A private members’ club can sometimes be a bit “Marmite” – is it exciting luxury, or simply elitism? Fortunately for Warehouse London, a welcoming, public-facing restaurant located in a swanky, exclusive members’ club, it manages to capture the pros without the cons.
Tucked away on the ground floor of a Grade II-listed, six-story building in Covent Garden, Warehouse is the first restaurant open to the general public within The Conduit, the ethically-focused club. Headed by former Silo head chef Brendan Eades, the menu follows the same principles of circularity and sustainability pioneered by the acclaimed zero-waste Hackney restaurant.
The decor
Warehouse is a place with a theme. The decor, in its own words, showcases an “eclectic mix of craftsmanship from the Global South” – no doubt meant to compliment the ethically-minded menu. But to me, this concept felt slightly confusing for a restaurant that makes a point of prioritising seasonal British ingredients.
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Warehouse says its decor showcases an ‘eclectic mix of craftsmanship from the Global South’
That said, interior design firm Cavendish has brought warmth and vibrancy to a space that was once an actual fruit and veg warehouse. And despite any preconceptions you may have about the atmosphere of a private members’ club, Warehouse’s energy is anything but stuffy.
The restaurant’s ethical message is made clear with a dedication to its suppliers on the front of the menu: Orkney Craft Vinegar, which hand-forages its raw ingredients in the far north of Scotland, sea salt from the south coast of Cornwall, and hemp farmed off organic arable land in Cambridgeshire.
The food
My dining companion and I started off with the New Fashioned cocktail, Warehouse’s take on an Old Fashioned. We were advised that this was more of a post-dinner drink, but we were both too intrigued by the inclusion of White Truffle Zacapa to wait. I’m glad we didn’t; it was the best take on an Old Fashioned I’ve tasted – a delightfully smooth tipple with the truffle flavour subtle enough to perfectly pair with the sweetness of the Pedro Ximenez Sherry.
We began with a snack of wafers made of fresh Red Kuri pumpkin skin – scraps that the restaurant has repurposed into an exciting dish, rather than allow to go to waste. The wafers came with hemp ricotta and wild herbs, and were so deliciously thin and crunchy that I would happily sub this combination in for crisps and dip in the future.
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Roasted pumpkin with crème fraiche and pumpkin seed dukkah
Next came a small plate of cured mackerel paired with a pine-infused broth that was a little on the plain side, but managed to counter the punchy preserved rhubarb. To follow, we had a soft, flaky piece of roasted hake alongside a selection of mushrooms. This was served with a side of sweet rainbow carrots, balanced with an exquisite sauce of preserved lemon and wild herbs.
Last but certainly not least was a chocolate tart with homemade Heilala vanilla ice cream. The pastry was cooked to perfection and the chocolate suitably rich enough to satisfy my not-so-sweet tooth. Warehouse’s pure Madagascar bourbon vanilla is supplied by Heilala Vanilla, an ethical company which started as an aid project and now runs a small vanilla plantation in partnership with a local family in the village of Utungake, Tonga.
Chocolate tart with homemade Heilala vanilla ice cream
It’s no easy feat to build a restaurant which prioritises circularity and zero waste, while maintaining an experimental menu. With ingredients that are seasonal, locally sourced where possible and used to their full extent, Eades certainly pulls this off, leaving you with an experience that’s good in all senses of the word.
