Bel-Air to bring California sunshine to Shoreditch
Bel-Air will open for lunch and dinner on Paul Street on 16 March, under the guidance of former Lardo and St John chef Damian Currie.
The restaurant is the brainchild of entrepreneur Andrew Bredon, who recently returned to the UK after a stint of living in California.
“LA is one of the coolest places on the planet - a fantastic melting pot of cultures and a wonderful city of contrasts - mid-century modern architecture, vast concrete jungles, palm lined streets, the sea, celebrity and ridiculous luxury sit comfortably with ground breaking food trucks and farmers markets filled with wonderful produce,” he said.
“California has got it so right – well-sourced beautiful ingredients, bold flavours, all fused with that ever present sunshine.”
Breakfast and lunch
Open from 8am, Bel-Air will offer a ‘build your own breakfast’ menu - with buckwheat porridge, homemade pineapple and coconut granola, or jumbo rolled oats as a base, and a variety of toppings including coconut or greek yoghurt, compotes, superfood powders, agave syrup, nuts, chia seeds, toasted coconut and cacao nibs.
Other breakfast options will include open sandwiches made on homemade San Francisco-style sourdough or wheat-free caraway and chia seed black bread; three types of free-range breakfast eggs; the Healthy Hangover hash- with chorizo, grated courgette and smoked paprika; and Shakshuka and the Muscle Beach - a minute steak served with a poached egg and smoky spinach and sweet potato hash.
There will also be a range of breakfast shots including the ‘Fresh Prince’ made with fennel, mint, cucumber and ginger.
From midday, the lunch menu will include hot dishes such as ginger and chilli crab cakes with shaved crunchy pak choi and pickled daikon salad; and ancho chilli braised beef with pink pickled onions, guacamole, chipotle and shredded cabbage with coriander and lime.
There will also be a range of signature salads available to ‘mix and match’, such as broccoli and almond slaw, raw root vegetable with apple vinegar and green herbs, and roasted aubergine with tahini yoghurt, dukkah and ripped mint leaves and sliced black chilies. Protein toppings will include poached salmon, chicken breast, root vegetable frittata or peppered smoked mackerel to the salads.
In the winter, there will be soups on offer such as Asian broth with shredded chicken ginger, coriander, lime and shaved bean sprouts. Sweet dishes such as caramelised pineapple, oat & flaxseed cookies, and coconut, lime and cardamom macaroons will also be available.
The drink offer will include Cocoface coconut water and a range of sparkling and cold-pressed juices - including Bel-Air's own rosemary infused cold-pressed orange juice spritzer, as well as herbal teas and coffee supplied by local roaster Ozone.
The restaurant will feature an interior inspired by Beverly Hills Hotels, with a long carrera marble counter overhung with diamond-shaped copper lights, walls lined with reclaimed timber and a yellow and white striped awning extending over its façade.
Bel-Air will open at 54 Paul Street, London EC2A 4LN on 16 March
