This February, Bel-Air, the original home of feel good fast food in Shoreditch, will bring #sunnyeveryday to Farringdon, with a badass bigger sister opening at 12 New Fetter Lane. Bel-Air is all about sunshine, with its Californian inspired all-day menu, packed with flavour and the best, seasonal whole foods and produce.
After a stint living in LA, Founder Andrew Bredon returned to the UK with the ambition to bring a slice of the Californian way of life to London, and the idea for Bel-Air was born. ‘LA is my kind of town, embodying everything I love – sun, surf, fresh food underpinned by phenomenal produce. At Bel-Air we’re about everything in moderation – including moderation, and we’ve spent the past year experimenting in our Shoreditch kitchen to strike the perfect balance. Everything at New Fetter Lane will be bigger, better, faster and for the first time our customers can eat-in too, making our fast food all the more luxurious’, says Bredon.
Breakfast will begin at 7am, with new additions including the Egg Sidecar; two organic eggs, poached or scrambled with your choice of eight sides, from Sesame Labneh with spring onion or zingy Lobster Ceviche. Try their Fat Stack breakfast bagels, like the Oh-Boy, Brick Lane Bagels loaded in-house with chopped egg, braised onions, coriander, chives and killer Sriracha yoghurt and for those in search of a Bel-Air classic, there will be Pineapple House Granola and a choice of almond milk, Greek yoghurt or Coyo. Taking inspiration from the city’s melting pot, from Mexico to Little Ethiopia, K-Town to Little Tokyo, lunch will offer fresh, vibrant salads and ‘Hot Stuff’. Charred Pumpkin Falafel with tangy kale, quinoa and boom chili sauce will sit alongside Ozone Coffee & Cacao Beef Braise, Pollo Chili Verde with coriander rice & blue corn tortillas and Cinco De Mayo roasted sweet potato black bean salad.
With the new opening, Bel-Air have upped their caffeine game, adding a bottomless filter coffee from Ozone for those eating in and Sandows Nitro cold-brew on tap for those looking to mainline their morning fix. True to their LA roots, Bel-Air will be serving up homemade juices on tap, like The RAD, Watermelon, Sea Salt and Lime, free from refined sugar, served in oversized, ice filled cups and if you like it fizzy, ask for a spritzer. Post workout, there’ll be ‘Warrior’ Shakes’, healthy shakes dosed with a boost of Sun Warrior Vegan Protein in flavours like Pistachio or Bang Lassi, a traditional Mango Lassi with a chilli kicker.
Walk through Bel-Air’s doors and you’ll be blasted with beats straight outta Compton, and a dose of LA sunshine with double height windows, and outdoor seating complete with yellow and white stripe umbrellas. Inside, a curved marble counter will be the setting for Bel-Air’s abundant salad bowls and epic breakfast sandwiches. With low-hanging copper lights and palm trees as a backdrop, seating will comprise a mixture of banquettes upholstered in ocean blue linen, geometric wireframe chairs and natural pine stools tucked under a long communal table. All this will leave you reaching for your surfboard – whatever the weather.