Founded in 2012 by friends Lucy Carr-Ellison and Jemima Jones, Tart London started out as a unique fashion shoot and show catering company, created to remedy the stodgy pasta bakes and limp-leafed salad offerings at photoshoots of yore. Committed to providing fresh, seasonal and sustainably-sourced ingredients, their bespoke and beautifully crafted dishes have passed the lips of the likes of Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Lady Gaga and Cara Delevingne (to name but a few).
The accomplished pair are on the hunt for a permanent place to hang their pots and pans, but in the meantime they decided to test out their concept in North West London with a temporary Tart’s Kitchen restaurant, finding the location through We Are Pop Up. Setting up home at Studio 74 on Salusbury Road in Queens Park, the duo launched a residency for six weeks over May and June in collaboration with heritage British chinaware brand Wedgewood.
Rustic, open-plan and peppered with British wild flowers, the restaurant was a feast for the eyes as well as the appetite. Bespoke menus offered something different each day, staying true to their ethos of providing the freshest ingredients available. Breakfast options included avocado bruschetta with chilli and sage fried egg, or sweet potato pancakes. At lunchtime the kitchen offered succulent salads or noodle dishes along with seafood or slow-cooked meats. Afternoon tea involved an exclusive ‘Wild Strawberry’ spread served with champagne, presented on Wedgewood’s whimsical collection of the same name.
Along with sell-out supper clubs, Tart’s Kitchen was filled to the brim every single day, with the long communal tables hosting all manner of patrons from the fashion elite to the hungry public of Queens Park. At We Are Pop Up we know that when the right brand connects with the right space, a beautiful partnership can blossom – not unlike the dainty blooms dotted on each shabby-chic surface at the restaurant. Studio 74, with its high ceilings and exposed brickwork and beams, provided the perfect backdrop for Lucy and Jemima to offer their dreamy recipes and test the in-and-outs of serving a busy restaurant for the first time.
Lucy tells us that “opening a temporary restaurant has been the most fantastic experience. The whole thing has been amazing and very rewarding. We put a lot of hard work into it and it has paid off – on a good day it was full from the moment we opened until when we closed!
“Using We Are Pop up was great – it’s very clear and helpful. The experience has raised our profile to areas other than just fashion – before we were mainly working for fashion companies but with the pop-up we were working with the general public. The suppers when our friends and family attended were so much fun, but it was great to have people that we didn’t know there enjoying themselves as well – it made it extra rewarding.”
Finally, we couldn’t let Lucy go without asking what her ideal three course meal would be if she had to select from Tart’s smorgasbord of delights:
“Right now as a starter perhaps I would go for our fillet of beef tacos we did for one of our supper clubs, which came with lots of different dips and salsas and purees. It was a fun dish! Then the marinated and grilled rack of lamb, which was so flavoursome… To finish, the cardamon chocolate and spicy salted caramel pot with hazelnut praline.”
Keep your eyes and ears out for the opening of a permanent restaurant for Tart London, coming soon to a sophisticated space near you.
If you fancy your own pop-up in the amazing Studio 74, why not take a look at the space and send an enquiry here.
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