Having taken the decision to focus much of its summer arts and events programme into four days last year, Canary Wharf Group (CWG) has extended the 2023 iteration by a day, packing the calendar for July 26-30.
“We’ve really built on our programme from 2022,” said Camilla McGregor of CWG’s arts and events team.
“In addition to Winter Lights in January, Festival14 is an anchor event in our season.
“It’s trying to combine all the things that we do, like outdoor theatre, classical music concerts and dance so that people can come down and experience them on a single visit or over a few days.
“The amazing thing about the format is that everything is happening on the Canary Wharf estate within walking distance.
“Someone coming down might see some Shakespeare, take part in a workshop at the Fandangoe Discoteca then see a performance in Canada Square Park.
“Most of the festival is free because it’s important to make it accessible to the local community and as wide and audience as possible.
“We are charging for some events where there is limited space but the tickets are very reasonably priced.
“In planning the programme it’s also been important for us to create an inclusive festival with artists and acts from a diverse cross section of society in London.
“Whichever genre – theatre, comedy or music, for example – everyone should be represented.”
Buskers will be performing in Jubilee Park throughout the festival
With events and performances taking place from 11am or noon each day, there will be big name acts alongside less well-known attractions spread across six main venues.
“We’re incredibly excited to have Soul II Soul to headline Friday night in Canada Square Park because they are world famous and we’ve wanted to host them for a long time,” said Camilla.
“On the comedy side we have performers like Mark Watson, Lou Sanders and Shaparak Khorsandi at The Monty Tent in Montgomery Square.
“The Comedy Club will run in it for four nights with comedy for kids on the Sunday.
“Personally I’m looking forward to Big Fish, Little Fish Family Rave – a two-hour party designed for parents and kids to celebrate life with bubbles and balloons.
“Then on the main stage there are sets from Craig Charles and Norman Jay who are both household names and have been on the London circuit for years – they’re both amazing.
“Over the years our summer concerts have appealed to the community and we have a strong returning audience so for Festival14 we wanted to create a line-up suitable for our loyal fans and new audiences alike.
Westferry Circus will host a number of plays
“That’s why we have chosen jazz, soul and r’n’b.
“For example, we will have Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra who are very well established and more contemporary sounds from Laura Misch, both on the Sunday.
“Canary Wharf has a long tradition of engaging with the local community too so we will have theatre programmed by The Space on the Isle Of Dogs and a performance from the Docklands Sinfonia in the mix too as well as artists who grew up in east London.
“There will be loads for kids and families to do too with the Crossrail Place Roof Garden the venue for many of these kinds of events.”
So, diaries out – the festival is only two weeks away but there’s still plenty of time to plan those must-sees.
Don’t forget the street food from Karnival in Montgomery Square, daily from noon, either.
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
In contrast, Fish Game is the rock dropped into the serene waters of Wood Wharf.
Here there’s a giant artwork of a man apparently eating credit cards with his head wrapped in cling film, tree stumps supporting glass tables, colourful fishing floats and flailing squid hanging from the ceiling and a private dining room decorated with images of Mafia bosses.
The restaurant, which recently opened its doors is the latest creation of Roberto Costa – the man behind Macellaio RC, a chain of six establishments named in honour of the Italian word for butcher plus his initials.
These feature butchery as theatre and plenty of Italian produce and dishes as befits a son of Genoa.
Fish Game, however, is different again – a bamboozling, hedonistic sort of a place that nevertheless rests firmly on four pillars – bread, veg, fish and, naturally, game.
To ensure those pillars are well founded, Roberto has turned to head chef Matt Colk – who returns to E14 having previously spent eight years cooking at The Gun (a little further to the east and right on the Thames) before a brief flirtation with Soho and then Fish Game.
It’s some distance from his start in hospitality.
“I began cooking when I was 14 in a little chip shop in North Lincolnshire,” he said. “I went on to do graphic design at college but my part-time job in the kitchen was much more fun.
“When I was 18 I came to London and first of all worked at Christopher’s Restaurant And Martini bar in Covent Garden before moving on to Roast in Borough Market.
“Then I worked at the RAC Club in Pall Mall, winning Worshipful Company Of Cooks’ Young Chef Of the Year in 2013 before joining The Gun in 2015.”
Rabbit Croquettes with marjoram and lime zest mayonnaise at Fish Game
The approach at Fish Game, however, strikes a contrast with his previous roles.
Having impressed with two dishes he served Roberto during a cook-off, he got the job and then discovered things in his new restaurant would be quite different.
“Roberto wants everything rustic, a bit more rock ‘n’ roll – everything natural,” said Matt.
“He wants to change people’s idea of what food is – to try all the good bits that people normally get rid of.
“In the beginning it took time because I was making dishes the way I used to, but Roberto didn’t care for recipes or classics. Everything had to be different.
“That took a bit of time to get used to but I sought inspiration and had a few ideas.
“We’ve broken the menu down into four sections with bread, veg, seafood and meat. If you need advice the waiter or storyteller will come and advise you what to have.
“It can all come together or separately – that’s how people enjoy eating.
“They can share and there’s never any rush.
“Diners can have small plates or big plates, whatever they want, and then order more if they are still hungry.
“It’s simple food cooked well. Roberto loves the diversity of England’s produce and wants to showcase that.”
Early signs seem to indicate that’s something customers are eager to experience.
While only open a short time, bookings have been strong with Matt and his team of chefs working furiously to satisfy full services.
Roman Tigella bread withe rabbit and offal at Fish Game
The menu is certainly a singular creation with ingredients cooked primarily on the ash and charcoal of Fish Game’s bank of grills.
“We’re in the middle of four really good restaurants here, but I love that this isn’t a chain,” said Matt.
“The feedback has been really good so far and people are getting used to the food.
“There are dishes on the menu that have taken two months to create, but the one everyone loves is something that took me five seconds to whip up.
“Roberto turned to me and said he wanted a squid dish on the menu – I asked when, and he said: ‘Now’. So I looked in the fridge, found a few ingredients and made the one that’s on there now.
“It’s charcoaled squid served with fermented chilli and fried cavolo nero – it just works. There’s a little bit of sugar and salt in there against that chilli sauce.”
Chilli is a big ingredient for Fish Game. In fact the restaurant is certainly the only place in Canary Wharf that boasts a tasting menu dedicated to the plant’s spicy fruit.
This offers diners the opportunity to taste peppers from Italian farm Vivi Piccante ranging in heat from a prickly 100,000 to 2.3million units on the Scoville Scale.
For contrast, a supermarket Jalapeno is around 2,500 units.
While Matt isn’t afraid of some spice, his dishes are designed to delight rather than melt guests, often focusing on less frequently used ingredients.
“I’m proud of the ox heart, which is marinated for 12 hours in garlic and chilli plus olive oil, that we source from near Roberto’s home in Italy,” said Matt.
“Then it’s seared on the charcoal and served with a crunchy carrot salad, with red onion, salt, pepper and lemon juice.”
Sea bream at Fish Game
Other offerings include a gamey take on an Italian classic in hare arancini, a dish of smoked duck breast and duck leg, a venison tartare with bone marrow and rump of mutton with fresh mint and mustard.
Game dishes range from £6.50 to £52 for a beef ribeye off the bone with bone marrow.
On the aquatic side, there are oysters (£6 for two), langoustines with samphire, mussels with venison nduja and monkfish with rosemary, lime and sea salt.
