Aspirational Brands to open St Martin’s House in Seven Dials

Aspirational Brands is set to open St Martin’s House in London on 23 March with an official launch to follow in April. The group has taken over the former Tredwells site in Seven Dials, near Covent Garden, which was previously owned by chef Chantelle Nicholson. The new restaurant will span across three floors, with a bar on the ground floor, while the menu that is “packed” with reimagined British favourites will be served on the first and basement levels. The menu will be made entirely from locally sourced, fresh produce. The venue’s decor will present a “strong nod” to the history of Covent Garden, in particular, the flower market. Walls filled with flowers, for example, along with edible flowers featuring on both the cocktail and food menus. The menu will be created by St Martin’s House head chef, Val Armstrong, who continues the tradition of leading female head chefs at the site. Armstrong joins St Martin’s House from San Francisco where she grew up and has been heavily influenced by the seafood and local sustainable produce from the region. Julia Wilkinson, restaurant director at Shaftesbury, said: “St Martin’s House will be a unique addition to the village’s culinary community, contributing to Seven Dials’ all-day, all-season restaurant offering. A diverse destination for diners with mindful consumption at its heart, we are proud to be working with environmentally conscious operators who offer something bespoke to the destination from food to a complete experience.” Aspirational Brands has several venues across London including The Japanese Canteen and Lemongrass. However, St Martin’s House adds a second venue to its House concept. The first, Tatton House, is located in Knutsford, Cheshire. Aspirational Brands CEO Adam Howitt said: “We are incredibly proud of our growth across the UK over the last two years. We are especially proud of our ability to give every venue its own identity. We do not believe in churning out chain restaurants; we wish for all of our restaurants to have a unique feel and ambiance. “By using our extensive hospitality experience, along with thorough research into the local area, we tailor our restaurants to suit the customer demographic whilst maintaining the brands core standards and ethos” Robert Carlson, regional operations manager, added: “St Martin’s House is going to bring something truly special to Seven Dials and we can’t wait to open the doors. There is so much history in Covent Garden and Seven Dials and we hope we can embody that within our concept at St Martin’s House. This is going to be an incredible venue with great cocktails, fantastic food and a space to make memories in.”