New owner paid £150,000 to acquire Island Poke out of administration: London health food business Island Poke was acquired out of administration for £150,000. Propel reported in June that Island Poke was bought by IP Topco, a subsidiary of WRP Holdco, the White Rabbit Projects and McWin joint venture which holds shares in the business. A report by joint administrators Jeremy Karr and Simon John Killick, of Begbies Traynor, revealed IP Topco was the only company to make an offer for Island Poke. IP Topco paid £75,000 on completion of the deal and is due to pay the remaining £75,000 next month. Island Poke first opened in 2016 in Soho’s Kingly Street and grew to have 16 restaurants across the capital, as well as a branch in Brighton. The report revealed more details that led to Island Poke going into administration. Having initially experienced rapid growth to 2020, the company faced a downturn in trade due to covid-19 and was forced to use the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme to sustain operations. In 2021, the company secured funding from external investors to assist with strategic growth, in addition to increasing staffing across the stores. However, trade through to 2023 “was met with less than originally anticipated levels of growth”, and with an increased employee base, including head office overheads, the company faced significant cash flow pressure and creditor arrears started to build. The report added: “Moving into 2024, the company made changes to the menus and introduced the provision of hot food, alongside reducing the price point in an attempt to increase turnover. Due to the non-payment of the outstanding rental arrears, in early May 2024, the landlord of the company’s Waterloo premises forfeited its lease. With creditor pressure continuing to build, the directors proposed a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) but with revenue falling behind forecasts, and with various modifications being proposed by creditors, the directors determined the CVA no longer represented a viable option. After mounting creditor pressure, most notably from key food suppliers and HM Revenue & Customs, Begbies Traynor was instructed on 5 June 2024 to undertake an accelerated marketing process, with the goal of preserving value for creditors by promoting an acquisition of the business and assets.” As a result of the sale, secured creditor NatWest is expected to receive £40,000 of the £621,757 it is owed, while unsecured creditors, owed a total of £1,375,159, are not expected to receive a penny.

 

Panel discussing challenges around career development in a fast-moving, broad sector to be held at Propel’s Talent & Training Conference, open for bookings with 20% discount on tickets for Premium Club members: A panel discussing the challenges around career development in a fast-moving, broad sector will be held at Propel’s Talent & Training Conference. The all-day conference takes place on Tuesday, 1 October at One Moorgate Place in London and is open for bookings. The conference will showcase examples of outstanding people culture among companies within the sector and how the industry is attracting talent. Led by Karen Turton, founder of Purple Story, the panel will feature Barrie Robinson, operations director at Parkdean Resorts; Mat Heather, group operations director at Old Spike Roastery; Travis Fish, operations director at Comptoir Libanais; and Valerie Graham, operations director at Premier Inn. For the full speaker schedule, click here. Tickets are £345 plus VAT for operators and £395 plus VAT for suppliers. Premium Club members get a 20% discount. Email: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to book places.

 

Next edition of Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book to be sent to Premium Club members today: The next edition of the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book will be sent to Premium Club members today (Friday, 9 August), at midday. The 958 companies in the database are turning over a total of £69.6bn. A total of 602 companies are making a profit while 356 are making a loss. The profit being made by sector companies is now outstripping losses by £2.02bn, an increase on the £1.78bn last month. The Blue Book shows the total profit of the 958 companies in the list is £4,454,118,405 and losses are £2,429,999,932. Meanwhile, 59 companies have had their figures updated. The Blue Book is updated each month and ranks companies by turnover, profit and profit conversion, listing directors' earnings for the past five years. Premium Club members also receive access to five other databases: the Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate; the New Openings Database; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database and the Who's Who of UK Hospitality. All Premium Clubs members will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events including the Talent and Training Conference (1 October), Restaurant Marketer and Innovator (two days in January 2025) and Excellence in Pub Retail (May 2025). Operators that are Premium Club members are also able to send up to four members of staff to each of our four Multi-Club Conferences for free. Premium Club members receive their daily Propel Info newsletter 11 hours earlier than standard subscribers, at 7pm the evening before. They also receive videos of presentations at eight Propel conference events two weeks after they are held. This represents around 100 videos of industry insight over the course of the year. Premium Club members will be sent a dedicated monthly newsletter that will highlight key updates in the sector and direct subscribers to all the vital content their membership offers. Premium Club members also receive exclusive opinion columns every Friday at 5pm, which include the thoughts of Propel group editor Mark Wingett and a host of industry leaders from across the sector. A Premium Club subscription costs an annual sum of £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Premium Club for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