Dishes range in price from £6 to £50 for a butterfly sea bream served with olive oil, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts and basil.
“If I was ordering, I’d start with the Tigella bread from Rome (£9), which is served with rabbit and offal cooked over ash and finished with parsley, fresh garlic and lemon juice,” said Matt.
“Then, of course, I’d have the squid (£9). Sometimes the people are right.
“They even rave about the potatoes we serve but they’re just crispy new potatoes with chilli, garlic, chives and lime.”
In addition to the skill of the chef – after all Matt used to write a recipe column for Wharf Life when he was at The Gun and we don’t let just anyone do that – key to the success of a restaurant is the produce it has to work with.
Fish Game promises to regularly change its menu to fit in with what’s in season, whether that’s meat, fish or vegetables.
“It’s a little early for game season at the moment, but come August 12 we will have grouse on the menu and we also plan to feature partridge, pheasant and quail at the right time,” said Matt.
“We’ll be sourcing our game from the Windsor Park Estate, which is pretty local to us.
“In fact, if they turn the menu over, diners will be able to see where we get all of the fish, meat and game that we use within the UK, which is a nice touch.
“For Roberto it’s important that we serve things that stand out.
“That includes the fact we only offer two desserts – a tiramisu that’s made at the table and a lemon tart with seasonal fruit.
“We’ve also got an ice cream machine that we’re going to use to make a gelato with olive oil and sea salt. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s really good.
“I’ve been here two months, but as for the future I’d love to win a Michelin star and then perhaps see if we can expand to another site or two.”
Venue owner Roberto Costa with Matt
So there you have it, the Wharf’s latest arrival packed with unusual produce, dishes, decor and verve.
Fish Game is, Matt tells me, currently looking for talented chefs – who wouldn’t want to chance their arm at a project that aims to stand out and get noticed?
Oh, and before I forget to mention it, as if potent art, a chilli menu and plenty of food isn’t enough, the Water Street restaurant also distinguishes itself by offering drinks served from its extensive Agave Bar.
Specialising in Tequila, Raicilla and Mezcal (with a single Sotol on the list too) this promises to add a potent note to any dinner.
And there certainly isn’t time to go into a cocktail list that’s classified by a system of chess pieces.
You’ll just have to head down to Wood Wharf, bag a table and work your way through them, by which time the whole enterprise might make some kind of sense.
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
“If people really want to change, then there is hope,” said Janos Verebes-Weisz. “I strongly believe in that.
“Anybody who is fed up can benefit from thinking through what is between them and change – that process on its own is part of changing.”
There’s a warmth, kindness and curiosity to Janos. It’s in the timbre of his voice, the rhythm of his speech and the way he gently turns topics over in his mind to examine and explore them as we talk.
That’s unsurprising. The founding director of Leo Weisz Therapy has spent his life helping people – initially working as a paramedic and intensive care nurse in Hungary before moving to the UK in 2004.
As a person in therapy himself, he determined to train as a psychotherapist and found a place working in the NHS with offenders in a medium secure unit in Hackney.
There he spent seven years using group sessions to help those with personality disorders.
Since then he’s worked in the NHS in east London as well as in private practice and has spent time as a visiting lecturer, teaching the next generation of therapists at Queen Mary University and Greenwich University.
He founded community interest company the Community Psychotherapy Network (CPN) in Bethnal Green to offer accessible and affordable group therapy.
“Traditionally psychotherapy has a very strict structure – clients have a time when they must turn up,” said Janos.
“It’s usually a requirement. Through our work with CPN, even before the pandemic, we realised that there was a group of people who need a little bit more flexibility.
“They can afford therapy but, because they are working like mad, they cannot always get to the sessions.
“That’s why we created Leo Weisz. We specialise in long-term, in-depth therapy and that’s what we offer to people with speed and flexibility.
“When Covid came, it overwrote much of what we thought about what’s needed to do psychotherapy work effectively.
“This means if you have someone who is leading a business and struggling with an eating disorder, for example – a person whose hectic lifestyle makes it very difficult to attend sessions – we can still help them.
“When the pandemic came and we had to put everything online – life shows you that you can adapt.”
The organisation is based in Bethnal Green, with access to premises in Canary Wharf in the pipeline.
Leo Weisz Therapy provides services to individuals and companies keen to look after their employees’ mental health
“My background is in dealing with personality disorders, which we see as a developmental illness,” said Janos.
“Some people say it’s untreatable, but we know that’s absolutely not the case.
“With maturation and development, things can be much better – but it takes time and that’s why we work with clients long-term.
“The benefit of our approach is that we are not working to change habits – we’re promoting in-depth change.
“That’s the most difficult thing – there is often a lot between a person and the change they want to make.
“We have to ask how we can understand the resistance to it and then go towards the desired outcome of a client’s therapy.
“In that sense, more often than not, we find trauma inevitably comes up.
“Things that people have gone through will, one way or another, have influenced their development.
“As a result they suffer with different symptoms.
“Those might include anxiety, depression, an eating disorder, self harm, addiction or complex destructive or risky behaviour.
“Here we’re not working only to address those symptoms – it’s about what they are communicating.
“The phrase we like to use is ‘immature defence structure’.
“Often people are at a particular age or stage in their life and they didn’t get the right amount of support at a particular time.
“They may also have been directly traumatised.
“Then their development arrested and we try to pick up at that point and support them into a direction they would like to go.”
Leo Weisz Therapy is in the process of opening a facility in Canary Wharf
To that end, Janos and his colleagues aim to offer services that will fit in with a client’s life, while also working to address the issues they are experiencing.
“I think what’s unusual in this field is that we offer flexibility,” said Janos.
“Needless to say, of course, we’re also extremely confidential.
“One-to-one sessions will work for some people, while group therapy is also highly effective, because it puts people into context.
“It works as an analogue for the wider community.
“While many people experience fear when they wonder whether they will be getting time for their issues in this setting, it is actually training for the ego where we can place our problems beside those of others.
“People start finding words for their feelings when they experience commonality in a group.
“These words become a common experience and language that enables group participants to express themselves much faster than they would if they were on their own.
“Being in a group can be extremely freeing – they understand that they are not alone.
“In a group there are often people at different stages.
“Imagine, for example, someone who is suffering with bulimic attacks and then they’re sitting with someone who already left this kind of behaviour behind after years of therapy.
“Then they start talking about it – why they do it, what it means for them and how they can find words that express those things.
“Then we start to realise these are universal experiences and that we don’t have to act out these behaviours – we can verbalise them instead.”
Leo Weisz Therapy also stands ready to help businesses with an approach that aims to offer practical, beneficial results for their employees.
“In the corporate world you often have people working under enormous pressure and they need a release,” said Janos.
“We are always learning from our clients but we absolutely take a practical approach.
“For example, there will be elements of behavioural therapy that come up in group sessions.
“It’s a repetitive process. We talk about these developmental cycles and we identify symptoms, but it’s easy for people to regress too.
“Then we keep doing the work and change happens over time.
“It’s mind-blowing what can happen. I haven’t seen anyone change for the better in as little as three months – that’s because to do it, you have to reshape internal constructs, to tackle internal defence structures.
“People can be very fragile inside but they can be like medieval knights covered in very rigid armour that rejects closeness and flexibility.
“You can’t just remove the armour, you have to work to put muscles on the arms and legs so the person can gradually take it off piece by piece.
