Elena Bowes

New York-London design & culture writer of a certain vintage looking for meaning and wholeness in life

Foodie Mecca Comes to Chelsea

May 13th, 2017
Pavilion Road, Chelsea
Places

Alongside the Chelsea outposts of Chloe, Cartier, Kate Spade and J Crew, a slew of old-school shops have moved in: a butcher, a baker, and in lieu of the candlestick maker, a cheesemonger, and green grocer. These new neighbours, who revere culinary staples as highly as handbags, have already become institutions on Pavilion Road, an area that has been enhancing Chelsea’s immersive village feel.

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And it all started with a questionnaire. Two years ago Pavilion Road’s landlord Cadogan Estates conducted an in-depth survey asking local residents what they wanted in a neighbourhood. The answer was resounding:  independently owned shops selling quality produce. And with the arrival of numerous markets and farm-to-table eateries, foodies and organic enthusiasts are flocking to this popular London road.

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Everyone who works in these recently opened shops is young, food-obsessed, knows how to cook and is thrilled to be there. Stop by for a demonstration on top-to-tail butchery (not for the faint of heart) at Provenance Butcher which gets its meat from just three farmers in Staffordshire and Yorkshire (247 Pavilion Road).

There is no middleman in what we do,  attests butcher George Jephson. It’s direct from the farms to us.

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Borough Market’s renowned Bread Ahead has opened its third London outpost on Pavilion Road where customers can not only indulge in mouth-watering custard-filled donuts, sourdough, focaccia and all things bread-y, but learn how to make them  in daily workshops (249 Pavilion Rd).

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All breads are baked on the premises where the head baker reports in for work at 1:30am.

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Don’t miss this month’s weekend bagel making courses, guaranteed to rival New York’s finest.

It’s all about community, says Bread Ahead owner Matt Jones. We live in a world where everything gets delivered by drones. This is really about bringing the people back, not just to shop, but to meet other people, drop in for a cup of coffee. The majority of our customers are regulars.

Alongside Provenance and Bread Ahead is Pavilion Wine (255 Pavilion Rd).  London Cheesemongers (251 Pavilion Rd) .

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and fruit and vegetable specialist Natoora (245 Pavilion Rd)

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Australian chef Bill Granger will be bringing his popular all-day dining restaurant Granger’s to Pavilion Road in early June.

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It will be his forth London outpost after Notting Hill, Clerkenwell and King’s Cross. A vegan café will follow later this summer, and rumour has it that coffee specialists The Roasting Party are also slated to join the hood. Plus a new restaurant will open its doors on this foodie mecca next spring as part of the recently renovated boutique gem 11 Cadogan Gardens Hotel. Informal café April’s already exists in a lush courtyard off the cobblestone Chelsea street.

For those looking to burn off all that gruyere,  sourdough and Cabernet, Pavilion Road will be getting a swanky gym called KX Urban this autumn. The sprawling 7,655 square foot wellbeing and fitness hub will be open to non-members.

Later this month (May 22-27) the Chelsea Flower Show hits town. And so does Chelsea in Bloom, safari inspired floral displays across 50 Chelsea shops, including some on Pavilion Road.

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Chelsea just gets better and better.

 May, 2017