 

NTIA – growing UK unrest having devastating effect on sector businesses with ‘long-term financial repercussions looming large’: The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has warned that growing unrest in the UK is having a devastating effect on sector businesses with “long-term financial repercussions looming large”. The trade body said the surge in violence and disturbances in various cities has caused immediate physical damage and led to numerous closures, severely impacting trade. NTIA chief executive Michael Kill said: “Many businesses now face an uncertain future, with long-term financial repercussions looming large. The damages sustained and the subsequent loss of trade are significant blows to a sector that has already endured tremendous challenges over the past few years. Millions of pounds could be lost in a matter of days as businesses are forced to close in fear of damage and threats to public safety. The safety of our staff and customers is paramount. We urge the authorities to take decisive action to restore order and ensure the protection of everyone within the night-time economy. Our workers should not have to fear for their safety when coming to their place of employment, and our patrons should be able to enjoy their evenings out without the threat of violence. We call on local and national governments to provide immediate support to affected businesses. This includes financial assistance to repair damages, a clear plan to restore public safety, and measures to prevent future unrest. The long-term impact of these disturbances could be devastating if we do not act swiftly and decisively.” 

 

UKHospitality Cymru calls for country’s new hospitality minister to help reform business rates: UKHospitality Cymru has called for the country’s new hospitality minister to help reform business rates in Wales. Jack Sargeant has been named as the Welsh minister for social partnership, where his responsibilities will include tourism and the hospitality sector. David Chapman, executive director of UKHospitality Cymru, said: “I’m pleased to welcome Jack Sargeant as the minister for social partnership, and I look forward to working with him. I know from our meetings in the past that he has a strong interest in the sector, and he has been a significant supporter of the pub and brewing sector. He’ll be aware of many of the current issues affecting hospitality, but businesses rates is the area that is the biggest barrier to growth, and we believe reform of a broken system must be a priority. Rates reform is a manifesto commitment of the UK government, and I hope the two governments can work together on a new, fairer system that reduces the burden on high street businesses. With the recent changes to the tax system and an ongoing 12-month review into rates, now is the time to kick on and implement change that will make a real difference to hospitality businesses, the Welsh economy and jobs for Welsh people.”

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a restaurant group that is seeking an experienced and proven multi-site executive chef. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “You will oversee menus and food quality within the group on a part-time basis (three days or 30-35 hours a week). This is a creative role where you will be leading the development of menus across four different high-volume sites, all with elevated food. You will lead your teams to P&L success through careful and proper management of the back of house teams. Your main role will be developing your teams and making sure they have the tools for success. This will be through site audits, cook-offs with head chefs and menu development. The role will include supplier management, costing dishes, planning menus in advance and training new items to your teams with spec sheets. You will be a creative and talented chef with experience in multi-site and proven exposure to managing financials to achieve success.” The salary is up to £50,000 and the position is based in London. For more information, email olly@corecruitment.com.

 

Kricket looking to expand organically in UK and internationally after revealing plans for fifth site: Indian restaurant group Kricket is looking to expand organically both in the UK and internationally as it revealed plans to open its fifth site. The company will open the restaurant in London’s Shoreditch next month for its second new site this year after Canary Wharf. The new 120-cover restaurant and bar will mark Kricket’s first all-day offering. As part of the opening, Kricket is bringing its speakeasy concept, Soma, which first launched in Soho in September 2021. Soma 2.0 will have room for up to 50 guests and a licence to open late. The Shoreditch location will also allow the team “opportunity to explore the drinks and bar offering further within the Kricket business”. The site will also feature Kricket’s first and only private dining room – suitable for up to 18 guests. Co-founder Rik Campbell said: “Kricket Shoreditch represents another step in the evolution of our brand. From menus to design, each location must offer something unique beyond just being a place to eat. There has been plenty of hard work and research and development behind the scenes, including a trip to India with the team. We are delighted that these flavours and experiences are now coming to fruition in the form of two additional restaurant spaces in arguably two of London’s hottest restaurant destinations. In many respects it’s surreal how far we are from our humble beginnings in a shipping container in Pop Brixton. For us, it’s important to keep moving and stay current. We are keen to expand organically both at home and abroad.” Campbell and Will Bowlby founded Kricket in 2015 with that pop-up at Pop Brixton. The pair then opened their first permanent site in Soho in 2016, which was quickly followed by the relocation of the Brixton pop-up to its current home in Atlantic Road (2017). A year later, they added a site in west London’s regenerated BBC Television Centre, in White City. Kricket secured new funding last year from existing backer White Rabbit Projects, alongside additional funds from the founders, to support its expansion plans.