“Then, underneath they will be strong enough not to collapse without it.
“I’m always very moved when that happens – people come to us and make themselves vulnerable.
“It’s a privilege to work with them.”
Find out more about Leo Weisz Therapy’s services via this link
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
There’s spice, fire, zest and vigour in the eyes of Karapincha founders Vasanthini and Dharshini Perumal and that’s before we’ve even mentioned the food.
The twin sisters are a force to be reckoned with, boasting CVs that name-check JP Morgan, EY, Nomura, RBS, KPMG, Six Degrees Group and many more.
Accountancy, project management, finance, entrepreneurial verve – it’s all there. So why give up flourishing careers in finance to launch a hospitality business?
“Ever since we came to the UK from Sri Lanka in 2011, we knew we wanted to create a business,” said Vasanthini.
“Some people think that with Indian or Sri Lankan food that you have to sit down and have a meal, but that’s not necessarily the case – you can convert these cuisines to grab-and-go.
“We’d been thinking about the idea and had done some test marketing at an evening market in Shoreditch – we cooked up some food with our family and it was really nicely taken up.
“We were able to sell more than 100 portions – people really liked it.
“Then our mum and dad got sick and we couldn’t concentrate on starting something immediately.
“In the meantime Hoppers, a restaurant in Soho, started up and I thought: ‘Bugger – they’ve got my concept’.”
Undeterred, however, and with a faith that their time was yet to come, the duo bided their time before an introduction in Canary Wharf led them in a fresh direction.
“A colleague at JP Morgan introduced me to The Limehouse – a bar and restaurant run by Fuller’s on Fisherman’s Walk,” said Dharshini.
“They loved the food, but weren’t sure whether to go ahead until suddenly everything became OK and we went to sign the contract.
“It only gave us three weeks to get going – we didn’t have a name, any staff, crockery a menu or anything in the kitchen. Luckily we work well under pressure.”
Karapincha co-founder Dharshini Perumal
Their determination won through with the twins pulling everything together to open in 2018, bringing their version of Sri Lankan cuisine to Wharfers in a 180-cover restaurant.
“Fuller’s was a really good partner for us – there was so much learning to do,” said Vasanthini.
“We had a really good partnership, learning the hygiene systems and how to organise our operation.
“They rebranded the place to match our colours – they really supported us and helped us to start up.”
The Limehouse, along with its neighbour, The Merchant, didn’t reopen following the pandemic, however, with Fuller’s deciding to leave the Canary Wharf estate.
However, Karapincha survives – running in sites at Mercato Metropolitano in Elephant And Castle and Old Spitalfields Market – and Vasanthini and Dharshini are set to bring the brand back to Canary Wharf – albeit in a different form in the Jubilee line station.
Karapincha is expecting to start trading in mid-July.
“We’re going to be the first hospitality business to open in a Tube station where the kitchen will actually be cooking food,” said Vasanthini.
“Being in the station, we’re going to take the full opportunity to trade from morning until evening, breakfast, lunch and dinner – it’s a grab-and-go concept.
“We’ll be doing some things that are different here to our other sites because of all the offices nearby so that people will be able to come into work and eat our food.”
What won’t change, however, is the twins’ approach to the core flavours Karapincha champions.
“If you ask me where I would like to dine in London, the answer would be our place, because it’s nice comfort food,” said Dharshini.
“It reminds us of home-cooked food, just like our mother made – that’s what we always wanted.
“We didn’t want complicated, fancy stuff.
“We use a central kitchen to supply our sites, but everything is home-cooked style. We make everything we serve from scratch including the mayonnaise and the ketchup.
Karapincha co-founder Vasanthini Perumal
“It’s about conscientiously, carefully making food that is good for your health – exactly as you would if you had people coming to your house for lunch.
“That’s how we train our staff – they’re a lovely bunch who look after each other like family and a happy kitchen means a happy customer.
“When they buy it, people should not feel that our food is from a shop.
“We also cook in front of customers so they know they are getting something fresh.
“For example, the boys will make the paratha in the kitchen every day and we never freeze food or bring anything from elsewhere – it’s all made by us on a daily basis.”
Having had the teaser photos on the previous pages, it’s now time to talk about the food. Karapincha is proud to serve a selection of potent Sri Lankan dishes, all with the twins’ personal twist.
Front and centre is the Kothu Roti – a stir fry made with chopped roti bread, vegetables and eggs, flavoured with Sri Lankan curries and sliced up with energy as it cooks on the griddle.
Vegan, chicken and lamb versions are all available.
Vegan curry with rice from Karapincha
Then there’s the traditional Sri Lankan lunch of rice with curry, or how about a flaky folded paratha to dip in a rich coconut-laced sauce?
Failing that, there’s always the devilled chicken and fried rice or lamb rolls to fall back on – which all pack a punch.
When the twins first opened in Elephant And Castle, they were advised to tone down the spice a bit.
Suffice to say they ignored the advice and quickly built up a line of hungry fans eager to feel their tongues fizz from the pepper.
“The name of Karapincha comes from the curry leaf used in Sri Lankan cooking,” said Dharshini.
“It’s all about what we like to eat – what we grew up eating and the stuff our mother taught us.
“We use her recipe for curry powder, which contains 12 ingredients in specific quantities and we import them from Sri Lanka and grind it in our kitchen.
“The island is known for the best cinnamon in the world.
“But there are some twists too – if you go to that country, you won’t find our pineapple pickle served at any of the roti street food stalls.”
A fried lamb roll from Karapincha
The twins also promise twists on bacon and egg for breakfast at the Canary Wharf store alongside porridges and even a high tea box to tempt office workers looking for afternoon refreshment.
But then, perhaps this kind of thing is to be expected from a pair of founders who, upon discovering a local mine was up for sale in Sri Lanka, bought it and turned their hand to exporting silica quartz to Japan and Korea, growing the operation to support 100 employees before selling it to mining giant Nippon seven years later.
“It’s really fulfilling to have started Karapincha,” said Vasanthini.
“We’re really happy. We wanted to do something in the UK, so we put this in motion and it’s been functioning for four years.
“It’s a journey and now we’re looking to take it to the next level and to operate a franchise model.
“We are slowly growing and we want to get bigger – at first within London. Canary Wharf will be our flagship now that we’re catching up after Covid.
“It’s also about the team – the people who work for us are a family.
“They’re so good, really brilliant and they never give up – and they need something to grow into.”
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
There’s a moment during our interview where Mark Taylor’s voice falters.
The son of successful artist Dallas K Taylor went to art college to become a painter like his father, but wound up initially rejecting his style.
“He painted landscapes and seascapes – it was very commercial,” said Mark.
“He had an art gallery in the North East where I’m from, so I grew up around him working – but I thought I wanted to be a proper artist like Jackson Pollock or Mark Rothko.
“I’d come down to Tate Modern in London and be completely absorbed by the scale of their works.
“Seeing Summertime by Pollock, I was just completely taken away by the real thing. A couple of inches on the page of a book just doesn’t compare.”
After completing a degree in fine art, however, Mark decided to go into boat design rather than opt for the life of a struggling painter – building on a lifelong love of the water, having been raised on boats growing up in Blyth.
“During my degree I’d partnered with boat builders and went to work for a company called Sealine in Kidderminster,” he said.
“I used to watch their £2.5million fancy boats go off down the road on trailers escorted by vehicles with flashing lights, and I realised I was landlocked – it was my dream job, but in the wrong location. I needed to get back to the coast.”
