Sloane Square Sets the Table - Welcome Brasserie Olivia!
There is a particular kind of energy that gathers in Chelsea when something genuinely good is afoot. Right now, it is centred on Sloane Square.
There is a particular kind of energy that gathers in Chelsea when something genuinely good is afoot. Right now, it is centred on Sloane Square, where a small but confident dining renaissance is unfolding and Brasserie Olivia is about to take its place at the table.
Joining long-standing favourite Colbert and the recently opened Martino’s, the Square is fast becoming one of Chelsea’s most enticing places to eat, linger and people-watch. Recent pavement widening has opened up the area still further, encouraging al fresco dining and giving pedestrians room to slow down, look around and stay a little longer. It feels convivial, continental and unmistakably Chelsea.
Into this setting comes Brasserie Olivia, the first UK opening from acclaimed French group La Nouvelle Garde, the team behind much-loved Parisian institutions including Brasserie Bellanger and Brasserie des Prés. After years of success in France, the group has chosen London, and specifically Sloane Square, for their next chapter.
– Charles Perez, co-founder“We were looking in London for areas, and we saw around 100 sites. The site chose us, we fell in love with it. We spent a lot of time in the area talking to people who live and work there and we got to feel the vibe and identity of the whole place.”
Brasserie Olivia brings classic French brasserie cooking into the present tense. Expect confident, generous dishes that prize flavour and balance over fuss, with a menu that combines much-loved staples with seasonal shifts and weekly refinements. Steak frites and leek vinaigrette sit happily alongside lighter, vegetable-led and fish-forward plates, offering French food with a modern point of view. “French food has a reputation that it’s too meaty, too saucy, fattening. That’s something we’re trying to change.”
Produce will be sourced largely from the UK, with a few essential French imports such as butter, cheese and wine, because some pleasures are non-negotiable. Interiors, designed by London-based studio B3 Designers, promise a lively yet intimate space, anchored by a large open kitchen and bar, with contemporary nods to traditional brasserie style.
The name itself is deeply personal. Olivia is Charles’s wife, half French and half British, and the inspiration behind the move to London. The result is a restaurant that feels warm, open and rooted in real life.
“We would like all types of people to come, locals from Chelsea, people who work here, tourists,” Charles says. “Young, old, friends, couples, that would be great.”
In short, Brasserie Olivia is arriving with charm, confidence and excellent timing. Chelsea, sharpen your appetite.
