September News

August 28, 2020

The Restaurant

 

Friday March 20th seems a lifetime ago, and memories of the final dinner

service before our temporary closure have faded. We had no idea then just how

long this sad, empty and joyless moment in the history of Clarke’s would have lasted.

Happily though, I am now able to report that there is a very bright and sunny spot

at the end of this tunnel – and it is – next week at 124 Kensington Church Street!

 

We are getting ready to welcome you all back – the walls are freshly painted

and the floors are newly varnished. In order to make you feel safe, comfortable

and cared for during your meal, we have removed a few of our tables,

so the spacing will be a even more generous than normal.

 

Our daily changing menus will be slightly simplified in terms of complexity

for the kitchen, whilst of course retaining the rigorous adherence to the season –

so please expect lots of cobnuts, damsons, apples, girolles, squash and sweetcorn

served alongside your fabulous piece of Cornish fish, Correze veal or Welsh roe deer!

 

On arrival, we will ask you to kindly sanitise your hands, and that you wear a mask

while moving around the Restaurant. We will also discreetly take your temperature

with our new ‘gun’. Our teams, both front and back of house will also be

temperature-checked each day, and rigorous deep cleaning procedures of the

premises will be carried out before, during and after each service.

Paul and Taddeo, Michele and Gab are preparing their staff for the rigorous

Covid-aware procedures, and all systems will be firmly in place by the time you arrive.

 

The Corner Shop

 

Those of you who have stayed in town this summer will know that over the road, our Corner Shop

opened a few weeks ago. Serving takeaway coffees, pastries and sandwiches from 7.30am each day

(except Sunday) it has already been attracting a constant stream of curious people to see what we have

one with this beautiful site. As soon as social distancing is a thing of the past – we will be able to allow

customers to flow freely throughout the shop – but for the moment, we are still adhering to the 3 in and 3

out rule.

 

And finally…

 

In addition to this, we now have a very exciting ‘open secret’ – in that our 2nd shop,

on the corner of Portobello Road and Westbourne Grove is being fitted out as I write!

We felt that these premises were too lovely to miss – being equidistant from the Restaurant,

the Bakery and Production Kitchen, it made perfect sense for us to be there.

   

We are also thrilled to be within waving distance of our lovely friend Sir Paul Smith,

The Notting Hill Fish Shop, Gold and Granger’s – so if you are in the neighbourhood,

do drop by and give our builders and painters an encouraging nod!

Please be advised that the Restaurant will open for Dinner from the 2nd

September, and then for both Lunch and Dinner from the 14th September.

For the moment we will be closed on Sundays, but come November

we shall be open again for our famous Winter Warming Sunday Lunch menu.

 

And then looking ahead… for the first time in 35 years we are going to open for

Lunch and Dinner between Christmas and the New Year… including New Years Eve!!

 

We plan to pour chilled Champagne from magnums, offer a variety of special treats from the kitchen,

and we may even arrange for a little delicious music to help you and your guests slide gently into a new,

brighter, happier, healthier and even more delicious year.

   

We send our best wishes to you all and so look forward

to welcoming you at one of our (many) doors.

 

Sally