A project helping an artist put together a portfolio led Mark to turn to the classroom as a profession, moving back to the North East to lecture in fine art in the Newcastle area.
“It meant I could be on the lifeboat like my dad and I could teach art as well, so that’s what I did for many years,” he said.
“Then my father discovered he had Motor Neurone Disease and he went downhill pretty fast.
“At that time, he had a 12-month waiting list for his artworks but wasn’t able to fulfil his orders.
Detail from Mark Taylor’s Altitude
“So I decided to leave my position at the college to become his full-time carer.
“I went back to the family home and looked after him and, during that time, I told him I would paint his pictures.
“I’d learned how to make work like his to pay my way through university – I’d nick his style, hang work in his gallery and sell it.
“During the months I cared for him, he showed me a few techniques to emulate his style with a palette knife in oils.
“He taught me to smear the paint on the palette and to cut through it so that, with practice, you can get a thin precise line – perfect for the mast of a boat or a line on a building.
“I developed that style and one day I was painting a very famous scene – the bridge over the Tyne in Newcastle looking down to the quayside. It was a historic scene with horses and carts in the foreground.
“When my father saw it, he said that he couldn’t have ever painted the horses like that and if I could, then I would never be hungry.”
It’s here Mark’s voice falters at the memory – a moment not long before his father died.
“It was really amazing to think I had taken his technique and been able to continue his legacy – to paint like him and then for him to say that he couldn’t have done it himself felt great,” said Mark
“For more than a decade now I’ve continued painting like him but increasingly putting more of myself into it.
“Now I’ve got my own identity I’ve started branching out into different techniques with collage and acrylic rather than oil paint.
“It’s a bit like being a musician – you do a first album, then a second that’s different and now I’m on my third in the London market, which is fantastic.”
Detail from Mark Taylor’s painting of Tynemouth Lifeboat
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Sorry to break the flow of the article, but there’s something else that adds depth to Mark’s character.
His father also gave him a lifelong love of being on the sea, coupled with the example of stalwart service saving lives in the RNLI.
Having moved back to the North East, Mark began volunteering on the lifeboat as Dallas had before him.
Rising rapidly through the ranks (thanks to his dad training him in water safety from an early age), he’s now the coxswain for the Tynemouth all-weather lifeboat – the largest in the charity’s fleet – as well as helmsman for the station’s inshore inflatable lifeboat.
While there’s probably enough material for a book in his more than 16 years of volunteering, to save lives in some of the most extreme conditions on the water – one tale stands out.
“I’d just qualified as a navigator when we got the shout that a vessel was sinking 110 nautical miles off the coast,” said Mark.
“We knew we’d have only enough fuel to get out there, do a search and then return so everything was on me to get to the right place.
“The search area was huge – the drifts, the tide, the wind.
"A helicopter picked up a very faint radio message from the stricken boat and we managed to find the vessel, get it on tow and then pull it back to Sunderland over about 14 hours.
“It feels incredible when you can get someone back to their family who would have drowned if it wasn’t for the RNLI.
“That one turned out to be the farthest rescue from shore ever completed in the organisation’s 200-year history and it was my first shout as a newly-trained navigator.
“You risk your life, but there’s a reason why you’re doing it.
“People’s lives are in grave and immediate danger so we go out in all conditions.
“It’s a great thing to be able to do and an honour to be the coxswain, following the retirement of Michael Nugent who I’ve looked up to all the way through.”
Go to rnli.org to make a donation to the charity
Detail from Mark Taylor’s Signs
Which brings us in a roundabout sort of a way to why Mark is featured by Wharf Life.
Recently appointed its artist in residence, Mark has created a series of paintings currently on display there, with more planned to spread throughout the building.
The works use acrylic and, frequently, collage of historic maps of the area, to capture Canary Wharf and views of Docklands as it is today.
“The docks are massively important, when you look at the history of this area and how that has influenced the buildings we have, and the new towers – it’s about celebrating what’s here,” said Mark.
“You’re capturing moments in time. The first painting I did for this series was looking at Canary Wharf from Blackwall Basin – there’s a lovely bit of water there with the reflections of the buildings all around it.
“I took a photograph of that and then, the next time I came down, a concrete lift shaft for a building under construction had sprung up in the middle of the scene so that view is now lost.
“But I was able to capture it and put it in this painting.
“Then, the next paintings can celebrate what is coming in the future.
“For some of the other pieces I was researching what the area had been like and I realised the colour of one of the maps I was looking at was like the windows of the office blocks at night so I began working pieces of collage into the painting.
“That way I have the new in the work while honouring the heritage of the area too.
“I’ve spent the last 11 years concentrating professionally on my art, developing and bringing new elements into my work.
“With the Royal Society exhibition and this residency I think I’m definitely on my way to qualifying as a decent artist.
Detail from Mark Taylor’s Sunset Over Greenwich
“It’s a bit like climbing a mountain – you get to the top and you realise there’s another peak you just didn’t see until you reached that point.
“What I’ve also realised is that my dad was always a great artist – he painted pictures people loved and would request again and again.
“For me, painting standalone works is exciting and I’ve been able to take his technique somewhere completely different.
“I get totally absorbed by the work. I’ll often go into the studio at 10.30am and paint right through until 1.30am. It’s amazing to be in that creative space.
“Luckily I live within sight of the lifeboat station, so when the pager goes off I can drop my tools and go straight out.
“Going on a shout puts everything in perspective. The other day I was under real pressure to get this picture finished for a client.
“I was really feeling it – at a moment where you don’t know where to stop. Is it going right? Is it going well now, but is it going wrong?
“Then I got the call and me and two crew had to go and extract a casualty trapped on the shoreline in a heavy surf, which we managed successfully.
“After being out at sea with the adrenaline pumping, saving someone, I was completely calm.
“In the greater scheme of things if you make a mistake on the canvas you can always paint over it.”
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
That’s the simple message from Canary Wharf Group (CWG) as it officially launches a long-term partnership with The Felix Project – a charity that rescues surplus food and distributes it to vulnerable people through front line organisations, schools and community initiatives.
Together they have unveiled the Green Scheme – an ambitious project to provide more than 1,000 meals a week through around 10 local organisations, saving some 500kg of food that would otherwise have gone to waste.
To achieve that, they are looking to recruit as many as 1,500 people to ensure food is collected from retailers, restaurants and office kitchens on the Canary Wharf estate before transporting it to where it needs to go.
“What CWG is looking to achieve is really more than just having a positive impact in the buildings on the estate,” said Jane Hollinshead, managing director of people, culture and customer service at Canary Wharf Group.
“It’s about how we fit into the wider ecosystem in terms of being a responsible business.
“We’d had some conversations with The Felix Project about just doing some simple volunteering – that was really a corporate social responsibility thing.
“But this was at the time when the cost of living was really beginning to spiral out of control and there were huge issues around food waste, so I went over to see their warehouse in Poplar and it struck me what a natural partner Felix would be for all of the things that we. as an organisation. value.
“I thought that if we were to create something more strategic with them, then the reach we would get through their operations would be exponentially greater than if we were doing things on our own.
“From their side, our position as a landlord opens up opportunities for Felix because they are able to meet our customers, many of whom have surplus food at the end of the day – whether they are retailers or restaurants in offices.
