Chantelle Nicholson opens new Mayfair restaurant

Yesterday (12 April), award-winning chef Chantelle Nicholson officially opened her new Mayfair restaurant. 

Apricity, located on Duke Street, focuses on conscious cooking and the principles of a circular economy.

The launch follows the success of Nicholson's Hackney-based 'pandemic pop-up', All's Well, established to help preserve jobs, morale and positivity within the industry throughout the Covid-19 crisis.  

Apricity champions veg-forward cooking. Nicholson has worked closely with head chef Eve Seemann to create a menu centred on hyper-seasonal, sustainable produce from small-scale farmers and locally-foraged ingredients, adopting a zero-waste approach to cooking.

Dishes include yellow oyster and black pearl mushrooms, 'XO' sauce, flanders wheat and wild garlic emulsion; shio koji-cured pollock, Shetland mussels, sambal butter and purple sprouting broccolli; and miso-cured spring cabbage, smoked hemp cream and black garlic ketchup. 

For dessert, diners can enjoy rhubarb, cashew cream and honeycombe, or the indulgent Esmerelda milk chocolate baked mousse with miso and brown sugar ice cream. 

The drinks offering includes low-intervention wines that celebrate English and Welsh vineyards, along with a selection of zero-waste cocktails such as the kimichi margarita, using the juice from the kimchi made in Apricity's kitchen, or the beetroot negroni, using juice from vegetable off-cuts. 

The restaurant has been designed by like-minded studio Object Space Place using a restorative design framework, in keeping with the concept of a circular economy with sustainable design and operational principles being followed. Spilling onto the street is a small terrace where guests can relax in the heart of Mayfair.

"'Apricity', meaning the warmth of the sun in winter, is such an exciting opportunity for myself and my team," says Nicholson. 

"Creating a space that can serve delicious food and great drinks, with joy and purpose, is key to us. We're so happy to be able to hero the amazing growers and farmers within the UK, as well as partnering with other organisations that have an aligned ethos and culture."


You may also be interested in…