 

Itsu set to open its first shopping centre location in the north: Itsu, the healthy Asian food brand, is set to open its first shopping centre location in the north. Due to open this autumn, it will take over a 2,900 square-foot location on Upper Regent Crescent of the Trafford Centre. The new restaurant will include digital ordering screens, with customers able to dine-in on bespoke elm wood tables or take away. The site will be Itsu’s third in the north and “plays into its wider business objective of increasing accessibility to healthy, affordable and delicious meals”. Helping to eliminate food waste, and in line with Itsu’s and the Trafford Centre’s commitments to sustainability, the restaurant will be offering half-price sushi 30 minutes before closing each day. Catrin Williams, head of marketing at Itsu, said: “We’re thrilled to be opening our second site in Manchester. We chose the Trafford Centre as an ideal location due to its prominent position as a world-renowned shopping centre with significant footfall and excellent transport links throughout the north.” Last month, The Julian Metcalfe-founded business, which is understood to have 15 sites in its immediate pipeline, reiterated its ambition to double its existing 80-strong UK estate.

 

Italian coffee house brand set to make its Scottish debut: Italian coffee house brand Cafè Barbera is set to make its Scottish debut, Propel has learned. The company, which operates circa 40 sites across the globe – predominantly in Africa and the Middle East – is preparing to open in Edinburgh’s Omni Centre, in Greenside Row. The brand was brought to the UK in July 2022 when its debut site opened in Station Road in Cobham, Surrey. In June, a second UK Cafè Barbera opened at 36a The Terrace in Barnes, south west London, with a third site to follow soon in Bicester, Oxfordshire. Last summer, owner Elio Barbera told Propel he was aiming for 30 UK outlets over the next decade and was seeking area developers to build the brand through franchising.

 

M&B adds Peterborough pub to its Arrowsmiths rollout: Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), the Harvester, All Bar One and Browns operator, has added a Peterborough pub to the rollout of Arrowsmiths, its competitive socialising darts concept. M&B has launched Arrowsmiths at O’Neill’s in the city’s Broadway, consisting of four individual booths for groups of up to 12 people. Guests over the age of 18 can book a 90-minute session from £9 per person or can also hire the whole space. James Goldworthy, general manager at O’Neill’s Peterborough, said: “Seeing the space come together has been so exciting and has really elevated the mood at the pub. Arrowsmiths officially launched last year, and following the success in multiple locations across the country, it’s an exciting time to see the experience expanding to Peterborough as well.” The interactive darts experience was launched in the group’s O’Neill’s site in Solihull in September 2022, followed by pubs in Watford, Leicester, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Maidenhead and Sheffield. In December, M&B told Propel it was ramping up the rollout of the concept. A Southampton location is also in the pipeline. A new report produced by Propel on the fast-growing experiential leisure sector is available. The report profiles the current shape of the experiential leisure market – including brands, estate size, trading type and geographical location and future trends. It provides a detailed list of UK experiential leisure companies including key staff and Companies House information. The report includes more than 180 companies, 3,500 sites and a 35,000-word report. The report is available for £595 plus VAT although Premium Club members can receive the report for £395 plus VAT. The report will be made available for free to existing Premium members on Tuesday, 10 September at 9am. Email: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to order a copy.

 

Coyote Ugly set to open in Blackpool for eighth UK site ahead of expansion in the north and Scotland: Coyote Ugly is set to open in Blackpool for its eighth UK site ahead of expansion in the north and Scotland, Propel has learned. Coyote Ugly has acquired the former Revolution site in the seaside town’s Market Street, which is set to close next week, for a planned autumn opening. “We plan a large expansion in major cities up north and in Scotland over next six months, subject to finding right sites,” said Steve Lewis, who holds the franchise rights for Coyote Ugly in the UK through his Breaking Brands business. “We have a few under offer. Trading has been in line with expectations.” The US brand, which inspired the film of the same name, was founded in the early 1990s by Liliana Lovell. It has more than 20 bars globally and opened its last UK site in December 2023, on Bristol Waterfront. It also has two London locations plus further sites in Cardiff, Birmingham, Swansea and Liverpool. Lewis told Propel last year that he is looking to open six more UK bars by 2026 as he prepares to take the brand to Europe and the Middle East.

