar that champions the food that is best eaten right now. You can get great clams from reputable fishmongers. Make sure they’re as fresh as can be. If any of them appear to be open after purging in cold water, be sure to get rid of them immediately.”

Ingredients

For the elderflower crème fraîche

800ml double cream
800ml whole milk
200ml elderflower cordial

For the clams

1kg clams

For the beurre blanc

2l good-quality fish stock
250g cold diced butter

For the garnish

50ml Noilly Prat, or other dry vermouth
50g fresh podded peas
50g fresh podded broad beans
50g fresh courgettes, thinly sliced
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
1 small bunch mint, picked
15g freshly picked elderflower

First make the crème fraîche. Mix the cream, milk and cordial together. Cover with a cheesecloth and leave to ferment at room temperature for two days. The cream will thicken like a soft cheese and the elderflower will add a floral note. Any remaining crème fraîche will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Purge the clams under cold running water for 10 minutes. Strain and repeat this process three times to remove any sand and grit. (You can test a clam by steaming one until it opens and tasting for sand.) Place them into a dry container in the fridge, covered by a wet towel.

To make the beurre blanc, add the butter to the fish stock, cube by cube, using a stick blender to combine until the sauce has fully emulsified using a stick blender on medium speed, add the butter to your fish stock cube by cube until the sauce has fully emulsified together. Place over the heat and reduce the sauce until it just coats the back of a spoon. Reserve.

Add the clams to a hot saucepan, along with the spring vegetables. Add the vermouth and cover with a lid. Cook for around three minutes until the clams are open and the vegetables are cooked and tender. Throw any unopened clams away. Add the beurre blanc to the clams and stir through.

Plate up. Finish with a spoonful of elderflower crème fraîche, some freshly picked elderflower and herbs.