Two minutes with Founder of The Laundry, Melanie Brown
The Laundry is in a beautiful building on Brixton's Coldharbour Lane - what drew you to the neighbourhood there?
The building is steeped in a rich history which you feel in every corner - it's extraordinary and as soon as I found it I knew it would make the perfect backdrop to this restaurant. Brixton is local to me and I love it - I'm very proud that we've been accepted into the neighbourhood there.
You're famous for your knowledge and love for New Zealand wines - how did that come about?
Back in 2012 I was working at The Providores and was in charge of selecting the wine list there. Peter Gordon and I decided that we would introduce the first NZ only UK wine list and I've never really looked back.
The Laundry has a real Parisienne influence - what is it about the scene there that you find so inspiring?
Paris really is a city that I love to visit and the rich heritage of the bistro scene in particular is what I most admire. What I've really enjoyed with The Laundry is mixing the vibrancy of Brixton, romanticism of Paris and warmth of New Zealand to create something special.