Two minutes with Jon Rotheram, Co-Founder of Lasdun and The Marksman...
Where did you find your inspiration when coming up with the Lasdun concept?
We’ve always loved going to the National Theatre to watch a show, but had often felt that the food and drink offering didn’t live up to the surroundings. Designing Lasdun was about respecting the beautiful brutalist building, but bringing new life back to the restaurant. That is why we chose to name the restaurant Lasdun - in honour of the building's architect, Denys Lasdun. When looking at the aesthetics, we were inspired by a number of Brutalist designers, such as Carlo Scarpa. The food menu draws on myself and Tom's background of elevated British cookery at The Marksman, to offer a menu of classic dishes that spotlight seasonal produce.
How do you go about designing new dishes for the Lasdun menu?
When changing dishes, the core of what we do always comes down to working with the season and the brilliant suppliers that we have a close relationship with. Tom and I will go through ideas together with the chefs, and we start from there...
This summer, you’re launching your new terrace. Why did you choose to focus on buns for the terrace menu?
Our main focus was on offering a terrace bar for summer, with sparkling wines and refreshing cocktails. We felt that our signature filled buns would be the perfect complement to that; giving people the option to have a lovely picnic-style lunch on the Southbank.