“It’s a really symbiotic partnership – we both bring things to further each other’s purposes.”
While CWG and Felix are still exploring the full extent of what may be possible through their collaboration, the Green Scheme is the immediate priority.
Retailers including M&S, Joe Blake’s and Waitrose have already signed up, with support also coming from the likes of Morgan Stanley and Barclays.
From left, Canary Wharf Group CEO Shobi Khan, The Felix Project CEO Charlotte Hill and CWG managing director of people, culture and customer service
>> “Our purpose is to bring people together to enhance lives now and in the future,” said Canary Wharf Group CEO, Shobi Khan. “Through partnerships like this, we aim to ensure Canary Wharf is more than just a place to live or work, but a place where you can be connected to the local community and can have a positive social impact.
“The business community at Canary Wharf has a big part to play in making The Felix Project a success and indeed some of our local companies are already on board, including Morgan Stanley and Barclays.
“With such a concentration of retail and office businesses on the estate, a key part of our role as partner will be to introduce the charity to our wider community and bring the scale that’s needed to have a real, lasting effect on local people’s lives.
“We have so many people who can play their part, whether they work, live or regularly visit here – I urge anyone willing to spare a couple of hours to sign up to volunteer and help us get surplus food to those who need it most.”
The partners are now keen to attract more businesses and, crucially, volunteers to drive the project forward.
“For the Green Scheme, we will act as the hub,” said Jane.
“That makes sense because we can keep the food fresh on the estate and then get it out faster than if it were sent to a warehouse first.
“It’s also about bringing the individual volunteers out to the organisations that we and Felix are supporting.
“What happens is that the food is collected from the retailer or office restaurant by the volunteer who then delivers it.
“We wanted that to be done in a sustainable way so it will be either on foot, by bike or via a dedicated electric van that we’ll charge up in our car parks.
“We are looking for anyone at all to volunteer for the Green Scheme – you might work or live in or near the Canary Wharf estate, or be a visitor.
“There are no boundaries when it comes to this kind of activity and we see it as a really good way to build relationships with the local community.
“We want as many people to help as possible – all volunteers have to do is to pass a health and safety induction and be able to carry a takeaway delivery service-style rucksack.”
CWG is clear. This latest initiative is very much looking beyond the borders of the estate in a bid to get as much of the community involved as possible.
Charlotte and Shobi load the dedicated electric van with surplus food
>> “In the UK, 4.7million people are struggling with the cost of food,” said Charlotte Hill, CEO of The Felix Project. “This is an issue we cannot afford to ignore and the situation is critical as the cost-of-living crisis intensifies. Many Londoners are trying to feed themselves on less than £3 a day.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Canary Wharf Group as they’re in the unique position to be able to convene the hundreds of businesses, retailers, employees and residents on the Estate to tackle this issue together, meaning we’ll have a much greater social impact than we would otherwise.
“They have the access and logistics that we need to make the scheme a success at a time when the need is so high, and are committed to the same long-lasting, sustainable and meaningful change that we built our charity for.”
“I think the benefit from the volunteers’ perspective is that they will be achieving something that’s meaningful,” said Jane.
“That comes back to what I increasingly see from our own employees and customers.
“When people come to their workplace, they want to feel they are doing something that really has value.
“When you have this huge cost of living crisis and you have in-work poverty – people who are relying on food banks even though they have jobs – then a partnership like this fulfils a purpose that is twofold.
“Firstly, it’s reducing food waste, because there is so much that would otherwise be thrown away.
“Secondly, because of the significant challenges the UK has faced over the last few years, food poverty is also coming through as an immediate crisis.
“The next generation particularly want to feel that they work for organisations that share their values. Part of that is having an impact in the community and a strategy for that.
“Here we are delivering something that works for our people and has benefits for CWG and our customers but also for the Felix Project and all the people and organisations it helps.”
While the Green Scheme itself is an ambitious project, Jane said it only represented the start of the collaboration between Felix and CWG – something that would grow in the months and years to come.
Volunteers will deliver food direct from Canary Wharf to the organisations supported by the Green Scheme
“We want to see how we can use the assets that we have as an organisation and explore how else we can help the charity,” she said.
“We’re looking at working with our office clients to see whether we can help them create a more diverse group of volunteers down at the Poplar depot.
“We’re talking to Morgan Stanley – which has a very effective volunteering strategy – about how that best practice can be shared.
“We’re also investigating how we can encourage people who are experts in their particular sector such as sustainability or professional services to volunteer their time to help the organisation.
“There’s a contribution of expertise, so it’s not just about the Green Scheme. It’s really about sharing knowledge and asking how we can involve our supply chain.
“Can we make use of small businesses locally to help them deliver what they are doing, for example?
“The partnership is very much about setting out our stall to the outside world as an organisation – what our values are and what we stand for.”
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
Humans change physically, mentally and emotionally at a faster rate in their first few years than at any other point in their lives.
The experience and stimulation they encounter during this formative time plays a crucial role in their development, laying the foundations for the people they will later become and the individuality they will express.
These are facts that are uppermost in the minds of staff at Wood Wharf Kindergarten, which recently opened its doors in Canary Wharf.
Arranged in generously proportioned surroundings over the two lower floors of 10 Park Drive, it offers childcare to babies and young children aged 0-4, 51 weeks of the year.
The children are taken out twice a day in all weathers
‘Tailored’ is the word that best sums up its approach.
“Getting to know the family and understanding what their needs and their child’s needs are is the most important part,” said Heleanna Phair, nursery manager at Wood Wharf Kindergarten.
“The first thing we do is to invite parents in for the settling-in sessions, which we do together.
“A lot of nurseries will ask parents to bring their children in for an hour and then leave them at the door.
“We believe the parents should be in the room with the children to help them to become familiar with the environment and with the staff – especially the key person who will be looking after them.
The nursery works with the interests of each child
“Then, slowly, the parent moves away and stays downstairs so they’re on call if needed.
“We don’t allow any child to start unless they’ve gone through that settling-in process and we feel the child is emotionally ready. Of course, that looks different for each child and family.
“Once we’ve been through that process, parents have a key person who acts as the main point of contact and will send them daily information about what their child has been doing.
“We’ll let them know if the children are sleeping, if they’ve had a bottle or gone out for a trip – those notifications and photos go out throughout the day, which is a real comfort for people.
“Every six weeks we’ll write a long learning story, so parents get an update on their child’s developmental milestones, and then we’ll invite them in every three months for a bit of a parents’ evening for a catch up on how things are going.
“We have very strong parent partnerships here, and parents are always invited in at the beginning and end of every day for a verbal handover.
“It’s so important we work with them, that they know what their child has been doing and how they are developing.”
Nursery manager Heleanna Phair
With a track record of achieving assessments of “outstanding” from Ofsted in previous roles, you don’t have to sit with Heleanna long to feel her obvious passion for the job she does.
“I’ve lost count of the number of years I’ve been in nursery management,” she said.
“Of course there’s a lot of legislation to take into account, but I think that if you’re genuinely passionate about what you do and that you really think about the children and parents you have in your nursery then that’s what helps you gain this level of recognition.
“No nursery is the same as another – they all have challenges.
“My first management role was for a charity and, because many of the children were disadvantaged, what they really needed was feeding, love and attention.
“Here we have some children who have nannies, language classes and swimming lessons and have had the opportunity to travel a lot.
“So, for us, the challenge is to provide a curriculum that is exciting and engaging, because they have so many experiences in the bag already.
