Two minutes with Caia's Executive Chef, John Javier and co-founder, Tim Lang
John, you’ve cooked all over the world, from Sydney to Hong Kong and London. If you had to pick one dish on Caia’s menu that offers the best snapshot of your career so far, what would it be and why?
Probably the cannoli. People don’t know this, but I’m classically trained in French cuisine… I only learnt to cook Asian food by myself along the way. When I first moved to Hong Kong to open Happy Paradise, I had to unlearn everything I was taught in fine dining restaurants. The same rules just didn’t work when applied to Cantonese food. That’s when I figured out that there’s no right or wrong way to do something, as long as it feels right. Cannoli is typically a dessert in Italy, but through my eyes, it’s the perfect vessel for a canapé. The bluefin tuna cannoli feels right.
Tim, what made you choose Golborne Road for Caia in the first place, and how have you seen the area’s dining scene evolve since opening?
After spending the first half of my career working around east London, returning west felt natural - I grew up in west London, and my business partner Rishabh was living locally. We were drawn to Golborne Road because it didn’t feel like an obvious, overly polished restaurant destination. It had a lived-in character, a strong sense of community and identity, and a real mix of cultures. We wanted Caia to feel like it belonged to the neighbourhood rather than being imposed on it.
Since opening, the area's dining scene has evolved with like-minded independent operators who care about hospitality, music, design, and creating something with a genuine point of view. What I love is that Golborne hasn’t lost its character. That cross-pollination between food, music and the creative community was one of the reasons why we chose it, and it’s still what I value most.
Tim, tell us about The Green Room. With your background in music and nightlife, what did you want that space to offer?
We wanted The Green Room to feel like being backstage. The DJ faces away from the floor, giving it the intimacy of a private living room rather than a traditional club setup. The design was important in creating that feeling - it’s chic but not overly polished, with low-seating and bespoke lighting. Sound was non-negotiable - we built a proper listening environment with Living Voice speakers, an Isonoe rotary mixer, and a Kuzma record player, giving a truly beautiful sound.
Having spent 20 years in nightlife, working with some phenomenal DJs, I still steer the music personally. We’ve built a great exchange with the wider listening-bar community, hosting selectors like Giles Smith and Dot Major, alongside founders from spots like Next Door Records, Dive and Brvtus. The music is designed to evolve throughout the evening: relaxed and conversational over dinner, picking up tempo for cocktails, and eventually turning into a dancefloor. It’s the combination of food, drinks and music that takes guests somewhere that makes The Green Room feel like its own little world.