 

Açai brand Oakberry opens third regional UK site: Açai brand Oakberry has opened its third UK regional site. Oakberry has opened at Cabot Circus shopping centre in Bristol for its eighth UK location in all. As well as five sites in London, it has other regional restaurants in Brighton and Belfast. “Bristol, the worlds #1 açaí has arrived, and we are here to take over!” the company posted to Instagram. “Massive thanks to you all for an amazing launch and an incredible welcome, Bristol.” Oakberry was founded in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2016 and has grown to 600 locations in 35 countries. It launched in the UK in 2022, and earlier this year said it was planning “many more openings” here in 2024.

 

Surya Hotels reports ‘improvement in revenue, occupancy and profitability levels across estate, despite challenging economic backdrop’: Surya Hotels, owned by Essex-based Flying Trade Group, has reported an “improvement in revenue, occupancy and profitability levels across estate, despite a challenging economic backdrop” in the year to 31 December 2023. The company operates 12 hotels across Suffolk, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire, including four under its Dragonfly concept. Revenue was up 3% from £24.78m in 2022 to £25.49m. Of this, rooms revenue was up 9% from £13.71m in 2022 to £14.88m and food and beverage revenue was down 4% from £10.37m to £9.98m. The company’s pre-tax profit grew from £3.26m to £4.86m. Occupancy was up 2% (2022: 17%), average room rate was up 8% (2022: 4%) and revpar was up 10% (2022: 34%). “The above KPls show an improvement in revenue, occupancy and profitability levels across the estate,” said director Harjit Dulai. “This is despite the challenging economic backdrop, due to strategic management working to ensure all sites remain as competitive as possible.” No government grants were received (2022: £80,000). No dividends were paid (2022: nil). “The refurbishment and improvement program across the Dragonfly Hotels business was completed in the year,” Dulai added. “Investment continued into the Hogs Back Spa and Thatcher’s Hotel, with plans to grow the offerings and facilities in 2024. A value creation program was successfully deployed within the year that focused and helped drive significant improvements to both margin and profitability. This laid the foundations for 2024, where other revenue streams are being reviewed and improved to help continually drive the business forward.”

 

Croeso Pubs opens eighth site: South Wales operator Croeso Pubs has opened its eighth site. The company has relaunched The Bear’s Head in Penarth, having previously acquired the lease of the former JD Wetherspoon pub. Director Simon Little said: “It’s brilliant to add this much-loved Penarth pub to our growing portfolio, and we’ve always been clear about delivering what the people of Penarth want in their local pub. What was really important to us – and to the locals – was that that we didn’t change what is already a winning formula at The Bear’s Head. But we did want to add extras that would make it even more special. We’ve done some work over the summer and it’s wonderful to finally open. The prices have largely remained the same and we’ve also introduced enhancements like TVs showing live sports events, as well as our new blend of Croeso coffee that we will be introducing to all our establishments in the coming weeks.” The Bear’s Head is the second “community pub” for Croeso – in December last year, it refurbished The Discovery in Lakeside, Cardiff, following a £400,000 investment. In the past few months, the company has also extended the Blue Bell in Cardiff’s city centre – moving into the former Brew Monster bar next door. Croeso’s other venues include The Philharmonic and Brewhouse in Cardiff. Wetherspoon closed The Bear’s Head in March after deciding not to renew the lease.

 

Big Fang Collective to open Nottingham site next month: Big Fang Collective, the Imbiba-backed entertainment venue operator that owns the Ghetto Golf and Golf Fang brands, will open a new site in Nottingham next month. The 30,000 square-foot site at The Glasshouse in Huntingdon Road will launch on Friday, 6 September with its over-18’s crazy golf course Golf Fang. The immersive course will also be accompanied by regular live DJs and a bar serving cocktails, craft beer and soft drinks. Big Fang has also confirmed more concepts will follow at the site, with its immersive karaoke concept – Big Fang Karaoke – and Big Fang Arcade set to arrive later this year. The opening marks the group’s debut site in the East Midlands. Co-founder Kip Piper said: “We’re excited to officially announce the launch date of our first concept in Nottingham. Golf Fang was our first creation, and it only feels right to introduce ourselves to the city with 18-holes of pure nostalgia and fun. We’ve wanted to open here for a while now, and we can’t wait to welcome our first guests.” The group operates Golf Fang sites in Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Sheffield and Cardiff, Big Fang Karaoke at its Liverpool site, and Big Fang Arcade at its Sheffield and Cardiff venues. Earlier this year, Big Fang secured £5.5m in funding for further UK expansion from alternative lender ThinCats. Big Fang has openings lined up in Bristol and London.

