Café Petiole is a new opening for Somerset House this spring. Led by head chef Rishim Sachdeva, this is a plant-first cafe, meaning that nearly everything on the menu is vegan. Sachdeva is the chef behind the menu at Tendril in Mayfair, and will be bringing with him his head pastry chef to focus on baked goods and desserts. Inside of Café Petiole, the feel is timeless and welcoming, having been designed by a London and Milan based studio — DUELLE.
For breakfast, you’ll be able to enjoy grab and go options like toasted banana bread with agave, and at lunch, plant-first dishes of blue corn tostadas with smoked lime and artichoke puree will delight diners. The rest of the launch menu is still in development, but there is set to be a range of tasty options. Some others that have been shared already are the salted piquillo peppers with coriander salsa and ancho chilli dressing, and grilled aubergine sabich with tabbouleh.
If you’re sticking around for dessert, and we recommend that you do, try the Tendril tiramisu, an already famous dish, or the lemon and poppyseed cake with black pepper curd.
The drinks list will be all vegan and features kombucha, juices and low-intervention European wines on tap that have been sourced from suppliers such as L.A. Brewery, Graft and Sustainable Wines, and Basket Press. If you like what you try at Café Petiole, you can take a taste home with you through a range of purchasable condiments — such as the chilli garlic, white bean spread and Chinatown soy glaze.