Tragus introduces La Salle at T2 – The Ape & Bird Public House opens for business – Oakman Inns re-opens Abingdon’s The Crown & Thistle – Augustus Harris: the Covent Garden Bàcaro
Overview
Tragus introduces La Salle at T2
The Ape & Bird Public House opens for business
Oakman Inns re-opens Abingdon’s The Crown & Thistle
Augustus Harris: the Covent Garden Bàcaro
Tragus introduces La Salle at T2
Tragus Group, who operate some of the UK’s most successful restaurant brands including Café Rouge, Strada & Bella Italia, are to open a new 168 seat restaurant & bar concept, La Salle, at Heathrow’s brand new Terminal 2: The Queen’s Terminal, in June 2014.
‘La Salle’ is based on a modern Parisienne brasserie with beautifully simple dishes, utilising the freshest ingredients. Built around a high performance grill, the entire menu and kitchen specification has been designed to deliver every dish, from order to table, within 15 minutes, meeting the needs of today’s busy travellers, without compromising quality of service or the food on offer.
Dominating the dining space of this £1.2million investment is a circular feature bar, incorporating sports and news screens, offering an alternative place for more casual dining or just enjoying the tempting selection of wines, beers and cocktails.
La Salle is Tragus Group’s third unique concept created especially for Heathrow, having previously developed Huxleys for Terminal 5 and Oriel for Terminal 3.
The Ape & Bird Public House opens for business
The 5000 square foot restaurant and pub on Cambridge Circus opened on 28 November 2013. The project, the sixth from Polpo founders Russell Norman and Richard Beatty, features a 120 cover restaurant, a traditional pub and four bars over three floors.
Dishes from Head chef Russell Oxtoby include: Black Face Mutton Mince & Dumplings; Blood Pudding Hash, Fried Sprouts and Soft-Poached Egg; Welsh Rarebit Crumpet; Crab on Toast with Sea Vegetables; Whole Brown Trout, Shrimp & Tarragon Butter, Watercress.
Other surprises: a specially commissioned mural by Soho artist Neal Fox; chandeliers inspired directly by the one in Balham Tube Station; Murano glass; New York rust; Pickled Onion Flavoured Monster Munch
The Ape & Bird Public House, 142 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8HJ
Oakman Inns re-opens Abingdon’s The Crown & Thistle
The much anticipated re-opening of The Crown & Thistle in Abingdon-on-Thames has taken place following its meticulous and challenging £1.8m revitalisation programme by Oakman Inns & Restaurants. The17th Century coaching Inn was acquired for £1.6m in 2012 making it their third Oxfordshire investment and eighth property.
The principal design work was undertaken by People in Space in collaboration with Peter & Paul Design and the entire refurbishment and major works took 22 weeks.
The Grade 2 Listed property features four distinct and separate buildings centred on the original cobbled courtyard with its 200 year-old Wisteria. The Hotel has 18 newly refurbished en-suite bedrooms, many featuring design touches such as traditional roll top baths. All the rooms have been decorated using hand-painted wallpaper and historic paint colours to reflect the history of the building.
The Bar area has three comfortable seating areas each with wood burning stoves set into the original and restored fire places. The Cafe area has been created next to The Restaurant which overlooks the cobbled courtyard.
The Barn lies across the courtyard, and the 17th-century building is a triumph of sympathetic restoration, where the original beams and walls have been uncovered to create an attractive contemporary function room.
The Restaurant, overlooking Bridge Street, provides 90 seats in its softly lit and panelled environment. With its restored original, open fireplace, the open plan kitchen provides a range of menus throughout the day, as well as Children’s menus; Special Sunday Roasts Menus; and special diet menus, such as Gluten-Free. The menus are Mediterranean-influenced with some traditional and modern British dishes, with many cooked in the charcoal-fuelled Josper Oven system.
The Crown & Thistle, 18 Bridge Street, Abingdon, OX14 3HS
Augustus Harris: the Covent Garden Bàcaro
Augustus Harris has arrived in Covent Garden. Inspired by the bàcari of Venice, it will serve cicheti and other bar snacks alongside wine and cocktails in the evening, and sell wine and Italian produce during the day. Named after Sir Augustus Harris, the 19th Century manager of the Drury Lane Theatre, the small and intimate bàcaro will add to Covent Garden’s ever-increasing and diverse food scene.
Set over two floors and with 35 covers, a curved copper bar (see below) will display the cicheti available that day, and wooden shelves will be laden with olive oil, wine, pasta, biscotti and other Italian dry goods, all available to take home. Guests can sit at the bar or by the large windows overlooking Catherine Street and watch the world pass by or head downstairs where the walls are clad with walnut and large bronze mirrors.
Guests can enjoy a selection of crostini such as: Capocollo with Artichoke, Porcetta with Taleggio and Herbs and Mackerel with Pickled Red Onion. Simple bar snacks will also be available, including: Fennel, Radish and Orange Salad, Anchovy and Butter Soldiers and Stracciatella Cheese.
Sir Augustus Harris, whose statue stands directly opposite, was considered the father of modern Pantomime and much loved for his lavish productions. His penchant for good food and drink led to him being known as one of the great bon vivants of the time.
Augustus Harris, 33 Catherine Street, London, WC2B 5JT