Proper pub-friendly and Irish-inspired indulgence on the regular at Moyletts? You best believe it. In between the pop-ups we’ve enlisted kitchen maestro and all-round cultural tastemaker Matt Leppier to run the day-to-day kitchen.

Boy has he delivered. If you’ve joined us recently you would have seen the lineup running Wednesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner: chicken filet rolls, pickle plates, croquettes, soda bread, and even Hunky Dory nachos.

A tastemaker in more ways than one, Matt – also known as Brickcellphone – is no stranger to the kitchen. From posh fried chicken to hybrid Neapolitan-New York pies, his career as a chef has been defined by diving in at the deep end, learning on the fly, and trusting a natural instinct for making things taste good.

As Managing Editor at Off Licence Magazine, it’s not just taste that matters. Matt spends his time interviewing artists and digging into music and culture, while Brickcellphone sees him take to the decks and airwaves as a DJ and radio host. You might also catch him at the bar spinning records on the days we have an external kitchen takeovers, where there’s everything from sultry jazz to Saharan rock and underground rap on the cards.

Usually though, he’s downstairs running the kitchen. There’s pickles and hand-selected cheeses flanked by curated fruits up for grabs amongst the croquettes, fillet rolls, and rarebit. Picky bits between drinks or hearty meals, be it lunch or dinner. The menu has pretty much all bases covered, and by the reception so far, they’re exceptionally tasty bases at that.

Soda bread harks back to tradition, whipped Kerrygold butter and all. Matt’s no stranger to dough, having perfected sourdough working in a pizzeria and now even working Guinness into the soda bread itself.

Meanwhile, the chicken fillet roll is perhaps the headline act and something that still isn’t particularly easy to get hold of in London, especially in a pub setting. Backed by foundations from working in a proper fried chicken spot in Brighton, Matt learnt the art of brining, marinating, dredging, and all the other little details that separate the best from the rest.

He’s even brought his own secret spice blend into the mix, giving Colonel Sanders a run for his money. Finished off with a buttermilk marinade, freshly made roasted garlic mayo, a carefully balanced cheese blend, and a hot demi-baguette baked to order, it’s a modern classic done properly.

Elsewhere, Hunky Dory nachos is a genius idea, and the Guinness rarebit toast is another example of the menu’s creativity sitting comfortably on top of Irish pub foundations. Croquettes are usually associated with our friends on the continent, but here they’re given a distinctive twist with colcannon and Dublin coddle. Imagine biting into one of those alongside a cold pint, natural wine, or soft drink. The beauty is now you don’t have too – we’ve got you covered in real life.

Just like Josh Wheatley of French Tostada’s kitchen journey, Matt’s is similarly indicative of the joys of jumping headfirst into chef life. He landed his first role despite having no professional experience, but that really didn’t matter.

In fact, the head chef at the time didn’t even clock there was a slight fib told in the interview process, so the natural aptitude for cooking was clear from the beginning. To be honest, it’s all very Moyletts: strong friends, strong instincts, and seeing where things go when you give people the space to create.

We sat down with Matt to learn a bit more about the chef and the menu, among other things. Cooking as a love language, the intricacies of a perfected chicken fillet roll, plans for one-off specials, and why deep-fried soda bread might soon become a very dangerous addition.

As the man says himself: “One of the best things in the world is cooking for people and getting to see them enjoy it. It’s one of life’s great pleasures. It’s my love language. So, come and let me cook for you!”

Check the full interview below and get yourselves down here.

What’s your culinary background? We know you’ve always loved cooking, but where and why did the passion start?

M: "I used to love cooking with my mum. I’d always ask if I could help her make dinner and she’d always let me. I’d help her make a roast, peeling spuds and that. Both my parents are great home cooks, so that definitely helped build my passion. We used to make meatballs, chilli cornbread pie, all sorts."
"What’s funny is that now, when I go to see my parents, it’s the other way round. I’m cooking and I let my mum help."
"Cooking is my love language. I cook for my partner basically every night and she gets to test all my mad ideas. I also LOVE cooking a big full English for friends after a night out. It’s the best."

