Restauranteur, writer and food entrepreneur Stevie Parle has returned to his former home on Portobello Road that used to be the gastronomy experience Dock Kitchen, to open an outdoor summer restaurant designed to celebrate seasonal British produce in the late summer months. The result is a fantastic experience within a beautifully scaped space which also houses Parle’s own honey store, The Goods Shed farm-to-table shop, a summer pop-up FLORA and stand-alone bar. Needless to say, the collaborative project with long-term collaborator Tom Dixon, noteworthy gardener Arthur Parkinson and Canterbury-based farm-to-fork supplier The Good Shed provides a space full of joy that was designed to create an accessible, friendly and happy-making atmosphere.

Where to begin with a pop-up that is centred around improving the well-being of individuals through a colourful flower display and spectacular dining out experience. The daily changing menu includes dishes such as clams cooked with butter and fresh peas, fosse meadows chicken cooked over wood stuffed with ricotta and nduja and red prawns with burned lemon and marjoram.

As Parle notes of the project, ‘The last few months have been incredibly difficult for lots of people, not least the hospitality industry. I wanted to create something special for London for the summer to try and make up for some of the things that haven’t happened this year. We have pulled this project together in record time but it feels like a special moment. It’s great for me to be able to keep some more hospitality jobs going and it feels like a real threat to be cooking with the amazing produce from The Goods Shed amongst the beautiful garden Arthur has created.’

The stunning terrace space boasts a pocket featuring ‘incredible blooms woven into sculptural birch branches and twigs, exploding from vintage galvanized bins, terracotta pots and makeshift containers. The plants gently cosset the secluded, distanced dining tables creating an extraordinary setting in central London.’

Simply put, JOY offers an uplifting and inspiring design-led gastronomy adventure fueled by a good cause, whereby the pop-up works with a number of local charities delivering fresh ingredients to the locals in need. Guests are able to ‘pay it forward’ by adding a vegetable box to their bill that is then donated by JOY on their behalf. A beautiful experience which delivers in every detail, JOY will stay open until the end of September to accommodate curious guests.

joyatportobello.co.uk