|
Hot on the
Cuban heels of the opening of their 10th site in Bristol in June (the
second in the city), Las Iguanas will be flinging open the doors of
its first ever London restaurant opposite the Royal Festival Hall in
August. The new 225-seat restaurant positions this ambitious,
independent operator in the heart of the capital. The new site boasts
impressive views over the river Thames and is positioned next to the
Golden Jubilee Bridge which provides a popular pedestrian link
between the north and south banks.
Las Iguanas'
new site on Festival Walk is part the redevelopment of the whole
South Bank Centre which spans 21 acres of land dedicated to the arts.
The centre is home to the Royal Festival Hall, Hayward Gallery and
Queen Elizabeth Hall and attracts 3 million visitors each year. The
Royal Festival Hall, widely regarded as the jewel in the crown of
Britain's post-war architecture revival, is currently closed for a
£91million refurbishment which will re-establish it as a
world-class concert hall and arts venue. A number of renowned food
operators are already established at Festival Riverside, the first
phase of the redevelopment, including Wagamama, Strada, Giraffe and EAT.
Las Iguanas
director Ajith Jaya-Wickrema is delighted with the group's first site
in London as it represents the pinnacle of the evolution of the brand
so far.
"The
Royal Festival Hall is a national institution and, arguably, we have
found one of the best sites in London. It's really a credit to the
Royal Festival Hall that they have given this development so much
thought. There were many bidders for our site but we were given a
fair and equal chance of success as the criteria was based upon what
was appropriate for visitors, not on balance sheets."
Londoners and
visitors to the capital can look forward to an unrivalled authentic
Latin American experience at Las Iguanas. This will be the place to
enjoy a feast of fresh and imaginative regional dishes with a twist.
Start or end your night with a visit to the in-house cocktail bar -
the Cachaçaria (ca-sha-sa-ria) - where the cocktail of choice
is a Caipirinha made from Las Iguanas' Magnifica Cachaça
produced by the company from its own sugar cane plantation just
outside Rio de Janeiro.
The bright and
bold interiors of Las Iguanas' restaurants are inspired by regular
visits to South America where the team source modern interior design
features and eye-catching artefacts. The group shuns the carbon copy
chain mentality and endeavours to make every restaurant look
different and enhance its neighbourhood.
The Festival
Walk site extends to 6000 sq feet on two levels. Historic brick
arches frame the interior and the contemporary glass frontage floods
the restaurant with light. Look out for specially-commissioned
Brazilian wood mosaics, bamboo furniture, curvy booths and cool
lighting. The Latin style extends outdoors to the piazza where there
are a further 60 seats for al fresco diners.
Las Iguanas
always had London in its sights, but has put its formula to the test
in the big metropolitan cities of England first. Its expansion has
been strategically planned so that the big step into London has been
a relatively small step in terms of finance. Five new sites are
planned for 2007, a further six in 2008 and the same in 2009.
|
