For too long now our fair city has been sadly bereft, without a single lustrously beautiful, 15th floor date spot from a Michelin Starred Portuguese chef overlooking an iconic London landmark to its name.
Well that ends now.
Because Battersea Power Station has just unveiled the jewel in its shiny new culinary crown. JOIA, which quite literally means jewel in Portuguese, comes to us from the dazzlingly talented Henrique Sá Pessoa, who’s left both of his Michelin Starred restaurants behind in Lisbon, and come over to our sunny shores to set up shop in the ultra-chic art’otel that’s just opened in the upper echelons of the city’s most famous upside-down table.
First, getting in.
You’ll enter the hotel from the ground floor, and find your way to the golden elevator, pressing the button for the 15th floor. Then, you’ll wander down a Wes Anderson-vibing corridor lined by pastel pink curtains, and the low hum of the jazzy Brazilian guitar music pulling you in to the restaurant itself.
And boy, there’s a hell of a view waiting for you. The floor-to-ceiling windows encircling the place look down across what seems like half the city, laid out like a glowing blanket of lights. Joining you up in the lower stratosphere are the warm glow of the Power Station’s illuminated columns, which gaze back, almost at eye-level. This place gives The Shard a run for its money.
Of course, then there’s the inside of the restaurant, too. Considering the competition, they’ve done a solid job making sure it doesn’t feel like a silver medal compared to the view outside – the place is filled with sultry blush pink banquettes stretching themselves lazily around polished marble tables, with accents of brass and blue velvet scattered throughout. Once you sit down, you’ll find yourself endlessly running your hands over the furniture, trust us.
The roof terrace
Then, the food. It’s predominately small plates – ‘petiscos’ in Portuguese – ranging from a classic tortilla (cooked so it’s juuuust still runny in the middle) with aioli, to some ridiculously satisfying Iberico ham croquettes, a punchy salt cod esqueixada salad, and some brightly flavourful grilled leeks with almond romanesco. Then, the Josper oven is fired up for the larger stuff with standouts including the gigantic, smokey, Salamancan Black Angus forerib, as well as the mushroom-laden arroz de cogumelos, with black truffle & Azores island cheese.
And it’s all capped by the bar – a whole separate area speckled with miniature armchairs – where you can get an extremely nice Iberian-inspired cocktail, starting with the light & refreshing Perola, with its peach shrub, peach liqueur, and champagne, and running through to the velvety Granada, with its rum, port, and cherry liqueur. But no mater what you get…
…you’ll probably en-JOIA it.
NOTE: JOIA is open now, Tuesday to Saturday. You can find out more, and book a table at the website right here.
JOIA | art’otel Battersea, 1 Electric Boulevard, Nine Elms, London SW11 8BJ
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