 

PadelStars owner – padel is here to stay and there’s plenty of room for growth: Andy Knee, co-founder of padel operator. PadelStars, which has plans for sites across the south of England, has said the sport is here to stay and has plenty of room for growth in the UK. In April, Padelstars secured investment from leisure specialist Dwellcourt Group, which it is using to fund three new sites, with a pipeline of further locations planned afterwards. “In Spain and other European countries, padel has become a more popular sport than tennis, which makes it clear that there is a lot of room for growth here as well,” Knee told Business Insider. “There is such a demand for the sport that there are quite good returns to be made. There aren’t many courts around at the moment, so there’s a lot of growth ahead.” He added: “Lots of people at first thought this was a fad, and lots of people still think that, but those who play the sport will realise that there is a lot of richness and depth to it, which means it is here to stay. Padel will become part of the UK’s sporting culture, and we would like Padelstars to be one of the companies that principally make that happen.” Padelstars currently has sites in Reading and St Albans, with Bracknell and Southampton due to open this summer, followed by Bournemouth and Chigwell later in 2024.

 

Team behind Chiltern Firehouse to close Allegra at the end of this month: The team behind Marylebone luxury restaurant and hotel Chiltern Firehouse will close Allegra, its restaurant at The Stratford hotel in east London, at the end of this month. Allegra’s final service will be Saturday, 31 August, and The Stratford will announce its plans for a new restaurant in due course. Located on the seventh floor of the hotel, Allegra traded for five years, serving “innovative, contemporary European cuisine” such as fried chicken with mustard fruit, pickles and aioli, and pistachio choux with chicken liver and black garlic. The Stratford's general manager, Ashley Shaw, said: “It has been a pleasure to have witnessed Allegra establish itself on the E20 scene over the past five years and contribute so much to the area's culinary legacy. However, both Stratford and the wider London landscape have changed inextricably during this time, and so it’s important we remain responsive to the market’s needs, hence the requirement for a shift in direction. Thank you to everyone we have welcomed to Allegra over the years, and in particular to the brilliant team responsible for all of the fantastic accolades and rave reviews.” The team, led by restaurateur and hotelier Harry Handelsman, is also behind Booking Office 1869 at St Pancras, the restored St Pancras Hotel, and The Midland Grand Dining Room in Euston Road. It comes after Former Chiltern Firehouse head chef Patrick Powell left his post at the Allegra last month.

 

Contract caterer Thomas Franks restructures and reports strong sales, expands further into Europe: Contract caterer Thomas Franks – which provides catering services to offices, schools, care homes and fine dining restaurants – has restructured and expanded further into Europe. In its accounts for the year to 30 September 2023, the company said that having set up subsidiaries in Spain, Lithuania and Switzerland during the period to start trading, post-year end it also added one in Poland, in February 2024. Director Lorraine Wright said strong trading during the year has “continued into 2023-24”. She said: “This includes expansion in London, Scotland, Europe and entry into the stadia market, which it sees as another promising area of growth. With more workers returning back to the office post covid, the percentage of the group’s turnover is increasing within this sector. The group restructured last year, to work more closely with operational teams, creating regional HR managers to support regional leaders and their teams, focusing on soft skills development. This has enabled the group to provide opportunities and promote new talent within all areas.” Wright said the group has also built a strategy programme, spanning all areas of the business, to drive its future growth and development. It has also expanded its training and development department to offers a range of programmes and apprenticeship schemes, including bespoke leadership training. Since the year end, the company has bought back 12,857 ordinary shares for £745,297. Wright added that a fire at its head office in May resulted in the loss of computer and office equipment, but this is expected to be covered by insurance, meaning the financial impact is minimal. “There is no impact on the company's business trade and activities,” she added. It comes as the business reported turnover of £77,468,504 for the year, up from £55,088,538 in 2022. Of this, £72,582,295 came from the UK (2022: £51,848,343) and £4,886,209 from Europe (2022: £3,240,195). Pre-tax profit fell from £1,049,990 to £998,687 as costs rose by almost £20m. No dividends were paid (2022: nil). Employee turnover fell year on year by 5% (December 2022 to December 2023), while the gender pay gap fell by 1% over the same period.

