VIVI Restaurant and Bar is a new all-day dining destination located in the iconic Centre Point in London’s West End bringing sixties back in style with stunning interiors, flair bartending and an all-day menu of delicious seasonal Sixties inspired dishes.
The restaurant is owned by premium hospitality group rhubarb – the creative team behind Sky Garden – with interiors by Gordon Young Architects and Nulty, the leading-edge lighting design consultancy, who have designed a fun and flexible lighting scheme to complement the playfulness of the interior design whilst respecting the listed heritage of the building – one of London’s tallest skyscrapers in the Sixties and Seventies.
With the restaurant’s name inspired by the year that Centre Point was built in 1966 – one imagines that rhubarb thought MCMLXVI or LXVI wasn’t as catchy as VIVI – this architecturally interesting space with views across New Oxford Street also takes its vibrant interior inspiration from the 1960s. The lighting design showcases the eclectic material palette whilst creating layers of light which help it transform from light and airy during the day to intimate and sophisticated for evening service.
Once inside the glass-fronted entrance, you are greeted by a mix of neon pink slogans, large illuminated industrial lettering replicating the original Centre Point signage and a bespoke light installation, which carefully climbs the wall to draw the eye upwards towards the restaurant.
Upstairs opens up onto a central dining area that is defined by a large bespoke chandelier, handmade by designer Vibeke Fonnesberg Schmidt, from layers of custom coloured plexiglass. The chandelier’s design mimics the popular 60s children’s construction toy, ‘PlayPlax’, and is reminiscent of 1960s Italian design, French Art Nouveau and German Bauhaus modernism.
With a nostalgic British menu of modernised classics, The Dining Room serves everything from breakfast through to brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner with a dedicated pre/post-theatre menu perfect for its location on the doorstep of London’s vibrant Theatre district.
Head Chef Arnaud Delannay’s signature dishes focus on bold flavours and fresh seasonal ingredients, and feature twists on the old classics such as cheese soufflé; Chicken Kiev and Duck à l’orange. Even the desserts go retro with highlights including Black Forest gateaux and sherry trifle.
The building’s Sixties heritage is captured in the interiors with the essence of that iconic decade running through every element of the restaurant whilst also creating a modern, bright and atmospheric space. In the main dining area, carefully placed downlights grouped together in clusters create a clean ceiling aesthetic whilst drawing focus onto the dining tables below. A timber backdrop embossed with the brass lettering ‘VIVI’, is grazed with a linear line of light from above, creating a feature wall and highlighting the texture in the wood.
The gorgeous bar area to the front of the restaurant space has a diffused light integrated under the countertop to elevate the feature metallic tiling, bathing it with light and picking up the texture and shapes in the material. A frosted backlit lightbox forms the backdrop to the bar, creating an eye-catching drinks display. Suspended above is a curved wine rack that has been fitted with an integrated LED strip, to capture the sparkle in the glassware and further frame this beautiful space.
The Bar is the perfect place to enjoy old school bartending with a sophisticated and imaginative drinks & bites menu set off by subtle reflective spotlights creating an intimate and sophisticated atmosphere during the evening. Creative cocktails are inspired by the music and history of the VIVI era, such as the Wild Honey on the Beach (Bulleit Rye whiskey, Pimento Dram, lemon thyme-infused honey, lemon), a homage to The Beach Boys, and The Weeping Guitar (Gin Mare, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, cucumber, elderflower, lime, tonic water), a toast to The Beatles.
The symmetry that runs throughout the interior design concept continues with the two private dining booths. Each area is sectioned off by intricate chain-mail curtains mounted in a curved brass frame, which houses an integrated LED strip to illuminate the exterior, creating a visual barrier and ensuring privacy for diners. Bronze pendants are carefully suspended over tables inside adding further intimacy to each space which can seat up to 14 guests enjoying their semi-private dining experience with all the atmosphere of the main restaurant on the other side of the chain-mail divide.
VIVI joins rhubarb’s portfolio of well-known London restaurants including Sky Garden, CODA by Eric Chavot and Verdi Italian Kitchen at the Royal Albert Hall. 2019 sees the opening of rhubarb‘s first international location with two restaurants and an extraordinary event space at Hudson Yards in New York, a new neighbourhood rising on Manhattan’s West Side
The opening of VIVI Restaurant and Bar heralds the re-generation of Centre Point into a premium London landmark with 82 new apartments within the building and a re-designed public square at the base of the skyscraper that will be surrounded by 45,000 sq.ft. of new restaurants and shops. The square is located next to the Crossrail entrance at Tottenham Court Road and will create a link between Fitzrovia and Covent Garden.
VIVI
Centre Point, 11 St Giles Square, London WC2H 8AP
0300 500 0958
www.vivirestaurant.co.uk
@VIVIRestaurant