After 15 years in kitchens, Josh Dallaway has carved out a career defined by curiosity, creativity, and movement. His formative years were spent under the guidance of Sebastian Myers at Sager & Wilde, before stepping into his first Head Chef role at Silver Lining. Since then, Josh has embraced a nomadic approach to cooking, leading kitchens across London and abroad – most notably at Brunswick House, Bar Bruno, 107, Half Cut Market, and the Gallifet Art Centre in Aix-en-Provence.

Now settled (for a year, at least) at Tasca, a kitchen residency at Cav in Bethnal Green, Josh brings his rich culinary journey to life alongside sommelier and partner, Sinead Murdoch. Tasca is a thoughtful homage to the pair’s travels through Portugal, Spain, and the South of France: a love letter to relaxed, regional dining and soulful, produce-led cooking.

How did your passion for cooking start?

I’m from a relatively big family and food was always a focal point of our get-togethers. Whether it be Christmas, a birthday or just a summer barbecue; any excuse to have a big feast! Bringing us all together was really special to me growing up. I wanted to help bring that feeling to others. 

Tasca is described as a love letter to your travels – what dish on the menu feels most personal to you and why?

I would say the bikini (pressed cheese and ham toastie). We’ve eaten so many on our various trips, we’ve lost count. Sinead also grew up eating them on family holidays, so the fact that we can evoke these memories and emotions only helps solidify why we are doing what we do. 

Tasca is known for its contemporary take on Iberian cuisine. How do you balance tradition and innovation in your menu development?

We never wanted to be a fusion restaurant, or a copycat of the ones we hold so dearly. We can’t cook exactly the same dishes as those fantastic restaurants for a million reasons. Time and place play such a huge part in this industry; it would be foolish to even attempt to. What we can do, however, is be inspired by them and use those feelings from dining in that part of the world to create our own version of a tasca. I have worked in many forward-thinking restaurants and wine bars, so Tasca was always going to have a playful edge to it. 

What’s a key influence (region, chef or experience) that has shaped Tasca’s concept?

The first time I went to Valencia was the pivotal moment in us deciding to base our concept on this part of the world. Everywhere we went, whether it be a multi Michelin-starred restaurant or a hole-in-the-wall oyster bar, had such a high level of execution and care for the product. From then on, we always tried to dine at a variety of places in terms of price point and offering. Lisbon and Porto are also fantastic examples of cities where this is easily accessible. 

Tasca’s menus are hyper seasonal. Is there a particular ingredient you love to cook with?

Every season always brings delights I just can’t wait for. English sweetcorn and peas would have to be up there though for me. They’re just so versatile and the breadth of uses they have amazes me year on year. 

You’ve spent the last seven years as a nomadic chef – what did that lifestyle teach you that you now bring to Tasca?

The majority of my residencies have been just me in the kitchen, so it can actually be a very lonely place. Of course, you learn an incredible amount along the way because you have no choice. But ensuring you position yourself in locations or venues where the front of house can really support you makes a huge difference. The opening team at Bar Bruno were fantastic for this. It was stupidly busy when it first opened, and without the key wait staff, it would’ve been a very difficult few weeks. This is proven even more now; I work with my business and life partner, Sinead. We chat everything through together. Having this partnership has meant we have developed so much more in these last few years than if it was still just me. 

Can you share a dish from the current menu that holds personal significance and the story behind it?

A dish we have on at the moment of Grilled Dorset Clams, Cured Pig’s Cheek, Cauliflower and Radicchio. The clams get steamed in a fino sherry before being cooled, taken out of the shells and left to soak in their own juices. We make a super clean cauliflower puree, which includes milk that has been infused with charcoal from the night before. Cured pig’s cheek is sliced ultra-thin and used to glaze and season the clams once they’re grilled. And lastly, some fantastic bitter radicchio which we chiffonade and grill to also soak up some of the clam juices and pork fat. We then toss all this with a dressing made from red mullet garum that has been infused with kombu and dried shiitakes, citron juice and arbequina olive oil. It’s essentially a grilled shellfish salad of sorts. It is so simple on the plate, but so much work goes into the seasonings and that’s what truly makes me happy as a chef. It’s based on a dish of grilled cuttlefish, lardo and cauliflower we had in Valencia and one of the top three dishes I’ve ever eaten. 

You and Sinead clearly have a shared vision – how do you collaborate creatively in the kitchen and on the floor?

Very early into our relationship we knew we cared about the same things in hospitality. We would always pick up on touches we enjoy, and also ones that don’t impress us so much. This is something we have tried to carry through into Tasca, everything is a collaboration between us. Constantly tasting dishes and wines together to make sure the customer is getting the experience we would want. 

The residency at Cav runs for a year — do you see Tasca as something that could eventually find a permanent home?

Very much so, our goal at the beginning of this residency was to fine-tune the offering and gain traction, with the view to open our own site in the not-so-distant future. We have plans for what that may look like, but we’re keeping our options open.

For more information on Tasca, see here.

255 Paradise Row, London E2 9LHÂ