It’s thought a crucial part of enticing Londoners and out-of-towners to the re-opened and re-developed Battersea Power Station will be its food offering. The vast shopping centre that resides within the landmark building already has an array of restaurants — most, like Leon or Itsu, hardly stirring sorts — but Joia is hoping to (quite literally) be the jewel in the crown — the name translates as “jewel” in Portuguese.
Part of the new art’otel, the 85-cover site will perch on the 15th floor of the property, giving uninterrupted views across much of the capital, while the interiors have been created by Russell Sage Studio and inspired by mid-century design. A hallmark seems to be the unobtrusive, soft-blushed colour palette.
Behind the food, meanwhile, is Henrique Sá Pessoa, one of Portugal’s most renowned and decorated chefs. Sá Pessoa is known in food circles as the chef patron of two-Michelin starred Alma in Lisbon, and here oversees a menu that takes a wider, Iberian stance on Portuguese and Spanish food.
The menu looks to incorporate Catalan methods and dishes, but using British produce across the board. The mushroom escabeche is an ideal example of this combination; a staunchly Iberian dish with British wild mushrooms at their centre. The salt cod esqueixada exemplifies the ethos also; a Catalonian classic that speaks to the British love of cod (see: the seaside).
Alongside the food, there will be a drinks offering on the 14th floor. The bar will be headed by Allessandro Mannello, late of The Delaunay, and similarly to the restaurant, the Joia cocktail menu treads a similar path with strong Spanish and Portuguese influences. There will be twelve signature cocktails, which they say take inspiration from precious stones of the Iberian region. One will be the Safira Rosa, made with Mezcal, rose petal water, grapefruit soda and elderflower.
The opening of the restaurant and hotel represents a landmark step in the overall regeneration plans of the Battersea Power Station, with more food, drink, retail and leisure venues slated to open in the coming six months and beyond; the biggest of these is expected to be the second Arcade Food Hall.
