(35/100) romance in little venice
Paddington Basin in early 2013 - the very start of the much needed regeneration of this inner city oasis.
The site was super cool, right next to Little Venice. On the canal. Next to St Marys Hospital and one of the worlds busiest underground stations. Yet a ghost town, where I felt nervous walking along the canal after dark.
We were ‘lured’ over to Paddington by @britishlandplc and @paddingtoncentral to take over an old Italian Delicatessen that had been closed for a “few” years. From what we had been used to, this baby was huge! We were SO excited.
With very limited capital we used our friends and family as well two very big scaffolding blokes to create every fixed piece of furniture in the cafe (bar, tables, stools and cupboards) out of scaffolding poles and boards which we then painfully sanded and coated with epoxy resin. @shubyart was back on the case, working with us to create a Mondrian inspired space complete with an awesome Tina Turner pop art piece and a 4m giant “Your Banana Needs You” canvas.
We expanded our offering to include our now famous Detox Box - three daily changing salads with a healthy protein and house guacamole or tzatziki, all of which we made on site every day in a weirdly wide corridor which became our main kitchen.
Opening in March 2013 we were unexpectedly bowled over by the customers that emerged and started supporting us - workers from Paddington Central and the Virgin Battleship building, residents from Little Venice and Maida Vale and over time, more and more people enjoying the canal.
Over the last 7 years we’ve watched Paddington change in such a big way. Weekends on the canal are now buzzing. There is a great art trail and independent operators including like @londonshellco and @goboatldn are all adding to the atmosphere… If you haven’t been on the walk from Paddington through Little Venice and into Regents Park/Camden, it is very cool in this weather!
Over the next few days we’re going to share some of our most popular summer salads to make at home…