Bright Pete Holdings duo to open Carmine in Streatham

Carmine will be a 100-cover all-day hybrid restaurant, bar and workspace that will open on Streatham’s High Parade on 7 October and which takes inspiration from the all-day brunch restaurants of New York and Chicago.

Named after the Soprano’s mafia boss Carmine Lupertazzi the venue will offer workspace membership during the week serving an all-day brunch and lunch menu before switching to a brasserie-style restaurant and wine bar in the evenings. The space will be divided between a 58-cover restaurant and a bar area that seats 42 people.

Head chef Ozzy Martin Peer, who also oversees the menu at the Elm Park Tavern and who was previously at Peckham Cellars, has created a menu of brasserie-style dishes which will include small plates such as a cheddar and beer croquette, with tomato chutney; karaage fried chicken; and burrata, pickled pineapple, anchovy and fresh rocket and larger plates including pork steak with grilled peach, celeriac remoulade and beetroot ketchup; skate wing with black olive and artichoke and green beans; and a vegan shawarma with beetroot slaw, herbed yogurt and housemade flatbread.

The drinks offer will focus on  natural and low-intervention wines, pre-mixed cocktails and local craft beer from the likes of Brixton Brewery, Inkspot, Point Cocktails, Borough Wines & Les Caves de Pyrennes.

The duo also plan to launch a retail space, wine and bottle shop at the site before Christmas.

“Much like other parts of South London which have radically changed over the last five or so years, Streatham is part of a tide of gentrification, which love it or hate it, brings about net positives for communities of all kinds through investment and employment opportunities,” says Howe.

“Given the increasingly rich cultural miasma of the area, it’s high time that the high street reflected it And to be at the forefront of that for a place which has historically been a real working class hub of South London is going to be a real privilege.

“Thousands of people make their home in Streatham, much as they do in places like Brixton and Peckham both of which reflect this with incredibly diverse F&B offerings. Streatham has been slower on the uptake, until recently boasting only a few public houses and one or two wine bars.

"However the recent shifts in demographics and the trend toward shopping online have radically changed the playing field with many high street stores closing and paving the way for more hospitality offerings. Carmine is hopefully poised to lead the field in terms of both product and service with a high quality fresh food offering and drinks and service which reflect that level of care and attention to detail.”

Howe and Cottam-Allan also run Elm Park Tavern gastropub in Brixton, which they acquired in March this year.