Auguste is a neighbourhood Italian restaurant in London Fields founded by Mike Bagnall and Dylan Walters that centres around arrosticini - a traditional skewer from the Abruzzo region on Italy's East Coast.

Could you tell us a little more about the art in the restaurant? How did you curate the paintings and who painted them?

Not including the life-sized replica of Edward Hopper’s ‘Soir Bleu’ that peers over the dining room and the collection of Yung Lean stickers on the kitchen extractor fan, all of the artwork in the restaurant is courtesy of my dear friend; Leevar Spies. Leevar was an obvious choice, given the whimsical disposition and his work, saturated colour palette and closeness to my heart.

What are some of your favourite dishes on the menu at the moment?

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Cappelletti in Lamb Brodo: It’s a restorative dish. The base of the Brodo is made from the offcuts of the Lamb Arrosticini, which closes the loop.

What kind of clothes are you looking for when you’re working, how important is it to be comfortable on service?

I find comfort in self-expression at work equally as much as the materials I’m working in. There’s certainly a balance, which always comes back to flowy silhouettes and bright colours that are easily spotted from the other side of the dining room.

Auguste is a clown, right?

Yeah, Auguste is a clown archetype dating back to the 1800s. As the traditional counterpart to hierarchy and authority, it felt like a fitting name for us. We’re all about pastoral cooking and community here, so borrowing the name of a performer with that spirit made sense.

The menu centres around arrosticini, which isn’t the first dish that comes to mind when you think of Italian cooking. Do you feel the dish is underrepresented and did you want to show it some love?

Living in Abruzzo, Arrosticini became an integral part of any social gathering, celebration or casual dining experience. If something was missing in London’s eclectic dining scene, it would be this: Generally speaking, Abruzzesse cuisine doesn’t get a look in in an ever-growing pot of Roman trattorias and gluten-forward Italian restaurants. It’s nice to show some love to one of the oldest yet criminally underrepresented cuisines in Italy.