London has no shortage of French brasseries – but few are more fun than Brasserie Olivia, which opened a couple of weeks ago just off Sloane Square. It’s the first UK restaurant from French group La Nouvelle Garde, which is dedicated to bringing French brasseries into a new era via its multiple restaurants in Paris, as well as venues in other French cities like Lyon and Marseille. “We’re really proud of the way we do restaurants and the way we cook, and we always wanted to export that because it makes us proud,” co-founder Charles Perez tells Broadsheet. He’s relocated from Paris to London (and even had his first child here) to open Olivia.
From the outside, the brasserie immediately reads “French” thanks to its red- and white-striped awnings and bistro chairs on a leafy terrace. All La Nouvelle Garde’s restaurants have their own identity, each nodding to classic brasseries while bringing in modern touches like open kitchens and playful design elements – this is also the case at Olivia, which has been envisioned by longtime collaborator B3 Designers (Lita, Lyle’s). Diners slide into red leather booth seating, and walls cheekily nod to classic black-and-white checkboard flooring, with a red-and-white pattern. Scalloped mosaic floor tiles ground the room in a more traditional brasserie language and elegant Murano-style chandeliers cascade from the ceiling. Cutlery, postcards and vintage posters come directly from French flea markets.
While La Nouvelle Garde’s menus share similarities, each is a little individual. In London, a key difference is the lobster tank. “We have really good lobster in the restaurant,” Perez says. “That would be the signature in this [restaurant] because it’s the first time we are doing that. We’re discovering how to take care of a living lobster. It’s quite funny.” The lobster is served whole off the grill with garlic butter and fries.
The rest of the menu (which is led by ex- Galvin La Chapelle and Morchella chef Rachide Sambu Baldé), is like a greatest-hits selection of French cuisine: escargot in the shell with parsley butter, La Nouvelle Garde’s signature leeks vinaigrette, steak frites and beef bourguignon. Its classic Paris Brest dessert – a stunning tower of choux sandwiching mousseline with praline and hazelnuts on top, all made in-house – has made it across the Channel. Soon, it’ll introduce a breakfast menu.
While the menu harnesses British produce, with suppliers including Natoora, Flourish Farm and Shrub, the wine list is purely French. It pours two house cuvées, plus a range of drops that represent its diverse terroirs, from Normandy in the north down to Provence in the south. Cocktails are by head bartender Jennifer Le Nechet and made with a focus on French spirits, including a spritz starring an aperitif developed in collaboration with French distillery Maison Merlet. In the coming months a basement bar, Venus, will open with a 1970s-inspired design and guests invited to play their choice of vinyl.
Brasserie Olivia
1 Sloane Square, SW1W 8EE
02079937464
Hours:
Mon to Sun midday–midnight
