ASTER LAUNCHES IN VICTORIA TODAY
Aster, the latest restaurant from D&D London, has now launched in Victoria’s Nova Food, London. The 10,000 square foot space, designed by Russell Sage Studio, is set across two floors, comprising a café and deli on the ground floor and an upstairs restaurant and bar. The kitchen is overseen by Executive Chef, Helena Puolakka, and serves the Nordic cuisine of her Finnish heritage complemented by classic French dishes and techniques refined over her career.
Russell Stage Studio has drawn on the breadth of Aster’s food concepts to create distinct dining spaces which contrast in style, yet complement each other. The 161 cover café and deli has a neutral BASE colour palette ENLIVENED with SPLASHES OF COLOUR, offset by brass detailing, marble and timber finishes. Creating a strong sense of place, Aster’s location next to Victoria Station is referenced with luggage-inspired detailing on the café’s bar front, which is crowned by a re-imagined railway clock enabling guests travelling from Victoria to keep an eye on the time. A spectacular staircase leads to the 122 cover restaurant and cocktail bar above, with shades of purple and gold featuring plush fabrics such as velvet and leather balanced with a continuation of the brass and marble detailing from downstairs. The ceiling itself is a work of art, with undulating, layered fabrics reflecting the notion of travel and movement. The restaurant also includes a 14 cover private dining room and glass-walled wine room seating up to 8 guests.
In the café and deli, traditional Nordic delicacies such as fish roe, pickled herring and wild berries sit alongside comforting cinnamon buns and Smörgåsbords FEATURING shredded duck, cornichons, fig chutney and sourdough. Upstairs in the restaurant, THE MENU PRESENTS more refined dishes SUCH AS Arctic char and hot smoked Greenland prawns with aubergine caviar ,and dill and Pyrenean lamb shoulder with braised January King cabbage and lingonberry. Setting the crowds passing through Victoria up for the day ahead, breakfast options on offer in the café range from healthy gluten free granolas and warming porridge to ‘The Nordic’, featuring sherry herrings with smoked vendance, cured salmon, pickled cucumber, crispy rye and egg butter.
Afternoons at Aster WILL BE marked by a seasonally changing afternoon tea menu, with open rye sandwiches topped with the likes of Atlantic prawn skagen or cured salmon and pickles providing a Nordic take on finger sandwiches. Each season will bring a new selection of carefully curated teas for guests to choose from, as well as a selection of cakes and pastries drawing on both French and Nordic patisserie traditions.
Each month, Aster WILL HOST a ‘Series of Senses’, an experiential dinner exploring the five senses: touch, sound, sight, taste and aroma. Held in the private dining room, the immersive, five course menu aims to capture the Nordic-French spirit at the heart of the restaurant. Hand-peeled Atlantic prawns with lemon, crème fraiche and herring roe WILL BE served accompanied by sounds of crackling fires and crunching snow and, videos of HelenA in the kitchen will enlighten diners about the food on their plates whilst being transported to the Finnish borders all whilst enjoying smoked vendace with roe, fennel and dill pollen.
Aster marks a return to D&D for Helena, who originally joined the group as executive chef to launch Skylon, where she stayed for six years until 2013. Hailing from the south-west coast of Finland, Helena’s upbringing has shaped her style of cooking, which focuses on uncomplicated, homemade food and distinctive flavours. Her French culinary training adds a completely different dimension to dishes, departing from Scandinavia’s wind-swept landscape of endless forests to the tranquil vistas of Southern France. The menus throughout Aster are built upon this exciting combination.
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Aster
150 Victoria Street, SW1E 5LB
http://www.aster-restaurant.com/
Twitter: @astervictoria
Instagram: @astervictoria
Facebook: @astervictoria
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