What about professionally? Give us a quick highlights reel of the most important places you’ve worked in the past and how these have shaped you in the present.

"I worked in Brighton under Will Dennard, who was a great teacher. I initially lied about my previous experience, assuring him that I had worked and spent time in kitchens, which I had not. After a few weeks, he complimented me and said I was really good, so I came clean. He was shocked, but also completely fine with it."
"It was an open kitchen where we made a hybrid Neapolitan-New York pie. During my time there, I perfected my sourdough and had the chance to make loads of fun things from scratch. Also, shout out to my head chef Pavv, we had too many good times in that kitchen."
"During Covid, I also worked in a posh chicken spot in Brighton. I got spotty and greasy and didn’t work there for long, but I learned A LOT about frying, brining, marinating, dredging and all of that."

The menu is so carefully considered, paying homage to our Irish roots with pub-friendly options designed to complement pints and general merriment rather than take centre stage. How did you come up with the initial ideas? A lot of trial and error, or did things naturally map themselves out during the design process?

M: "I’ve worked from home for five years. I was getting to the point where I hated being on my phone, hated being on my laptop and hated the internet. I lost a freelance contract and was jobless for a few months. It was getting tough. Luckily, I was DJing at Moyletts and mentioned to Rupert that I could run the kitchen between pop-ups. One thing led to another and I created the menu concept from scratch. My life has changed a lot this year, but starting to cook again has been really, really fun. It's a proper graft, especially after sitting on my ass for five years."
"Once I got in the kitchen, I began developing recipes, which I’m always tweaking and subtly improving. I really wanted to honour the essence of Moyletts. It’s a local pub, the pints are actually affordable and the vibes are always correct. I wanted the menu to respect and expand on that."

The chicken fillet roll is an undisputed modern Irish staple, and your take is undeniably delicious. But what is it that makes the perfect chicken fillet roll in your eyes?

M: "Firstly, the bread. It has to be a demi-baguette. It’s baked to order so it comes out HOT, which helps melt the cheese blend. The cheese blend is mozzarella and Red Leicester. The roasted garlic mayo is freshly made, all of the fresh ingredients are chopped the same way each time and bought daily, so it’s super fresh."
"The star of the show has to be the chicken though. It’s marinated in buttermilk and hot sauce, and uses my special, secret chicken seasoning, which brings everything together."
"For me, it’s the mix of classic, basic ingredients with the elevation of the chicken and homemade mayo."

Do you have any all-time favourites from the menu from your perspective as the chef?

M: "It’s gotta be the chicken fillet roll. It’s an all-time classic. Plus, the more of them I eat, the more I’m able to perfect it."

Now you’re on the other side. The creamiest of Guinesses in hand, and sitting eagerly at the bar with a rumbling stomach. What’s the best thing to order?

M: "There are so many factors and nuances within this choice. I love a noodle soup. A big curry with some chapatis and poppadoms. Sam’s Chicken in Holloway is pure filth. Its gotta be a big Chinese though. Crispy chilli beef, crab and sweetcorn soup, Singapore noodles. Corrrrr. But honestly, as humans, we have too much choice."

How has running the kitchen been so far? Are there any dishes emerging as favorites with our lovely clientele?

M: "It actually changes daily. Whatever the first person orders tends to be the favourite of the day. I think people see it going out and do the classic, “corrrr, that looks nice.”"

We’ve heard rumours and whispers of specials making an appearance at some point. Don’t give too much away, but can we have any clues perhaps?

M: "I’ve been talking with my sous, who wants to run a special dessert, and I’m very much here for it. I’ve also recently discovered the pure, unadulterated filth that is deep-fried soda bread, so I really want to include that in my take on the American “chicken and waffles.”"

Anything else you want to add?

M: "One of the best things in the world is cooking for people and getting to see them enjoy it. It’s one of life’s great pleasures. It’s my love language. So, come and let me cook for you!"

A huge thank you to Matt for taking the time to answer our questions, we'll be back soon for another Moyletts Spotlight. Until then, we'll see you down the pub!

Words by Marko Marincic

Pictures by Nicole Hamilton