“To do that we make sure everything we do is fresh, current and child-led. There’s no top-down approach to our teaching at all.
“We see the children each day – discover what their interests are – and then plan learning opportunities for the next day.
The nursery caters for children aged 0-4
“I always mention to parents when they come in at first that we may not move a child up from the babies room at 18 months because they might not be ready.
“Equally, we have a boy at the moment who is only 14 months, but is ready for the toddler room because he just wants more stimulation.
“Knowing the children and parents and reviewing the service as you go is really important.
“I once worked at a nursery that operated 12 rooms and the children were moved every six months.
“That was really bad for them emotionally because they were not forming attachments with the staff.
“Here we make sure that three moves is the maximum and we only make them when the children are ready, which means the age range in each room is quite broad but also that each child is in the right place.
“We have a qualified early years teacher in our pre-school room, which is a real benefit. They are responsible for our school readiness programme.
“This, like all of our teaching, is play-based, but prepares the children for formal education with an emphasis on literacy and numeracy.”
While staff at Wood Wharf Kindergarten preside over a curriculum that includes Spanish, Mandarin and even Yoga, the overwhelming atmosphere is one of fun.
Softly furnished rooms are filled with wooden toys, books and activities intended to sneak a little knowledge in while the kids are simply having a good time.
But the nursery is about more than just the building itself.
“We’re an outdoor learning nursery and we go outside in all weathers,” said Heleanna.
“We don’t keep them in if it’s a bit cold outside and we are in the process of securing a permanent outdoor space next to the nursery with a temporary one set up at Union Square in the meantime.
Wood Wharf Kindergarten is located on the edge of Harbour Quay Gardens
“I’m always very clear with parents about this because I really believe in it. It’s the same with messy play.
“We always ask that the children should be dressed in old clothes – nothing precious.
“It’s so important not to have barriers to learning so if the children don’t want to wear aprons, then we won’t make them.
“Having a close relationship with the parents is really important so they understand our approach and its benefits.
“It’s the same across the curriculum. If any of the children don’t want to take part, then they don’t have to.
“That’s why we only have full-time staff because its so important for our key people to observe the children every day so they really know how they are doing.
“Nothing is structured, but there are always goals behind the activities – to me ‘outstanding’ looks like giving children the best possible experiences and we are so lucky to be here in Canary Wharf to do that, with Crossrail Place Roof Garden and all the parks to explore.
“The staff take the children out twice a day – often on quite long trips, including places such as Mudchute Park And Farm on the Isle Of Dogs – a favourite with everyone.”
Located on the edge of Harbour Quay Gardens overlooking West India South Dock, Wood Wharf Kindergarten sits on the quieter half of the estate.
Packed with toys and equipment, it also offers food to meet any dietary requirement from head chef Mitchell Wilkinson – a cook with decades of experience working for the likes of Wimbledon and The Hurlingham Club before moving into educational settings.
“We do have some spaces at the moment and I’d urge parents to get in touch,” said Heleanna.
“We can host them for stay and play sessions if they like because we know it’s important to be sure.”
Wood Wharf Kindergarten fees – which include all meals, snacks, formula, nappies and trips – are £120 per standard day for under-3s and £110 for 3+.
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
“I want people to feel joyful, satisfied and surprised when they come to eat at Mallow,” said Sarah Wasserman.
“My favourite thing is when someone tells me they’ve brought a non-vegetarian person to the restaurant and that they couldn’t believe how much they enjoyed the food.”
As if Patty & Bun, Feels Like June, Dishoom, MMy, Hawksmoor and Emilia’s Crafted Pasta weren’t enough, Canary Wharf is set to get two new openings at Wood Wharf, just across the road from one another.
Roberto Costa’s Fish Game is coming at the end of the month, but it’s plant-based Mallow, which is taking bookings from Friday, June 26, 2023.
As head development chef for Mildreds restaurants, and its sustainability focused offshoot Mallow, it’s Sarah’s responsibility – alongside partner in crime Alessandra Malacarne – to create dishes that will feed and delight the growing brands’ guests.
“I started out as an art school kid and spent seven years studying at places like St Martin’s and Goldsmiths,” said Sarah.
“I realised during that time that I wasn’t going to make any money as an artist so I started working in food places.
“As a vegan, that included travelling round the States working in places where you grind your own flour and make your own hemp sandals – all of that stuff.
“I started out doing some shifts as a student when I was at the Royal Academy Schools and eventually became a manager in the original Mildreds restaurant.
Head development chef for Mildreds and Mallow, Sarah Wasserman
“After that I ran the salad bar, worked as head pastry chef and then as head of central kitchen.
“From there I co-authored three cook books and eventually became the development chef.
“Then I was allowed to bring in Ally to help me, so that officially makes me head of development for Mildreds and Mallow because there are two of us.
“I’ve worked there for 17 years now, on and off.”
For those who don’t know, Mildreds is a Soho institution, founded by Jane Muir and Diane Thomas in the late 1980s.
“They wanted to eat in a more compassionate, sustainable way but thought the whole vegetarian scene was so uncool, with wall hangings and things like that” said Sarah.
“They wanted to eat in a great, contemporary place that just happened to have good vegetarian food.
“That’s the vibe – and to this day, nothing goes on the menu unless it tastes great.
“I didn’t even know it was vegetarian when I walked in – this was back in the time when you could just turn up with your CV and get a job – it just looked like a cool little place.
“All the big production houses and music offices were there, so lots of people from those places would come and it was pretty cool to just pop in.”
An artist’s impression of how Mallow will look in Wood Wharf
As time has passed, Mildreds has expanded to five locations in the capital and in 2021 decided to try something new.
It opened Mallow in a fine red brick building right across the road from Southwark Cathedral, right on the edge of the hustle and bustle of Borough Market.
It’s this brand that is set to arrive in Canary Wharf this month – but what is it?
“When the original site in Southwark became available, we knew it had to be something special,” said Sarah.
“Borough Market is where all the fruit and veg for London would have been coming and the basement of the building we have has been used as the banana store for the whole city.
“With Mildreds we already had something plant-based and internationally inspired and with Mallow we were really trying to expand on the potential of its location and the nearby suppliers – to do that with as little waste as possible.
“We took the name because it’s a plant you can use from the root to the leaves. Marshmallows also get their name from it because when you cook down the root you get a gelatinous substance that, before gelatin, was used to set jellies and sweets.
Burnt Aubergine Muhammara Borek served with green tabbouleh, baba ganoush cream and ezme, £18 at Mallow
“That’s a tradition that had been lost and I think it’s great to bring back a seasonal ingredient like this.
“It’s a tweak we apply to everything – we try to use as much as possible of the produce we’re working with in the most interesting way we can.”
The plan with Mallow has always been to simply take seasonal produce and then create something fun and delicious with it, while also operating as close to zero waste as is practical.
Visitors to the forthcoming Wood Wharf venue can expect more of the same, with an expanded menu and the odd special event drawing inspiration from across the globe.
Working tirelessly alongside Sarah in that mission is fellow development chef Alessandra.
“Originally I wanted to be a doctor, but cooking has always been my passion,” she said. “I would always relax by cooking for myself.
“I was living in Pisa and looking for a job to make some money to get an apartment and that’s when I started in hospitality.
“It was everything I like – the food and the kitchen. I realised I didn’t want to live with my head in a book.
