The pop group
London’s going crazy for temporary ‘pop-up’ restaurants
WORDS | ALEX RAYNER
THE GASTROPUB WAS ONE OF THE LAST RECESSION’S FEW REDEEMING FEATURES. Its trend for smart food at casual prices began when Britain’s GDP last took a nosedive in the early 1990s. Yet the pesto-smeared steaks and pancetta-wrapped chicken continued to be served up in tarted-up boozers long after the bear markets turned bullish.
So what will the current climate of sluggish real estate prices and low credit conjure from London’s hospitality trade? Plenty of innovation, it seems. Already there are dozens of pop-up restaurants, secret dining clubs and footloose chefs de cuisine, like London’s Secret Ingredient and the Rebel Dining Society.
Meanwhile, the Movable Kitchen is rethinking the restaurant model with a semi-permanent dining space in Portobello in West London (pictured left), offering a series of themed meals which London foodies book weeks in advance.
“We used to take over a greasy spoon at night and cook an invitation-only dinner,” says ex-River Café chef Stevie Parle, who co-founded the kitchen with his colleague Joseph Trivelli. “We did them in clubs, swimming pools and little shops.”
Yet Parle’s peripatetic dining experience found something of a permanent home last September, when, as part of the Design Week Festival, he took over the canteen in furniture designer Tom Dixon’s dockside office space. By day, the Dock Kitchen serves Dixon and his staff, by night it offers a ‘celebratory’, up-market set meal –
Parle and co have served everything from Iraqi to Catalonian cuisine – for about £35 a head. “It would have been harder launching a conventional restaurant, and more boring,” he says. “We’ve been able to open this without any money.”
A similarly credit-free launch is coming from MYO London, a new bar venture which puts the crowd in charge. Overseen by entrepreneur Karl Sawyer, MYO is offering 2,000 micro-investors the chance to run their own bar in central London; the initial stake is £175.
“It will be 100 per cent owned by members,” explains Sawyer. “They could be elected director, create ideas, vote on ideas, or just have the kudos of owning a bar in central London.” With a business model that lies somewhere between a members club and a co-operative, MYO plans to serve its first drinks later this year. By the time that pint is pulled, we get the impression there will be plenty of others getting ready to join the party. www.themoveablekitchen.co.uk www.myolondon.com
