Urban Greens teams up with Dalston restaurant Angelina to create Italian-Japanese salad for October

London salad chain Urban Greens has partnered with Dalston restaurant Angelina on a limited-edition dish for autumn. The Angelina Salad went on sale at all six Urban Greens sites across the capital this week and will be available until the end of the month. The dish is the latest from Urban Greens’ Guest Chef Series and draws on Itameshi, the blend of Italian and Japanese cooking on which Angelina has built its menu.

The new special was developed by Angelina founder Joshua Owens-Baigler and executive chef Usman Haider, who worked with Ana da Costa, head of food at Urban Greens. It’s built on a base of sesame glass noodles topped with Angelina’s savoury, umami-rich wafu chicken. Kale, cherry tomatoes and edamame are added, alongside pickled daikon and red cabbage, which contribute acidity and crunch. It is finished with a salty, spicy topping of toasted hazelnuts coated in togarashi and furikake, then dressed with yuzu kosho that’s citrusy with chilli heat.

Owens-Baigler explains the salad translates the restaurant’s cooking into a more casual format. “The Angelina Salad reflects the dishes from our restaurants with the same creative energy distilled into an approachable salad format. Italian and Japanese influences, heat, acid, umami and of course a fruity lift from the olive oil.”

Da Costa explained that the Guest Chef Series was set up to bring outside perspectives into the Urban Greens kitchen. “We started the Guest Chef Series because we wanted to get outside of our own menu and collaborate with chefs and restaurants that do things differently,” she said. “Angelina was such a natural fit. Their food is bold, playful and full of unexpected combinations, and we wanted to bring that same spirit to the salad bowl. The combination of the wafu chicken, pickles, furikake hazelnuts and yuzu kosho dressing bring so much flavour and texture – it really is one you won’t want to miss!”

Angelina opened in Dalston in 2019, specialising in tasting menus that combine Italian and Japanese influences. The collaboration comes as the restaurant’s team continues to expand its presence in East London, having opened a more casual sister restaurant, Osteria Angelina, in Spitalfields last year.

The Angelina Salad is available this October for dine-in, takeaway and delivery at Urban Greens’ six London branches in Shoreditch, High Street Kensington, St James’s Park, Canary Wharf and St Paul’s.

Food Desk

The Angelina Salad is available for the month of October at all Urban Greens branches. For further information or to order online, visit the group’s website here.