We could all do with a little more joy in our lives right now. Thankfully, innovative restaurateur Stevie Parle is here to provide it with designer Tom Dixon…
We’ve been talking about reopenings a lot more than new openings this month, so we’re thrilled that Stevie Parle and his old pal Tom Dixon are returning to their old Portobello Docks stomping ground with a new launch.
Called JOY, the new space will include a summer pop-up restaurant, FLORA, alongside a farm shop, honey store, wine shop, flower garden and standalone bar.
Located on the site of Parle’s phenomenally popular restaurant, Dock Kitchen, the new alfresco restaurant, which overlooks Regent’s Canal, has been designed to make the most of the late summer.
As well as teaming up with long-term collaborator Tom Dixon, Parle has got a host of new recruits on board to make the most of the space: The Goods Shed, a Canterbury-based farm-to-fork supplier, will be supplying fresh, seasonal ingredients direct from farms daily, both for the restaurant and farm shop; and Arthur Parkinson, a young gardener who was set to make his festival debut at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, but has instead transformed the JOY terrace in his signature, colourful style.
Stevie Parle at JOY with Arthur Parkinson and his collaborator Caroline Nevile
There will also be an onsite wine shop run by east London wine merchant, Uncharted, and a beer shop by BierCraft, which usually sources the finest beers for leading restaurants, bars and retailers.
FLORA’s dockside location, combined with a bee and butterfly-friendly floral display and beehives floating nearby on a pontoon, will offer a unique drinking and dining experience.
‘FLORA’s dockside location, combined with a bee and butterfly-friendly floral display and beehives floating nearby on a pontoon, will offer a unique drinking and dining experience’
Parle’s menu is short and hyper-seasonal, created for leisurely alfresco dining. Daily changing dishes (responding daily to the best produce available from The Good Shed’s Kent farming community) might include clams cooked with butter and fresh peas, Fosse Meadows chicken cooked over wood and stuffed with ricotta and nduja, and desserts like American Pie for the table or egg yolk and chocolate cookies.
‘The last few months have been incredibly difficult for lots of people, not least the hospitality industry,’ says Parle. ‘I wanted to create something special for London for the summer to try and make up for some of the things that haven’t happened this year.
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‘I would love as many people as possible to come and feel the joy of the garden, whether for a spritz, a coffee, or a long rose-fuelled lunch they will be surrounded by flowers, bees and butterflies.’
JOY is also working with a number of local charities to help deliver fresh ingredients to those in need. Guests will also be given the option to ‘pay it forward’ by adding a vegetable box to their bill for JOY to donate on their behalf.
JOY and FLORA at JOY will open Weds-Sun from 31 July until at least the end of September. Weekend brunches are served from 10am with an all-day menu from 12pm-10pm.
Portobello Docks, 342-344 Ladbroke Grove W10 5BU; joyatportobello.co.uk
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