Alessandra came to London from Italy
“I had no experience so I worked my way up – learning from a Michelin-starred chef. In one hotel I worked my way up from cleaning fridges.
“I’d never really felt at home in Italy but I loved London – I’d always dreamed about moving here.
“My best friend shared that dream and so we did it.
“After a couple of years working in restaurants I joined Mildreds because I wanted to be vegan.
“The thing for Mallow’s menu is that we don’t just stick with something we already know, we always like to change it up and that can be quite a challenge.
“We like to go from country to country and pull things together.”
“We have quite a bit of fun with it,” added Sarah.
“We’re pretty irreverent – Mallow is much more fusion than Mildreds, more playful.
“For example we’ll be doing marinaded corn ribs cut through the centre so when you bite them they’re really juicy and flavourful.
“What we want is a good balance of international influences so there’s a nice flow of flavours from different places.
“There’s a nice sort of symmetry to the new site because the first restaurant is where much of the fruit and veg in London was sold.
“The docks would have been where it was coming into the city.
“As the first purely plant-based restaurant in Wood Wharf, we’re appropriate, because today Canary Wharf has a huge amount of people from all over the world working and living there and we try to cater for a very diverse range of tastes.
“Mallow in Wood Wharf will also feature some new dishes, an expanded wine list and some new cocktails. “
Mallow is located in Wood Wharf’s 12 Park Drive and is set to open at 8am on weekdays and at 9am on weekends.
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
Just what are those vast metallic arches that have sprung up on the flat patch of ground between Morgan Stanley and Societe Generale?
Well, the three-peaked structure is set to shelter Houman Ashrafzadeh’s latest dream.
The serial entrepreneur, together with two friends, already has a presence at 35 Bank Street, having launched new wave salad bar Urban Greens in September 2021.
This summer he’s set to do something completely different with the launch of Padium, a little further west on the estate.
“I grew up in Sweden and I’ve lived in London for nearly 16 years but, whenever I’d go back to visit, I’d see this new sport emerging,” he said.
“My brother and his friends played it and so I tried it and got completely hooked.”
That sport was padel tennis – popular across Europe and especially so in Houman’s old home town of Helsingborg with an unusually high number of courts for a place with a population a little over 100,000 people.
“When I discovered it, I felt it was something very different – so much fun, but with a social aspect,” he said.
“You have four players on a smaller court, a lot of banter going on, and it’s intense, because you’re in a more confined space than on a tennis court.
“It’s relatively easy to pick up – after two or three sessions you get the basics and you can have a decent game even with someone who is better than you.
Entrepreneur Houman Ashrazadeh is behind plans for Padium
“I was fascinated, because it was so much fun, and I went back to London, super-excited to play a game with my friends – but there was nowhere to buy Padel rackets, except online.
“Eventually I managed to convince a few friends to play and tried to book a court, but there were hardly any.
“Back then, there was one in Regent’s Park and one in Hyde Park, but they were outdoors – when it rains, you can’t really play.
“The frustration grew because I wanted to play in London. I played every time I went back to Sweden, but that was not frequently.
“I just couldn’t get over how strange it was that it hadn’t caught on in the UK. Squash was big, so why not padel?”
Initially Houman’s idea was to try to replicate the sorts of facilities he’d used in Sweden – unmanned courts in warehouses accessed by a code.
However, a dinner with Spotify co-founder Martin Lorentzon – an investor in Houman’s successful Coffydoor venture – took things up a notch.
Canary Wharf Group CEO Shobi Khan takes on Houman in an exhibition match to mark the official unveiling of Padium
“One of the topics that came up was padel tennis,” said Houman.
“Martin loves it and plays five or six times a week – it’s a passion for him and he’s very good at it.
“ I told him I was looking to start a Padel club in London as then there were none.
“At that time, Stockholm had hundreds of courts, but I only knew of two outdoor courts in the whole of London and he couldn’t believe it.
“So I showed him the Excel spreadsheet I’d been working on and he said he’d be interested in partnering up and investing.
“Having him on board gave me the ability to do something on a bigger scale than I’d been considering.
“My experience of Padel in the UK was that it was often very basic.
“It was embarrassing to bring friends from Sweden to these places, because the facilities were poor.
“Courts would not be maintained properly, with broken plaster on the walls and would often be too close to one another, so balls would be flying in from other games, or there would be no changing facilities or showers.”
An artist’s impression of how Padium will look
So Houman went back to the drawing board to create something he thought would be capable of “revolutionising” the game in the UK.
“I realised the club needed to be in a flagship location – a place that could attract a lot of people who had never played before,” he said.
“It should be an educator, to get a lot of people involved, including kids and schools so they too can enjoy this amazing game.
“I was told by some companies that I could just put up some courts and not spend much money because the demand was so high that they would be packed anyway.
“But I didn’t want to do that, I wanted to create an experience and an environment where you could build a community.
“I want young people involved, corporate clients and really good players too – the full 360-degrees like I was used to in Sweden.
“With Martin involved, I didn’t want to replicate any of the experiences I’d had in the UK, I wanted to raise the bar and have something much better to revolutionise the sport here.”
The facility will be home to seven indoor panoramic glass courts under a 10-metre high ceiling including a centre court.
There will also be an outdoor court, a pro shop and a nutritional drinks bar.
The store will stock clothing from tennis legend Björn Borg and a selection of rackets from Babolat.
It will also have changing and shower facilities with a towel service and a club lounge on a mezzanine floor where players can hang out before and after games.
“Right now I play at other clubs, but I have to devote half a day for one hour of padel, because I have to travel for an hour, play, return home to shower, then continue my day,” said Houman.
“That’s a lot of time to spend when the whole thing could just take 90 minutes.
“I want the emphasis to be on good service at Padium with my staff being really knowledgeable and friendly – to create an environment for everyone where it’s welcoming and everybody feels included.
“This goes back to my Swedish roots, where padel is open to everyone.
“We don’t have fancy clubs over there where you have to be a member and it takes you 20 years to get on the list. It’s possible to create a premium product and to have that inclusivity where all are welcome.”
The proposed lounge area on the structure’s mezzanine
Extensive work to strengthen the foundations under 10 Bank Street have been undertaken to support the concrete slab on which Padium will sit.
Located on the site of a mooted 32-storey office block, the club will bring fresh life to a patch of ground that had become a popular sun trap before the winds of Storm Eunice tore up its astroturf.
Open daily from 6am-11pm, courts will be bookable in advance for four players with slots of 60, 90 or 120 minutes available with no membership required to play.
“One of the seven indoor courts is a centre court, which will cost a bit more, but we’ll be incorporating court camera technology on that one, which reads the game and gives you statistics,” said Houman.
“One is a recording camera which records the game and the other is AI-based, to give you statistics about your game, which is really cool.
“This will help people who want to improve their game and so coaches can assess their performance.
“If it’s popular, then we’ll look at rolling it out to other courts too.
“For me, padel is the perfect combination of squash and tennis. It takes the best of both and combines them into one game.
“It’s easy to learn, but hard to master. Because the courts are smaller, the actual amount of time you spend playing is greater than tennis – rallies can often go on for minutes rather than being over quickly.
Padium will include a pro shop and nutritional drinks bar
“Also, tennis can be a lonely sport. With padel you play with four people, so it’s super social.
“You have a ranking, sign up and play with players of a similar level you don’t know, so it’s a great way to meet people.
