tashas, an elegant dining destination coupling beautiful food with stunning environments, will open in Battersea this November. The 150-cover restaurant will be the first UK site for the South African born café concept, bringing its reputation for a warm and laid-back approach to a new setting.
Founder & CEO Natasha Sideris set up tashas in 2005, having grown up in the restaurant industry at her restaurateur father’s side, and built the brand around her love for the industry. Natasha says: “At tashas, we are passionate about curating memorable moments with great food in beautiful environments. We can’t wait to bring the tashas brand of hospitality to London.”
The food
For tashas Battersea, Natasha has worked collaboratively with Culinary Director, Jill Okkers and the head chefs for tashas, Sasha Pieterse and Jonathan Van De Merwe, to curate a menu of dishes that take inspiration from her travels around the world. Locally sourced products and ingredients will feature in a ‘Classic Menu’ of timeless, all-day dishes, peppered with nods to Natasha’s South African roots. The menu will include a number of tashas’ best-loved dishes, including beautiful, fresh salads such as the House Salad, with a selection of fresh vegetables, watermelon radish and feta, and the Green Goddess, with smoked salmon and a vibrant green goddess dressing. There will also be a ‘Healthy Appetite’ section, featuring the Dr Paw Paw, a dish that has been on the tashas menu for the past 18 years, consisting of papaya topped with yoghurt and chopped almonds and drizzled with honey, and the Berry Fluff with Chia Pudding, a chia and yoghurt pudding with acai, fresh berries, raspberry dust, granadilla (passion fruit) pulp and homemade granola. New dishes created exclusively for tashas Battersea will include the Sweet Toast, a classic play on French Bostock with homemade almond paste, apricot jam and spiced syrup-soaked brioche. For later in the day, diners can also try the Cornflake Pork Schnitzel – a cut of pork loin, coated in cornflakes – served with a creamy potato salad and a fresh slaw.
The drinks
Leading the restaurant’s drinks list will be a number of signature serves developed by the team's Beverage Director, Krystian Hordejuk, and specifically curated for the Battersea location. The Fynbos G&T – a signature twist on the Classic Highball inspired by amber-coloured South African gin from the Inverroche Distillery and the exceptional Battersea Fashioned with the distinctive notes of cocoa butter washed bourbon seasoned with demerara and bitters. An extensive range of non-alcoholic cocktails and a variety of red, rosé and white wines from South Africa will also be available. For those enjoying breakfast or lunch, a selection of matcha drinks, healthy smoothies and freshly squeezed juices will be available to pair with tashas’ fresh and vibrant food.
The décor
tashas Battersea will pair sleek and timeless interiors with warm, personal touches to create a sense of easy-going elegance. Intricate mosaic flooring, high gloss stucco walls, dark timber and brass details envelop the space, resulting in an inviting dining room reminiscent of the original tashas café that opened in Johannesburg over 18 years ago. Designer Neydine Bak, from architecture and interior studio Verhaal, has worked with contemporary South African designers to create bespoke artwork for the space. A hand-embossed paper installation from artist Elonah O’Neil will be suspended by gold wire in the centre of the restaurant, designed to move with the breeze as the restaurant door opens. Light touches from bronze artists Bronze Age will adorn the room. Both the indoor and outdoor dining terrace, which will seat 45 guests, create a welcoming environment for diners.
With 15 locations in South Africa and six in the UAE, each tashas is unique, inspired by a place or time that is reflected in both the menus and the design of the individual store to make each tashas experience distinctive.
tashas will open at Battersea Power Station in November. The restaurant will be open 7 days a week, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
