CARAVAN RESTAURATEURS TO OPEN VARDO AT DUKE OF YORK SQUARE

Chelsea’s dining renaissance continues with the announcement that the restaurateurs behind Caravan, London’s ultra popular all-day dining spots which first opened on Exmouth Market in 2010, will open their first West London dining destination at the new architecturally award-winning building at Duke of York Square, opposite the Saatchi Gallery.

Vardo, named after the beautiful Romani travelling wagons of the 19th Century, the menu is inspired by a notion of “no boundaries”, influenced by the journey of a travelling wagon spanning the globe and collecting produce, spices and inspiration along the way.

The menu will bring ‘back-to-basics’ food to the forefront– showcasing low and slow cooking techniques, with carefully sourced ingredients from across the U.K. with global influence. Dishes expected on the menu include slow braised carrots with brined mustard greens and aji blanco; charred aubergine with saffron buttermilk dressing and grilled Turkish chilli; green baked eggs with lentil, pine nut and kale ragu and a dish of baharat-rubbed lamb cutlets served with green harissa and tahini.

The 3,700-square-foot restaurant will be set within the circular, three-storey stone and glass pavilion in the largely Grade II-listed Duke of York Square. It was designed by NEX Architecture (following an international design competition which attracted over 150 entries), and champions the best of modern design in harmony with its heritage and surroundings, with a public roof terrace and the U.K.’s first fully retractable 360-degree wall-to-floor windows that sink completely into the lower ground floor level, allowing for a seamless indoor/outdoor experience.

Also on the horizon is the highly anticipated 2020 launch of the first Hotel Costes to open outside Paris next to the Royal Court theatre, complete with chic rooftop restaurant.

All of which cements Chelsea as London’s newest epicurean destination, following the recent openings of fishmonger and seafood restaurant The Sea, The Sea and the reopening of the historic Cadogan Hotel with Adam Handling’s eponymous restaurant.

Stay tuned for updates on the opening of Vardo…