Brutalist design, brilliant food | Financial times

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I love brutalism. I also love theater. But my visits to the National Theatre, a model of both, have always been marred by dismal food.

“Food hasn’t always lived up to the excellence, creativity and ambition we see on stage,” he admits. Hawksmoor co-founder Huw Gott who, along with Café Rouge founder Karen Jones and Chelsea Arts Club CEO Geoffrey Matthews, sits on the board of directors of National Theater Enterprises. Together they have helped forge a new strategy which has seen food and drink delivered to a range of independent traders. The hope is to convert the New Testament into “a milestone for food and drink” and renew its position as a design mecca.

People have to feel like they’ve stepped into something special.

The strategy has seen the introduction of three casual options (currently Mumbai Mix, Lucky’s Hot Chicken and Bad Boy Pizza) at The Understudy canteen in collaboration with street food incubator Kerb; the brewery Lasdúnled by Jon Rotheram, Tom Harris and John Ogier from the Hackney pub Shooter; and, newly opened, strength came, a 160-capacity indoor-outdoor space along the north-west terrace operated by Michael Lavery and Bash Redford of the venue of the same name in Peckham. Lavery jokes that they got the gig because Olivia Colman was dining at the latter when the NT board came for a tasting. As for the backups, it couldn’t have been more. Certainly, Forza Wine and The Marksman attract a creative and cool audience.

The food I ate at Lasdun was among the best I’ve had all year, starting with a beef and barley bun, a dumpling filled with minced meat and finished with horseradish cream. Also successful were smoked eel, a starter of pressed potato and ham, and some stewed beans with tomato and olives, reminiscent of a French grandmother’s prized ratatouille.

Forza Wine’s offering pairs natural wines and seasonal cocktails with a snack menu that may include pancetta pies with pickled cabbage or mozzarella with figs and hazelnuts; Suitable for a quick bite before a show. Just be sure to complement those with the signature cauliflower fritti with aioli and custardo, a ruinously voluptuous version of affogato made with creme anglaise.

What set Forza Wine and The Marksman apart in their attempts to occupy these spaces was their passion for NTs. architecture. “It’s one of my favorite buildings,” insists Tom Harris, who didn’t even realize the theater had a restaurant. It didn’t help that previous incarnations had been called “Casa” and “Mezzanine,” which seemed more like addresses than destination restaurant names. His task was “not just to create a restaurant in a theatre, but a great London restaurant in a theatre”, says Harris. A prerequisite was bringing in his own architect, John Whelan of the Guild of St. Luke, whose redesign incorporates pendant lights inspired by Belgian designer Jules Wabbes and chairs inspired by Tobia Scarpa’s 1959 Pigreco. The original windows facing the lobby have been restored, creating a sense of privacy that previously did not exist when sound came from other places. “You have to create a restaurant where people feel like they’ve walked into something special,” Harris says, “somewhere with serious intentions.” It was his decision to name the restaurant after NT architect Denys Lasdun.

The Forza Wine team tapped Tyeth Gundry of Gundry + Ducker to update their space. This included installing leather banquettes, opening up the kitchen and restoring Lasdun’s favorite corner spot on the terrace, which has 270-degree views of the Thames and Waterloo Bridge. It’s the best seat in the house. Or at least the best thing you can do while sipping a Negroni.

The National joins other London venues where Brutalism-loving foodies can now enjoy the full package. I’m thinking about Toklas at 180 The Strand, which also houses ikoyithe modernist dining room of; Arcade food hall in Center Point, which is reminiscent of the leisure centers of the 60s; and Maido Sushi in St John’s Wood, located in a former post office. I’d love to add the Barbican to that list, if only its board would follow the National’s lead and cook up something new.

@ajesh34