Latest opening: W12 Studios
What: ‘Rolling kitchens, rolling drinks, rolling music’ is how this 450-capacity creative space is defined. Located in the former home of the BBC in London’s White City, it has been designed ‘to showcase and enable creativity’ with an ever-changing line-up of food, drink and music that promises that no two days are the same.
Who: Former actor Rory Graham, who was previously part of the Kricket management team, is the brains behind the outfit. He’s partnered with food trader supplier feast-it.com, which promises to bring a constant supply of the best chefs, restaurants, street-food operators and emerging culinary talent that London has to offer. Two traders will be present at any one time, with the line-up changing on a monthly basis.
The food: Kicking off the food offer is barbecue spot Cue Point, where owner and head chef Joshua Moroney (formerly at Smokestak) brings together the diverse cooking techniques and flavours found in Argentinian, Texan, Afghan, Guyanese and Brazilian cooking. Dishes include a 16-hour beef brisket served in a brioche bun; a 48-hour brined, eight-hour smoked BBQ glazed belly rib in a hot dog bun; and a hash bun filled with smoked sweet potatoes and celeriac hash for vegetarians. Moroney is joined by The Piadina Project, which is serving its Italian ‘piadina’ flatbreads filled with ingredients such as fried chicken, hash browns, pancetta, Italian soft cheeses and pesto mayo. The following month sees West African cuisine trader Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen step up to the plate alongside another, as yet to be named, trader.
The vibe: Communal dining has been designed to replicate the buzz found at similar operations, and a large selection of regularly changing draught beers and ciders (around a dozen) as well as wines and cocktails served from the long bar to the rear of the space certainly helps things along. Where W12 Studios differs, however, is in its focus on live music, with a programme centred on showcasing emerging artists with live acoustic sessions and resident DJ slots. Kicking off the music sets are Millie Turner, Quiet Man, Max Rad, Dayana, Laville, Stella Talpo and P-rallel. There’s a 2am licence on Fridays and Saturday.
And another thing: Every Thursday and Friday W12 Studios has an open mic night, so if you think you’re the next Ed Sheeran or Rita Ora...
White City Place 195 Wood Lane London
www.w12studioslondon.com
