The Bankside Hotel and Art Yard Bar & Kitchen, a new all-day dining restaurant and bar, sis set to open in London’s Bankside in mid-October.
Situated near Blackfriars Bridge, just a stone’s throw from the Thames, Borough Market, and Southbank, the 161-room hotel will deliver in-room, thoughtful tech touches include remote controlled blackout blinds and 12 USB charging points.
On each guest floor a carefully stocked vending machine will sell a small collection of products from the UK, US and beyond. Water bars with sparkling and still water taps will also be found on each floor.
Art Yard, which will have its own entrance, will offer a modern space for all-day dining. Head Chef Lee Streeton, previously of 45 Jermyn Street and Brown's Hotel, has developed a menu that will celebrate the abundance of British produce through the seasons, whilst also drawing inspiration from European cuisines and cultures.
Signature dishes will include ‘Chargrilled Cuttlefish with Black Rice and Chorizo’, ‘Baked Bone Marrow with Curry Sauce’ and a ‘Cataplana of Monkfish, Shellfish, Saffron and Potato’ designed for two to share and cooked in the restaurant’s distinct wood-fire oven. The menu will showcase produce sourced as locally as possible including honey from their own beehives and ingredients delivered direct from London’s many fresh markets.
Breakfast will also be served daily, incorporating light and contemporary dishes such ‘Buckwheat Tabbouleh with Tahini Yoghurt and a Poached Egg’ and ‘Waffles with Autumn Fruit Compote and Crème Fraiche’ as well as the usual hearty British classics.
At weekends, the wood-fire oven will be put to more use with large, sharing cuts of meat roasted in the oven and served family-style. Magnums of wine and large-serve beers will add to the convivial atmosphere, making it perfect for big groups and families on long, lazy weekend afternoons.
An enticing cocktail and drinks menu centred around reflection and rejuvenation will explore the people, places and produce from the Bankside tapestry, offering drinks for every time of day.
Complex serves to be savoured such as ‘Honey Washed Negroni’ will sit alongside effervescent, excitable drinks that use innovative techniques, such as a Vagabond Urban Winery ‘Bicicletta’. Six on-draught taps will offer two beers from local Bermondsey brewery Fourpure, as well as on-tap cocktails – a ‘Nitro Cold Brew Martini’ and a ‘Seedlip Draught Cocktail’ – and two draught wines.
Furthering Art Yard’s aim to champion neighbouring producers, the restaurant will have a regularly changing menu of bottled and canned beers from breweries along the Bermondsey beer mile. A concise wine list will showcase a mix of well-known appellations as well as wines from off the beaten track, and wines produced with organic and bio-dynamic farming, and some with minimal intervention winemaking.
The bar will offer seating for guests to enjoy drinks from the restaurant’s signature menu alongside snacks and small plates including ‘Anchovies with Sage and Lemon’ and ‘Spicy Lamb, Aubergine and Egg Pide’ as well as the full a la carte menu. As suggested by the restaurant's name, modern art will be a focus throughout, with specially commissioned artwork from various local and UK artists hung across the space.
A 20-cover private dining room will house a mural from London ceramicist and illustrator Laura Carlin, composed of illustrated tiles that bring to life the cultural narratives of the Southbank.
Head Chef Lee Streeton commented, “We’re really looking forward to introducing Londoners to Art Yard this October and showcasing what we’ve been working hard to perfect over the past few months. We’ve been busy sourcing ingredients, speaking to producers and creating a menu that we hope suits the location and builds on the current offering, and we’re excited to finally bring this to Bankside.'