A modern French brasserie launches next week on Sloane Square in Chelsea after finding its feet with an extended soft opening. Brasserie Olivia has taken over the corner premises formerly occupied by the David Mellor cutlery shop, and features stylish interiors with a seafood bar, a tank of lobsters and a semi-open kitchen.
There are private dining facilities in the basement along with an up-to-the-minute listening bar full of vinyl records (pictured), catering for all tastes from Edith Piaf or Alfred Brendel to heavy metal.
Brasserie Olivia is the first international venture from La Nouvelle Garde, a Paris-based operation set up to bring new life and energy to the classic Gallic brasserie, by combining traditional craftsmanship with modernity. Founders Charles Perez and Victor Dubillot launched the project with Brasserie Bellanger, close to the Gare du Nord in Paris in 2019. They now have half a dozen brasseries in and around the French capital and others in Lille, Marseilles, Lyons and Marseilles.
Charles says: “We established La Nouvelle Garde for one reason, to preserve the French art de vivre and bring a new golden age to the traditional brasseries everyone is used to.”
Brasserie Olivia is open all day from breakfast and offers a menu of familiar classics – with everything, including the croissants, freshly cooked on the premises using locally sourced ingredients. There’s a strong emphasis on fun, warm service and fair prices in a competitive part of London: the Wolseley Group’s long-running brasserie Colbert is directly opposite, while this year’s Italian hit Martino’s is just two minutes’ walk away.
