Announced mid last year, the 110-cover site is within The Yards development - home to a number of other Asian restaurant brands including Dishoom and Lahpet - and offers dishes inspired by Japanese, Thai and Chinese cuisine alongside a ‘playful’ cocktail list.
Small plates on the launch menu include lotus root with wood ear fungus, fresh soybeans, pickled mooli in soy miso dressing; coriander chicken thigh with soy chilli broth served with bean sprouts and cucumber; and chicken karaage with sweet soy and lime kabayaki sauce.
Larger plates include black cod with shellfish veloute and pea sprouts; and robata-grilled lamb rack marinated in soy served with nori gratin dauphinoise. The restaurant also offers a selection of dumplings, sushi and sashimi.
Designed by Orphic Design Studio, the interiors take inspiration from ‘the myriad pan-Asian cultures represented by Gura Gura’.
The space has a 'fun and colourful feel' with maximalist touches and foliage on both floors. The upstairs is a smaller space that seats 30 with a bar at the entrance and a sushi counter.
The downstairs is accessed via a wine tunnel that leads into a larger bar and dining room furnished with lounge style chairs and tree-styled separating columns.
Chona is best known for his Delhi-based restaurant Tippling Street, which is inspired by London pubs and serves Indian snacking plates alongside craft beer.
“This is my first restaurant in the UK and I am so pleased to see our vision of a fun and accessible pan-Asian eatery come to life,” he says. “The Yards is a brilliant destination right in the heart of Covent Garden and we are very happy to join the area’s distinctive day-to-night offering.”
