Olympic Café & Dining Room to open within revamped London Studios

29-Sep-2013 - Last updated on 30-Sep-2013 at 13:59 GMT

Stephen and Lisa Burdge spent two years gaining planning permission for the ambitious project

Olympic Studios, the famous West London recording studios that hosted the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and U2, will re-open its doors to the public in October as a new entertainment venue housing a cinema, private members’ club, café and dining room.

Situated on Church Road, the Olympic Café & Dining Room will be overseen by managing director Jon Laycock, formerly of Soho House Group, with Swedish-born Andreas Engberg (ex-Racinem The Arts Club and Garnier) coming in as head chef.

The venue will seat 90 customers, with space for an additional 20 outside. It will offer a predominantly seasonal British menu with European influences.

Owners Stephen and Lisa Burdge bought the Studios from EMI in 2010 and spent two years gaining planning permission for the ambitious project. Funding was aided in part by 250 founder members, all of whom paid £5000 each.

Artistic legacy

The resultant restaurant will be open all day, with menu highlights including whole grilled lobster, Sutton Hoo roast chicken and the longhorn cheeseburger (£11-£15 for main courses). A pastry kitchen will also be on-site, offering pancakes and waffles in the morning and pies, grills and puddings later in the day.

rsz_apr_olympic_cafe — The new Café & Dining Room will seat 90 people, with an additional 20 covers outside

A modern wine list has been developed to accompany the diversity of dishes on the menu, encompassing grape varieties from around the world. An extensive cocktail list will complete the drinks offering, covering a century of cocktail history from the classic Sidecar (1922) through to the newly created Petalo di Rosa Champagne.

The restaurant’s interior has been developed by the former director of design at Soho House Group, Simone McEwan. The new-look venue will feature large wooden sharing tables and leather banquette seating, paying homage to the musical and artistic legacy of the building with pop cultural and musical artefacts on show.

The multi-faceted venue will also house two cinemas, seating up to 190 people between them. Meanwhile the private members’ club and recording studio will be spread across all three floors, comprising dining rooms, bars, work rooms and meeting spaces.

Olympic Café & Dining Room will open at 117 Church Road on 14 October.