Sachdeva, whose CV also includes stints cooking at Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck in Bray and The Dairy in London's Clapham, will launch a first round of equity crowdfunding via Seedrs at the end of this month with the aim of raising £150,000 to help him secure a central London site for Tendril.
“Tendril is the result of a deeply personal journey for me, from being a hardcore carnivore to a (mostly) vegan convert,” says Sachdeva.
“I still eat some dairy and would find it almost impossible to give up cheese altogether, hence the (mostly) vegan menu at Tendril. By cooking plant-first food that’s not specific to a cuisine or nationality, I want to recreate my most evocative memories of flavours and textures that have influenced me through my travels around the world, not just the UK and India.
“Putting plants in the forefront is at the core of Tendril – creating a whole experience based around them that’s imaginative and approachable all at the same time. At the end of the day, it’s tasty and wholesome food that just happens to be made using plant-based ingredients.”
The launch of the crowdfund comes after Tendril took up a six-month residency at the Sun & 13 Cantons pub in Soho.
Focusing on fresh, seasonal produce and taking inspiration from Sachdeva's kitchen experiences in both London and India, dishes to feature during the residency included Chinatown purple potatoes with sticky soy and sesame cracker; chipotle mushroom with barbecue kale, walnut, crispy potato and gremolata; and baked brie with truffle mascarpone, honey and seeded bread.
“We were blown away by the success at the Sun & 13 Cantons and can’t thank everybody who came and supported us enough,” continues Sachdeva.
“We’ve built a real community thus far with Tendril, and I’m now hoping with this crowdfunding that I can finally realise the dream of opening a permanent restaurant home for us in London.”
Potential investors can find more details about the process and register their interest in Tendril now on the Seedrs website.