The team behind the upcoming Varrons are very much the Boyzlife of the London restaurant scene.
For this is a supergroup formed of Jack Williams (ex-Westerns Laundry), William Thompson (Jolene, Cadet) and Ben Clyde (Primeur), whose respective talents in the kitchen, behind the bar and in the wine cellar make them a pretty powerful trio.
So the opening of their first restaurant is a pretty exciting prospect, even if we have very little in the way of firm details yet, like when it’s opening. Or where.
Isabel McCabe
What we do know is that the restaurant takes its name from a low-intervention vineyard in France’s Jura region, an area famous for producing distinctive wines such as vin jaune (made, like sherry, under a thin veil of yeast). So, unsurprisingly, there’ll be a lot of good plonk on offer, accompanied by a menu of rustic French fare.
A few choice menu offerings from their recent trial-run takeover at The Plimsoll included a mackerel tartare; comté soufflé with creamed spinach; duck pâté en croûte with Agen prunes & mustard; a red mullet bouillabaisse; calves head grenobloise (that’s lemon & capers) with mashed potato; and for dessert, an armagnac crème caramel with boozy raisins.
If you didn’t make it down to The Plimsoll, rest assured that there will be other pop-ups taking place in the run-up to their opening. As for when that’ll be?
Nous verrons…
NOTE: Varrons is expected to open somewhere, sometime in 2024. We’ll update this as we learn more. In the meantime you can follow their Instagram here to keep up with pop-up dates.
Want to visit somewhere that’s already, like, open? See our pick of London’s most exciting new bars & restaurants