Bush Hall owners venture into restaurants with adjacent Dining Room

27-Mar-2013 - Last updated on 27-Apr-2021 at 11:42 GMT

Related tags Rooms Restaurant Eating

Bush Hall Dining Rooms will open on the site of the Harp Café in Uxbridge Road in Shepherd’s Bush in May

Husband and wife business partners Charlie Raworth and Emma Hutchinson, who run the two Shepherd’s Bush live music and events venues Bush Hall and The Music House for Children, are set to launch a neighbouring all-day restaurant this spring.

Bush Hall Dining Room will open on the site of the Harp Café in May. The 1700 sq.ft, 70-cover venue will offer a range of classic dishes presented in a ‘new, unexpected way’.

Raworth and Hutchinson, who acquired the Bush Hall music venue in 2001, have been able to mostly self-fund the £750,000 project for the new restaurant, which will see the façades of all three buildings in Uxbridge Road restored to their Edwardian heritage.

“Practically, it makes sense to open next door to Bush Hall and The Music House for Children as we will be able to enhance our existing businesses,” said Raworth. “We love the possibilities that Shepherd’s Bush offers as well as its lack of pretension. There’s a lot of regeneration planned for the area including street widening and lighting which we believe will have a very positive impact on our new venture.

“Bush Hall Dining Room will be a true neighbourhood restaurant; a warm and welcoming place that will celebrate traditional dining room values of eating together, making the time to eat well and serving classic dishes in a new, and hopefully at times unexpected way.”

On the menu

Head chef and partner in the business Tim Tapper (formerly of Annie’s restaurant in Chiswick) has designed the menu, which includes kedgeree, bloody Mary mussels, rack of lamb with a pistachio crust and earl Grey creme brûlée. Family-style Sunday roasts will also be available.

The drinks list will feature a broad range of wine along with quality and craft beers, a small selection of classic cocktails, milkshakes, teas and coffees.

Breakfast options at Bush Hall Dining Room range from £3-9.50, starters are £5-8.50, mains £10-19.50 and desserts £6.

“Our motivation for launching this style of restaurant is simple; we want to provide both the local residents and the wider West London community with a place to enjoy great food all day,” added Raworth.

Sympathetic restoration

“Where friends can meet for brunch, Bush Hall audiences can enjoy a pre-gig supper and families can share a Sunday lunch together in surroundings that feel as comfortable as their own dining room -but without the washing up.”

Speaking of Bush Hall Dining Room's design, Raworth added: “We’re creating a classic space with its own little quirks that hint to its previous life. With this in mind, we’re retaining many of the original features to give the rooms integrity.

“These include some wonderful old tongue-and-groove lining on the walls and a beautiful wooden ceiling that’s replete with the patina of years of good living.”

The neighbouring live music and events venue Bush Hall has a rich history with ranges from being a dance hall in the twenties, through to a Bingo Hall in the fifties and a rehearsal space for the likes of The Who, Adam Faith and Cliff Richard in the sixties.

Bush Hall Dining Room will open on Uxbridge Road in Shepherd’s Bush in May.