Zuaya, a brand-new modern Latin American restaurant and bar, from Spanish twins Alberto and Arian Zandi, will open on High Street Kensington on 20 July.
The kitchen will be headed up by Francisco Lafee, who has worked at a number of Michelin-starred restaurants in South America and London including Barrafina, El Celler de Can Roca and Martin Berasategui. Dishes will be fresh, vibrant and zingy, with unique flavour combinations, drawing on inspiration from countries including Peru, Argentina and Mexico.
Designed for sharing, dishes are characterised by the use of vibrant, fresh and colourful ingredients, as well as wild fish and robata-grilled meats.
Signature dishes include the Zuaya Ceviche – wild turbot ceviche with raspberry, orange, pink grapefruit, physalis and leche de tigre; Purple Taco with 18-hour slow cooked lamb neck, ras el hanout, smoked cinnamon pineapple and coriander; and Tamarind Suckling Pork Belly with Carapulcra stew, tamarind and torrezno. Average spend per head will be £55-60.
Designed by Harp Interiors, the 85-cover, two-floor venue will transport diners to the Amazon with a natural colour palette of earthy greens and golds, botanical artwork, a feature moss wall, hanging plants and bespoke pendant lighting offset against a stand out monochrome chevron patterned floor.
The 2,500 square foot destination restaurant will include a ground floor statement marble bar; a 66-cover dining area across two floors and a 12-cover outdoor terrace with a separate bar. Live jazz and DJ’s will play on the weekends.
Alberto Zandi commented, “My brother and I are delighted to see Zuaya come to fruition. Our aim is to provide a new customer experience in London from a gastronomic, design and service perspective.
'We also have an outstanding team on board with experience from some of the world’s best restaurants and can’t wait to open our doors to diners.”