The latest project from Charlie Gilkes and Duncan Stirling’s Inception Group, BungaTINI, a spin off and sister restaurant to the legendary Battersea venue, Bunga Bunga, has opened its doors on Drury Lane. Open throughout the day, guests can pop in to enjoy the very best coffee, pastries, homemade paninis cut from foot-long homemade focaccias, salads and, of course, pizzas cooked in a wood-fired Valoriani oven.
The deli’s eye-catching display counter has an excellent selection of cured meats, antipasti and homemade pasta available to take away or enjoy in the lively space decorated in warm wooden panelling, terracotta and original mosaic tiles. There is a vibrant bar serving negronis, bellinis, spritzes, vermouths and a wide range of proseccos and these can be enjoyed alongside small plates as part of the afternoon AperiTINI menu. Guests can sit on comfortable stools at the bar and enjoy a complimentary cicchetti with their cocktail, in true Italian tradition, or head up the spiral staircase to the upstairs restaurant area with full waiter service. This attractive space with original beams and decked out in fresh green foliage, will serve pizzas homemade in the clay oven alongside antipasti, pasta and other delicious wood-fired dishes. The perfect pit-stop either pre or post-theatre, the 30-cover area can also be hired privately.
General Manager, Matthew Richardson previously managed the original Beak Street Polpo, and has been travelling through Italy all summer handpicking suppliers along with Head Chef, Andrea Pesenti, formally of Mele e Pele. In the far back hand corner of BungaTini there is an obscure door to a refrigerated meat locker. The door is securely locked until January but behind the door lies the start of an immersive journey through to another world, hidden under the bustling pizzeria. Watch this space as further details will be revealed soon…
Founder Charlie Gilkes says of the project:
“We are delighted to introduce Bunga Bunga’s little sister, BungaTINI, a pizzeria and bar which will offer our guests an authentic Italian experience inspired by the backstreets of Florence and Venice. We look forward to welcoming you here soon, just don’t look in the meat locker for now…”
Inception Group are well loved for their unique conceptual hospitality concepts and also own and operate Chelsea speakeasy Barts, 80s themed nightspot Maggie’s, Mr Fogg’s, a Mayfair based bar that is modelled on the actual home of Jules Verne’s most famous adventurer, Phileas Fogg and its sister venues, Mr Fogg’s Tavern, a Victorian-inspired Pub and Mr Fogg’s Gin Parlour, which serves over 300 gins. Other Inception Group concepts include: Beaver Lodge, a cabin bar and dance saloon based on the winter cowboy log cabins found in Wyoming, Cahoots, a 1940s-inspired bar set in a hidden underground tube station.
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