Tayēr + Elementary alumnus to head up FlipDog
Artem Skapenko and Alex Kostenyuk will open FlipDog in London’s Old Street in March, led by head bartender Igor Brovko.
Skapenko is the co-founder of several bars in Ukraine and was named IBA’s Best Bartender Under 28 in 2015. Meanwhile, Kostenyuk is an international judge with 12 years’ experience.
Brovko has more than a decade of hospitality experience, including at London’s Tayēr + Elementary.
The co-founders said: “We’re thrilled to bring FlipDog to the heart of London. Our vision is to craft a space that challenges conventions in the cocktail scene while remaining genuinely approachable.
“At FlipDog, creativity and care underpin every drink and dish, delivered without pretension. The bar is a meeting point of design, flavour, technique, and the cultural roots that inspire us.”
FlipDog will champion a ‘method-driven approach’ to modern cocktail culture, ‘where technique leads and flavour follows’.
One example is the colonial-era ‘loggerhead’ method, in which a heated iron poker is used to caramelise sugars, modify texture and intensify flavours.
Like Tayēr + Elementary, the will be divided into two distinct experiences. The street level will offer a 20-seat space inspired by the ‘dynamic nature’ of pop-up installations, creating an environment that will constantly evolve.
The lower level has 80 seats and offers a ‘more refined’ setting, focused on technique-led drinks and considered service.
In terms of food, FlipDog will offer a menu of seasonal, shareable dishes. The culinary approach draws inspiration from both Asian and Eastern European cuisines.
Kyiv-based studio YOD Group is behind the interiors.
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