This casual Chelsea restaurant comes from the team behind popular all-day dining group Caravan. It’s found inside a three-storey stone and glass pavilion in a spherical shape, which is a relatively new addition to Duke of York Square.
The building boasts a rather handy location, neighbouring the Saatchi Gallery and the bustling King’s Road. If you’re wondering about the name, it’s a playful nod to the group’s original fleet of restaurants, which references the vardo wagons used by Romani travellers in the 19th century.
The menu champions a low and slow style of cooking, and is influenced by global flavours, although much of the produce you’ll see here is sourced in the UK. Dishes you can expect to find on your visit include the likes of Baharat-rubbed lamb cutlets served alongside green harissa and tahini, and green baked eggs with a lentil, pine nut and kale ragu. Vegetarian diners are not an afterthought either, with tempting meat-free dishes including slow-braised carrots with brined mustard greens and aji blanco, as well as charred aubergine in a saffron buttermilk dressing.
The imposing building which houses Vardo is the creation of Nex architects, and the venue comes complete with fully retractable glass walls. News of Vardo first came in April 2019, when Caravan co-founder Laura Harper-Hinton teased on Instagram that fans of the restaurant group could expect a “new name, new menu, new design, new part of town”.
Speaking to the Evening Standard about the opening, Harper-Hinton said: "Vardo is an evolution from what we do at Caravan. It is the next step in our journey to celebrate and champion the ingredients, cuisines and cooking techniques from around the globe.”
This is the first West London site for the Caravan group, which already operates sites in Bankside, the City, Exmouth Market, Fitzrovia, and King’s Cross.
Image: HayesDavidson