Juan Santa Cruz to open Casa Cruz in west London
A new restaurant named Casa Cruz, from Chilean restaurateur and designer Juan Santa Cruz, is to open in London's Notting Hill this July.
The 80-cover site will open on 7 July at 123 Clarendon Road, and be spread across two floors in a converted Victorian building. The property was formerly the Clarendon pub.
The menu will be European with influences from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, New York and Switzerland. Typical dishes will include wild sea bass crudo with artichokes, lemon and olive oil; charcoal grilled monkfish; Cajun chicken breast; Argentine steaks; British fish and game; and French poultry.
Vegetables will also feature heavily, cooked over charcoal and seasoned with olive oil and salt. Desserts will include dulce de leche flan; lemon polenta cake; and house-made ice-creams and sorbets. The drinks menu will feature classic cocktails including pisco sours, while the wine list will comprise a mix of Old and New World, plus a section of organic and biodynamic varieties.
The interior décor and journey through the restaurant has been a personal two-year project by Santa Cruz, and will include an oval copper bar, mahogany and copper wall panels, colonial ceiling fans, and carpets and ceilings lined in brown and bottle-green fabric.
The building will be accessed via a large copper door, the Santa Cruz Co's signature design stamp. There will be a bar, banquettes and tables, an open glass wine cellar, a heated roof terrace, wooden outdoor seating, and landscaped shrubbery, and has been designed to appeal to those who would like a full meal, as well as guests looking to only have a drink.
Brought up in Chile, Santa Cruz came to live in Europe and study in America, before moving into the investment banking and private equity industry in New York and Buenos Aires. He has three restaurants in Buenos Aires - Casa Cruz, Isabel and Aldo's - and also runs the design business the Santa Cruz Co.
Speaking of his new venture, he commented that London was an obvious choice. He said: "London is the most vibrant city in the world. We are creating a place to cater for all experiences and an unsatisfied demand at the top end of the market. I am incredibly proud and excited to introduce Casa Cruz to London."
Santa Cruz Co. has consulted and designed for Faena Hotels in Argentina, and Starwood Capital in Europe and Africa.
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