Luna opening date confirmed

Jay Patel, restaurateur and founder of NinthCollective, has confirmed that neighbourhood wine bar, bottle shop and restaurant, Luna, will open on 8 July. 

Luna will sit opposite its sister restaurant, the Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded Italian Legare, on Shad Thames, under the gaze of Tower Bridge. It will accommodate 34 covers in total, including on a mezzanine level overlooking the Shad Thames cobbles. 

The concept takes over a space previously occupied by D&D's Le Pont de la Tour 'Food Store' (next door to the main LPT restaurant), which closed in 2023. 

The wine

The wine bar's focus will be more akin to classic London institutions such as 10 Cases, Gordon's and the Wine Makers' Club. Luna will focus on suppliers with portfolios of old-world producers, using ethical farming practices, biodynamic and organic principles. 

The food

The menu will be overseen by Legare head chef and co-founder, Matt Beardmore, who steps into the executive chef role across the NinthCollective estate ahead of the new project. 

Highlights from the launch menu include warm potato dinner rolls with salted butter; Ibérico Salchichión; oysters with galia melon and tomatillo; gilt-head bream with kaffir, serrano chilli and arbequina; steak tartare and anchoïade with crisps; Judion beans with grilled hen of the woods and zhoug; spring lamb cutlets with Greek yoghurt and charred onion; steamed turbot and spiced saffron bisque; Welsh rarebit; and coffee with tonka bean éclair. 

Legare's current GM, Alice Sapieka, will step into the GM role to launch Luna, moving into a more operational position across both restaurants once the site is up and running. 

"We are really proud of our little corner of the world in Shad Thames and what we've created here with Legare over the last five years," says Patel. "There is so much history, from the legacy that Conran and D&D built with LPT through to the second wave of Shad Thames, with businesses such as WatchHouse and ourselves making their mark. 

"It feels like there is a real resurgence in the area, and we are excited to finally introduce our new wine bar to our loyal local customers who've supported us, and those who travel from across London and further afield to dine with us over the last five years at Legare."

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