Zaika to re-open as One Kensington in March 2014
Restaurant group the Tamarind Collection is to relaunch the former Zaika restaurant in London, which will begin trading as One Kensington from March 2014.
The newly refurbished restaurant, named after its location on 1 Kensington High Street, promises the atmosphere of a private members' club, but without the need for membership.
The Tamarind Collection acquired the formerly Michelin-starred restaurant Zaika from Claudio Pulze in February this year for an undisclosed sum. It closed for its refurbishment later this year.
One Kensington will offer all-day dining with a long food bar and an elevated Champagne table, the latter with views over Kensington Palace Gardens.
Although the kitchen was headed up by Navin Prasad under the guidance of Tamarind Collection director of cuisine and executive Alfred Prasad (unrelated) while the restaurant was trading under the Zaika name, no announcement has yet been made as to who the head chef of One Kensington will be.
The restaurant sits in a Grade-II listed, late Gothic revival Victorian building (built in 1885 for the London and County Bank to designs by architect Alfred Williams).
It has been designed by B3 Designers, which was recently responsible for the design of Karam Sethi's Gymkhana, and promises to make full use of original architectural features such as the high carved vaulted ceilings, double height windows and expansive wood panelling.
Tamarind Collection runs two other UK restaurants, both in London: Michelin-starred Tamarind in Mayfair, and Imli Street in Soho. It also runs Tamarind of London on Newport Beach in California, USA.
