What: Pantechnicon
In a nutshell: Five storeys of Japanese and Nordic dining and shopping in Belgravia
Summing it all up: London's first huge new opening since lockdown will be in the heart of Belgravia. Pantechnicon offers five floors of dining and shopping on Motcomb Street, devoted to all things Nordic and Japanese.
The low-down
There's looking at the glass half full and then there's looking at the glass, knowing it's nearly empty but thinking REALLY positively that someone's going to swing by in a minute and fill it up. That's what we reckon is the mindset of the team behind Pan-Technic'on (their spelling) - a huge new five-storey retail and restaurant development getting ready to open in Belgravia.
The story broke in the Evening Standard yesterday which reported that the 'huge Japanese and Nordic-themed dining and shopping destination...is set to be London's biggest new retail venture since lockdown'.
It's the brainchild of pub owner Barry Hirst who founded the Cubitt Group set of pubs. He says the aim is to explore "the meeting of Nordic and Japanese cultures through food, drink, retail and design".So there'll be a Nordic restaurant complete with rooftop bar, a Japanese restaurant and a spirits boutique along with various shops.
On the ground floor, London will be getting its first Café Kitsuné from the team behind French fashion brand Maison Kitsuné. They already have coffee shops in Paris and Tokyo serving up coffee from London's Workshop Coffee Co and a rather cute line in biscuits. The London branch will be open for breakfast and lunch with sandos, Japanese salads and pastries on offer.
Overlooking that will be Sachi a 30-seat spot for lunch and dinner. This 'pop-up' is actually a preview of what the main Japanese restaurant will be serving up when it opens in the lower ground floor in Spring along with a bar, cocktail lounge and street terrace.
If you fancy picking up some high end Japanese spirits, then head to Sakaya - the bar and bottle shop selling a range of Japanese barware, spirits and wines.
Higher up on the second floor is Eldr - the space's 70-seat Nordic restaurant - expect plenty of pickling, foraging and cooking with fire (which you'll be able to gawp at if you pick the counter dining spots). Running the kitchen will be Finnish Head Chef Joni Ketonen who's most recently been at No 5 Social with Jason Atherton, but before that worked at Adam and Albin as well as Farang in Stockholm. The bar will have a regularly changing cocktail menu by a changing roster of mixologists, kicking off with Iceland's Siggi Sigurdsson.
Finally, the third floor will be the place to find the large south facing Roof Garden bar and dining room. Handily kitted out with a retractable electric glass roof this all-day spot will serve up a small plate and snack menu from the kitchen at Eldr with main dishes for lunch and dinner.
More about Pantechnicon
Where is it? 19 Motcomb Street, London, SW1X 8LB
When does it open? Pantechnicon opens 22 September but Sachi and Sakya open 5 October 2020.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @_pantechnicon
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