If any of us are destined for anything in life, then Nathaniel Mortley was destined to cook. “Food is a very big thing in my family,” he tells Broadsheet. “I remember my granny cooking up at lots of parties and cooking for tons of people [when I was] growing up. You could always pop in, and there would always be a plate of food for you at any time.”
Known as NattyCanCook online – where he’s built a following for his inventive reinterpretations of Caribbean staples – Mortley is a chef and entrepreneur who’s young, hungry and ready to shake up the Herne Hill dining scene. His first restaurant, 2210 by NattyCanCook, is currently in soft launch – it officially opens on November 5. Located at the edge of Brockwell Park, the fine-dining Caribbean restaurant is a family business in every sense of the word.
Mortley’s aunt is the head of operations. His godmother is in charge of front of house. Even one of his best friends from primary school is in on the action, as the general manager. It’s a tight operation, but it might not have existed if it weren’t for The Clink, a charity that aims to reduce reoffending by providing vocational hospitality training to people in prison.
It was The Clink that reignited Mortley’s passion for cooking. He was incarcerated for two and a half years in Brixton prison in 2019. While there, he worked as a sous-chef at The Clink Restaurant, which is situated on premises, in the old governor’s house.
Since 2009, The Clink has successfully trained hundreds of people, equipping them with professional qualifications and vital, hands-on kitchen experience. For Mortley, it was less about learning from scratch and more about staying sharp, refining the skills he already had and helping him stay connected to the industry. Before he was imprisoned, he worked in the kitchens at Oblix, City Social and The Arts Club, and had a stint catering for the London Olympics in 2012. Prison gave him time to reassess what he wanted from life.
“It was really like a blessing within the madness,” he says. “Because jail can be a place where you can get involved in all types of silly stuff. Being able to do something that I really enjoyed was a proper, proper blessing.”
As a chef-ambassador for The Clink, Mortley gave the opening speech at the charity’s annual gala last year in front of 300 people. On November 13, he’ll be doing a full takeover of The Clink Restaurant. “That’s huge for me, because I was in that place just four years ago. And now I’m going back in there as someone who’s able to go and speak to people who have got similar stories to mine and show them that with hard graft and with determination, you can achieve incredible things.”
The opening of his new restaurant – just one of the incredible things he’s achieved so far – comes off the back of a sell-out residency at The Greyhound in Peckham.
The menu at 2210 showcases the ambitious cooking Mortley has made his calling card. Expect everything from Caribbean-style Sunday roasts to ackee-and-saltfish spring rolls and jerk chicken supreme with a deep-fried allspice terrine. For dessert, there’s deep-fried apple crumble and a plantain cake (plantain sponge with white chocolate ganache, chocolate snow and pickled plantain). Drinks are Caribbean-inspired – expect plenty of rum.
“My food is very much a fusion,” Mortley says. “I’m taking all the best things that I like to eat and I’m just fusing it with the stuff I’ve learnt throughout my time in the trade. And that’s where the niche is. Because there aren’t enough nice, established Black Caribbean food spots, and there aren’t that many Caribbean chefs who are really pushing the agenda. You’ve obviously got James Cochran, Jason Howard and Dom Taylor. But apart from that, there’s not really anyone else doing this.
“But people love it. When you go to Notting Hill Carnival, people are always banging on about jerk chicken. So how can we take it from being something you order in a takeaway and push it into something that can be a lot more refined, a lot more sexy? I wanted to open a place where you can come out, dress up nice, and celebrate Caribbean culture in style.”
The space itself is styled with undulating curves and moody lighting. Striking arches separate rooms decorated with sculptural mirrors and blue banquettes. As for the name? It commemorates the date Mortley’s grandmother passed away: October 22, 2021. He has the same numbers tattooed on his fingers.
“This was all done in memory of her,” he says. “I want her to be proud and for her memory to live on forever.”
2210 by NattyCanCook
75 Norwood Road, SE24 9AA
0203 713 5108
Hours:
Wed & Thu 5pm–9pm
Fri 5pm–11pm
Sat midday–11pm
Sun midday–9pm
