Nutritional therapist and chef Holly Redman launched the Pure Taste concept as a monthly pop-up in Sussex, and has been searching for a permanent site since hitting her £30,000 Kickstarter target last December.
After narrowly missing out on a Portman Estate property near Marble Arch earlier this year, Redman managed to secure the site at 115 Westbourne Grove in a deal negotiated by restaurant property specialists Davis Coffer Lyons.
"I did the pop-up in Haywards Heath because it was local," she told BigHospitality.
"But I wanted to open the permanent site in London because what I am doing is very niche, and I wanted it to be as accessible to as many people as possible."
Paleo dishes
Pure Taste will be 100 per cent gluten free and serve dishes that meet the requirements of the paleo diet, as well as other specialist diets including gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, The Western A. Price Foundation diet, the advanced specific carbohydrate diet and the gut and psychology syndrome diets.
“We will try and have something on the menu available for all sorts of medical diets," said Redman.
"I am coeliac, my husband is dairy intolerant and my background was chemistry and nutrition before training to be a chef. Having worked in clinical practice with so many people with different dietary requirements, I am aware of what a miserable experience eating out can be if you have lots of things you need to avoid.
"So I just really wanted to create a really pleasurable eating experience that people who struggle to eat out can enjoy, but also to create food that their families will enjoy so they can all eat together and no-one is compromising."
The menus at Pure Taste will change monthly and focus on seasonal ingredients and free-range/wild meats and fish. There will also be gluten-free and paleo-friendly versions of the foods that people on specialist diets miss the most, such as pasta, pastries, cakes, breads cheeses and desserts.
Starters will include dishes like spicy pork meatballs with gem lettuce boats, carrot noodles, oriental dipping sauce; cerviche of plaice with rocket salad, pineapple and chilli salsa; and crispy salt and pepper squid with pickled carrot, Chinese leaf salad, sweet chilli sauce.
Mains will include dishes such as mezze of pumpkin seed falafels, baba ganoush, stuffed vine leaves and lamb, halloumi or vegetable kebab; rib eye steak, salsa verde, sweet potato or courgette wedges, grilled mushroom or tomato, seasonal leaves; and pan-fried salmon, paleo arancini, asparagus, green olive tapenade.
Drinks on offer will include organic and biodynamic wines, own-label gluten-free beers and ciders and cocktails made with clean organic spirits, as well as filtered water and kombucha.
Paleo demand
The paleo diet is based on foods thought to have been eaten by humans in the Paleolithic era – such as animal protein, fruit, vegetables and nuts.
Dairy products, grains, legumes, processed oils, and refined sugar are avoided with the reasoning that humans are not able to properly metabolize these comparatively new types of food, leading to problems such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
“Paelo restaurants are already very popular in the States and whilst London increasingly leads the way some ideas still do move over from America,” said Rob Meadows, associate director at Davis Coffer Lyons.
“Diners are more aware of what they eat and the impact it can have on their health. It is, therefore, no surprise that operators are emerging to cater for this growing demand.”
Redman is confident that the concept will build on the success of the Pure Taste pop-up, which was booked two months in advance.
"For the duration that we ran we were actually the number one restaurant on TripAdvisor despite only being open once a month," she explained.
"We were booked up two months in advance of each night and people were coming from all over the country to dine with us on a Tuesday evening."
Pure Taste will open on 115 Westbourne Grove, London in mid November/early December