Darwin & Wallace snaps up The Frog as London expansion continues
The Frog, which overlooks Clapham Common, will be undergoing a significant refurbishment and re-open under a new name in the spring, offering an all-day casual bar/dining experience.
“The Darwin and Wallace team are all incredibly excited to have acquired this iconic new site in the heart of Clapham old town,” said Darwin & Wallace’s managing director Melanie Marriott. “We’re looking forward to evolving the space with an imaginative design which will capture the spirit of the area and the people within it.”
The new venue will provide an all-day menu featuring ‘brasserie classics’, alongside smaller dishes for bar grazing and an extensive breakfast and weekend brunch menu. An emphasis will be placed on a wide-ranging drinks offer, with comprehensive beer, wine and cocktail lists appealing to social drinkers and after-work catch-ups.
For the design, Darwin & Wallace has joined forces with Lou Davies from Box-9 Designs, who has previously worked on the Riding House Cafe and The Fish and Chip Shop in Islington.
London expansion
Darwin & Wallace opened its first location, No 11 Pimlico Road, on the site of The Ebury near London’s Victoria in March last year. At the time of that opening, Marriott told BigHospitality she hopes to expand the group to up to nine venues over the next five years.
Sites between 5,000 and 7,000 sq.ft are being sought, particularly in affluent London ‘villages’ such as Chiswick, Chelsea, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Notting Hill, Soho, Fitzrovia, the West End, Hampstead/Haverstock Hill, Camden, Islington and Shoreditch.
Marriott has considerable experience in the creation of female-friendly and food-led bars on the UK High Street, most notably as brand manager of All Bar One
Darwin & Wallace is the latest company to be financed by The Imbiba Partnership, whose other investments include London-based events business Camm & Hooper - which opened Tanner & Co in Bermondsey last May.