 

Former Pidgin duo to open new wine bar and restaurant on site of the former Michelin-starred venue: Drew Snaith and Hannah Kowalski, who met while working together at Pidgin – the restaurant in London’s Hackney from James Ramsden and Sam Herlihy famed for its weekly changing tasting menu – are to open. a new wine bar and restaurant on site of the former Michelin-starred venue. Ramsden and Herlihy, who opened Pidgin in 2015, announced this week that it is closing after nine years of service. Opening in its place, at 52 Wilton Way, in September, will be Sesta, from Snaith and Kowalski, who were head chef and general manager at Pidgin respectively. It is a first restaurant from the duo, who also worked together at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Brunswick House and Kitty Fischers. Their à la carte menu will champion British seasonal ingredients, with “modern, creative takes on British and European classics”. It will also feature nods to Snaith’s time travelling in south east Asia and his love of live fire cooking. Dishes will include cider flambee mussels with caramelised cream, lemon verbena and bottarga toast; and mutton bacon ribs with fermented garlic, Thai chilli honey and coriander mustard. There will also be an ever-changing list of natural wine by the glass and bottle, with a keen focus on France and wider Europe, plus cocktails and spirits made in-house. Sesta will seat 26 covers inside, plus an outside terrace, with plans to introduce counter dining later in the year.

 

North west padel business plans Midlands expansion: North west padel club business Pure Padel is planning to open its first site in the Midlands, in Solihull. The company has submitted plans for the creation of four new padel courts – three covered and one uncovered – on a parcel of land at Moseley Cricket Club in Warwickshire, reports Insider Media. It comes after Pure Padel earlier this week lodged plans to create new padel courts on a disused bowling green within the grounds of Moor Allerton Golf Club in Leeds. The business, which was co-founded by Sammy Arora, opened its first club in Alderley Park in 2023 and has plans to build another 30 in the next five years. The business said in June that it has eight new sites in planning and a further 15 in the pipeline, including a new indoor Manchester club, at 24 Dutton Street, due to open this month.

 

Yorkshire café concept opens third site: Café concept The Savvy Baker has opened its third site. It has launched at York House in Holywell Street in Chesterfield, with brownies its speciality. The Savvy Baker began as a brownie and cake making enterprise in the Leeds home of Savannah Roqaa and Jordan Simms during lockdown. The business opened a cafe in Leeds’ Roundhay two years ago, followed by a coffee and dessert shop in York’s Swinegate last month. York House previously accommodated the All Saints Tap craft ale bar and Cipollini’s restaurant, whose permanent closures were announced in 2021 in the wake of the covid lockdown.

 

West London operators open second site for restaurant and cafe concept: West London operators Robert Dokler and Fabio la Porta have opened a second site for their restaurant and cafe concept, Charlotte’s Cloud. Having launched the concept in Chelsea four years ago, the duo have opened a venue at the Fulham Reach development in Hammersmith. The all-day-dining restaurant and cafe also plans to open four evenings a week for aperitivo-style light bites, dinner and drinks accompanied by unplugged sessions with local musicians. Leveraging his extensive experience in some of the world’s best hotels and restaurants, including The Lanesborough, Dukes Hotel and The Fat Duck, Dokler’s menu offers food menu using seasonal ingredients, as well as bottomless brunch at the weekend. He said “Our philosophy at Charlotte’s Cloud is to serve the freshest, most local ingredients in a way that really heightens their natural flavour. When you’re working with the best produce on the market, you have to let each individual element of the dish speak for itself.”

 

Sri Lankan restaurant Kolamba opens second site: Sri Lankan concept Kolamba has opened its second London restaurant, in Spitalfields. Founders Eroshan and Aushi Meewella have launched the 92-cover Kolamba East at 12 Blossom Street in Norton Folgate. Offering the duo’s “modern take on Sri Lankan home-cooking”, it follows the launch of their first restaurant, Kolamba, which opened in Soho in 2019. Kolamba East features a new menu of dishes including snacks or such as Mas Paan (a fluffy bun filled will slow cooked black pork curry, served with pineapple jam) and Idli with Sambar (savoury rice and lentil dumplings paired with sweet and spicy chutneys). There is also a new selection of larger feasting plates such as the Moor King Prawn String Hopper Biryani (alternating layers of delicate steamed noodles and a rich king prawn curry) and a Jaffna Lamb Shank (served in a rich and spicy tamarind sauce). Alongside two private dining rooms, Kolamba East includes a dedicated central bar, serving cocktails made using Sri Lankan spirits and ingredients. These include the Curry Leaf Gimlet, a cocktail of curry ghee-washed gin and lime, and a Colombo Sour, made with Colombo Gin and a cashew orgeat. There is also a “carefully considered” wine list.