108 Garage team announce second Notting Hill restaurant

The team behind acclaimed London restaurant 108 Garage are to launch their second Notting Hill site later this year.

Ex-financier Luca Longobardi struck Gumtree gold when Chris Denney answered his advert for a chef, and the duo's debut restaurant received critical acclaim when it opened in January this year.

108 Garage was ranked 33rd in the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards top 100 list this year, and the team had previously said the site was the first in a series of planned openings.

Now Longobardi and Denney have taken over a three-storey Victorian pub for their next venture Southam Street, opening in September.

The ground floor will focus on grilling and smoking fish, meat and vegetables on a robata grill, while an upstairs Raw Bar will serve a mostly nikkei (Japanese and Peruvian) menu.

There will also be a separate sake room and second floor champagne bar with an option for private membership. 

Southam Street promises to be a showcase for 'emerging chef talent' under the direction of Denney, whose CV includes Hambleton Hall, Viajante and The Square.

The restaurant is the latest high-profile opening announced for the Notting Hill area, with Clare Smyth's debut site, Core, set to open its doors on 1 August.

The 108 Garage team is also planning an ambitious sounding next project Home Noir, a member’s club with 20 loft apartments, a restaurant, clubhouse and roof deck, so watch this space.