Neptune, the highly anticipated second restaurant of Brett Redman and Margaret Crow, the duo behind The Richmond in Hackney, has opened in The Principal Hotel in Bloomsbury.
The 102-cover restaurant and 30-seater bar shares the same DNA as the pair’s former Hackney restaurant, bringing together Brett’s cooking with Margaret’s warm style and hospitality.
<b>Neptune’s Grade II-listed dining room, above, has been revived by adding a graphic wooden floor</b> <i>Picture: Sebastian Boettcher</i>
In designing the restaurant, Margaret worked with Russell Sage Studio to revive the existing Grade II-listed dining room by adding a graphic wooden floor, peach ceiling and a centrally located pewter-top bar, creating a space that is as elegant as it is inviting from breakfast through to late evening.
Unexpected colour combinations create a unique and eclectic aesthetic in the true spirit of the Bloomsbury set. The walls are adorned with artworks curated by Antonia Marsh, which will go on to become a rolling exhibition series in the restaurant.
The first artist to display works at Neptune is emerging painter George Rouy, known for his charged, hypnotic paintings of figures, flora and fauna in enigmatic space.
Says Margaret: “Brett and I are really excited to have opened a contemporary space within such a wonderful historic building.
“Our approach has always been to create food based on honest, good quality ingredients and to serve it in thoughtfully designed spaces. We see Neptune as a great embodiment of our ideals.”
They have created a completely new seafood-focused menu for Neptune, based around an informal approach to the classic oyster bar as well as featuring Brett’s signature wood-fired cooking in the extensive a la carte menu.
The oyster bar at the centre of Neptune’s dining room serves a variety of oysters and shellfish selected from independent growers around the UK. Diners can also order towering seafood platters that evolve with the seasons, or an array of refreshing twists on classic seafood dishes.
The bar programme features a selection of fresh cocktails best paired with oysters and shellfish, and an extensive wine list comprises of small-scale, quality producers, curated by Isabelle Legeron MW, the world’s foremost authority on natural and low-intervention wines.
Neptune’s branding and logo, hand-drawn by New York and London-based design duo Craig & Karl, plays on the name’s invocations of the wonder of space and the magic of the oceans.
Inspired by album covers and music posters, it also gives a nod to the aesthetic experimentation of 1960s Californian counter-culture. The restaurant’s uniforms were designed with BLOUSE by Geoffrey J Finch, with Brett and Margaret ensuring their design was functional, approachable and stylish.