“One of our responsibilities will be to help nurture the grass roots of this amazing sport.
“We want schools and people from the local community to come and discover the game because they will be the players of the future.
“We need players to convince councils and other organisations that it’s worth approving these facilities – that the investment will be worth it – so we can grow the sport.
“Ultimately the aim is for it to become an Olympic sport.
“There’s a federation and there are professional players making a living from the game now, which is great.
“The Lawn Tennis Association is also involved now and we’re looking forward to working with them too.”
As for Houman, Urban Greens remains a strong focus and, come the opening of Padium there will certainly be some crossover between the two brands.
“Padel and salad go well together and Urban Greens will certainly be catering for events we put on,” he said.
“We’ll also be offering companies corporate sponsorships for the courts where businesses can have their name and logo on the booking app and on the courts themselves, with playing time for their staff and whole-club takeover events.”
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
Recently opened in Crossrail Place between Flying Tiger and Island Poke, at first glance it’s not immediately clear what this new arrival is.
There’s a little box office structure as you go in that has a distinct Wes Anderson vibe – a shelter, perhaps for a concierge.
Then there are the glowing pink and yellow lights on the ceiling and the unmistakable sugary aroma of popcorn being made.
The sensory effect is that of walking into some kind of timeless future cinema that’s scrambled all of the best bits of going out to see a movie and come up with something highly refined, a little like the sweetener on the snacks.
But Platform isn’t a movie theatre or a place to physically beat on senior executives, it’s a place to play video games in comfort with snacks and drinks.
Platform offers semi-private gaming areas to duos or groups
“I place us somewhere between competitive socialising operators, who are doing things like ping pong and darts, and a traditional cinema,” said Tomaso Portunato, co-founder and CEO of Platform.
“When you go and see a movie you’re consuming content with friends – having food and drinks and it’s much the same here.
“We have popcorn, a bar and we serve pizzas.
“I’m originally from Geneva in Switzerland and I came here to study economics and politics about 10 years ago.
“Before starting Platform I was doing event management for game companies and helping student associations out, but I never really had a job after university.
“The idea was to start small and to make something out of it.
“We began as a pop-up – putting on events, selling tickets and generating funding for about a year.
“We had gaming sponsors from doing that and decided, with my co-founders Lucas Weintraub, Jo Highfield and my brother Nicolo, that if we could afford a commercial property, then we would go for it.
Booths can accommodate up to eight people
“When I was working in Old Street, I used to go to a pizzeria for lunch – count the customers and try to estimate how much they would spend.
“I was trying to build a business model.
“Then the pizzeria went bankrupt and we took it over for the first Platform.
“Shoreditch is now in a really good spot – we have a loyal customer base and we do a lot of gaming events there – but we were also testing the ground.
“It’s still our baby and it’s doing great, but the Canary Wharf branch is closer to our finished concept.
“Shoreditch was an opportunity to see what we could do with little capital and a vague understanding of what we were doing.
“We tried everything – racing simulators, retro gaming, console gaming and PC gaming.
“We learnt a lot about our operating model and the type of experience we wanted to be focusing on.
“That’s why Canary Wharf is based on next generation console gaming and how we create a really fun experience around that.
“It’s streamlined and it’s simpler to operate – you don’t have issues like customers changing the language and alphabet on a PC and then not changing it back.
“But most importantly, we also feel that console gaming offers the most social experience of the lot.
The Mario from Platform, complete with Mushroom Kingdom mushrooms
“It caters for the crowd who want to go out and enjoy themselves, to play, have some food and some cocktails.
“Plus operators like Nintendo have made it really fun even if you lose – and that’s important.
“We want to make sure anyone coming to Platform, whether they are an experienced gamer or not, has a really good time.
“That means we’re careful about the games we select and how we present what we’re doing.”
While the pink glow and sweet aromas of the bar are ground level temptations, the business end of Platform is subterranean.
“Customers follow pulsating neon arrows downstairs to a surprisingly spacious bar area beyond which are located a series of semi-private booths of varying sizes.
These come equipped with Nintendo Switch and Playstation 5 consoles, a handy neon light to attract staff and plentiful sofa space.
Booths at Platform are ideal for date night
“We have about 30 games to choose from including racing, and sports titles, with big names like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Call Of Duty and Fifa.
“But we also have cooperative games like Overcooked and Moving Out, which I think are great.
“If you’re out on date night, you might want to play more cooperatively rather than competitively.
“Our larger booths can accommodate up to eight people but we can easily arrange tournaments for our guests and take corporate bookings for up to 60.
“Most of our customers pre-book online, but people can just walk in too and we’ll do everything we can to accommodate them.
“Typically people book 90 minutes (£13.50 per person) and can always top that up if they would like to stay longer.
“After that, they are welcome to hang out in the bar, of course.
“We also offer packages such as £28pp for two cocktails and gaming or bottomless brunch for £35pp, which includes a pizza or nachos for each person and bottomless beer, Prosecco or Mimosas for 90 minutes.
“A lot of people want to get together to play games and the traditional way of doing that would be to meet at someone’s house on a Friday.
“Platform allows a larger group to meet with all the latest games in a comfortable environment.
“For some it will be a pit-stop when they’re out in London.
“But equally it could be a place to go with mates from work or on a date.
“For businesses it’s a way for colleagues to have fun and we can offer whole-venue booking for corporate customers with drinks, food and unlimited gaming.”
Following the success of the Shoreditch branch, Tomaso and the team were already looking at Canary Wharf as a place to open in 2019.
“I initially thought it was interesting because of the corporate scene,” he said.
“But since then Canary Wharf Group has done an amazing job of developing the area – picking the right operators to attract people.
“The deciding factor for us was the Elizabeth Line and the area is seeing massive footfall during the week and at weekends.”
Gaming at Platform starts at £5 for sessions off peak on Mondays.
A screenshot of the action in a typical Moving Out level
GAME REVIEW
>> Oh God. What’s going on? I just threw a chair through a window, my head is a toaster and it’s just fired two charred pieces of bread into the air.
Now a giant turtle is repeatedly slapping me. Worse still, I can barely move this fridge by myself…
These are just a few of the thoughts likely to run through your head as you and your friends take on Moving Out.
Published by Team17 and developed by some clearly very disturbed Swedes and Australians, this 2020 “cooperative moving simulation game” pits players against that timeless foe – moving day.
While the real-life process of relocating from one home to another is generally said to be amongst the most stressful things a person can do, playing Moving Out is curiously liberating.
Despite the oddness – you can play as a humanoid toaster, a unicorn or even a person – the simple act of frantically battling exaggerated physics against the clock to stuff a van with furniture and other ephemera is curiously relaxing.
True, you can be painstakingly careful (breakages are penalised to some extent) and go for a high score.
But the game doesn’t seem to mind too much if you decide that tossing a sofa through a plate glass window is a better way to expedite its journey to a new home.
There’s a cooperative element too. Heavier items must be carried with a pal and there’s an obvious temptation to invoke the sacred mantra of the Chuckle Brothers.
Failing that, keeping a selection of expletives handy is advised for the inevitable time your colleague is less than useful.
There are plentiful obstacles to contend with – rakes, ghosts, fires, a giant turtle – that serve to make the experience of play richer and more bizarre.
Fans of Overcooked (also on offer at Platform) will doubtless find this a silly, frantic blast with an unhealthy toaster obsession.
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
