London & South East Premier Hospitality

Monkey Nuts

Monkey Nuts, Whetstone, London
Written by Roma Publications

Monkey Nuts, Whetstone, London

Monkey Nuts have unveiled their second venue in London’s Whetstone area offering diners a selection of mouth-watering burgers, steaks and salads to enjoy in the chic dining destination.

Premier Hospitality caught up with Dale Atkinson, Director of Rosendale Design who acted as the project interior designers, to find out more. He commented:
“We became involved with the brand after being recommended to the clients for another project. As they liked what we did on the other scheme they asked us to be a part of the Whetstone Monkey Nuts project.

“We didn’t want residents in the area to come into the venue and think they recognised the space from before, when it used to be The Rotisserie. We were keen to maximise the visual impact of the space whilst ensuring the families in the area had a new all day dining, family orientated restaurant to go to.

“We haven’t done anything structural with the space and so the project was mainly about giving the building a new lease of life.”

Working alongside main contractors Interiors UK, Dale and his team retained a number of the buildings original features, whilst trying to revamp the existing structure. The exposed bricks on the venue’s back wall were retained and whitewashed to give a new feel to the space and give a neutral backdrop to the various framed feature posters.

The ground floor comprises the front of house facilities and the back of house and staff facilities are tucked neatly away in the buildings basement. The building’s façade has been revamped from its former drab dark brown and cream colour, with black awnings to a colourful, vibrant frontage.

Monkey Nuts, Whetstone, London

The façade now has energy; reflective of what is happening inside, having been finished with glazed tiling and cladded with a silvered pine. Sash windows have also been installed on the frontage of the building to create a stronger connection between those on the street and diners inside. Previously there was no visual connection as the windows had vinyl stopping the passer-by from seeing in.

Inside Monkey Nuts, large music posters with vibrant colours have also been dotted throughout the venue the space, and have been chosen specifically to give the venue a brand identity.

Beautiful turned glass, jet green glass shades act as a feature piece in the space. The shades have been situated in front of the silver spray panelling and so add a sense of vibrancy to the interior design.

The back of house, staff facilities located in the basement have also been refreshed with a lick of paint.

Dale explained that the team encountered a number of challenges during the project, he added:

“We needed to achieve maximum impact whilst being budget conscious so we had to be smart how we were treating different materials. We managed to re-clad 75% of the walls inside and kept the original floor, giving it a new look by sanding and re-staining it.

“With this venue we wanted to create the Crounch End venue’s bigger brother by making it more refined and open to a wider demographic.

“Working at Monkey Nuts has been a great experience; it is a family restaurant and it is also run by a family so the brand is not trying to be something that it is not. We like that the owners are practising what they preach and are not a faceless brand.”

HO-4-5-F1011 Monkey Nuts 3

Monkey Nuts boasts a number of menus to suit the entire dining public including the Breakfast, Brunch, Kids, Full and Go Nuts special offer menus.

Diners can choose from a range of mouth-watering dishes including Buttermilk Chicken Kiev Schnitzel with Mash, California Fish Tacos and Farmers Market Burrito, as well as from a number of chunky burgers such as Gone Fishing, The Schnitz and The Greenbird.

For those with a sweet tooth Monkey Nuts menu offers up a number of tasty treats to enjoy including the Big Bad Monkey Sundae, Berry & Apple Crumble and the saliva inducing Homemade Chocolate Brownie.

For more information please go to: www.monkeynuts.biz.

 

 

 

Chantelle Lighting

 

Chantelle Lighting designs and manufactures an extensive range of bespoke lighting pieces for a multitude of designers and architects. The firm have been in operation for 26 years and are very proud to boast a team of highly skilled, artisan craftsmen and women in our team, all of whom use their expertise to create jaw-dropping lighting.

The firm’s products can be found in hotels, bars, restaurants, large retail outlets and homes throughout the country and beyond. Chantelle Lighting has completed work for some of largest hospitality brands in the UK, including Wetherspoons, Nando’s, Hilton Hotels and Bem Brasil.

They have established relationships with a wide range of designers and architects, and are skilled at interpreting their sketches and turning them into a reality. Managing Director Anthony Holly commented:

“We are not afraid to try something new and innovative, even designing and manufacturing a bespoke chandelier made from golf clubs for The Belfry golf club.

“We like to get involved from the very beginning of projects and customers return to us time and time again because they know that we are not afraid to bring our own views and ideas to the table; lighting is our speciality so we know what works well.”

The Chantelle Lighting team are well placed to advise designers on which materials, colours and fittings will work for individual projects. Most recently the firm have worked closely with the Monkey Nuts design team to inject different shades and palettes into separate areas of the site, creating different atmospheres throughout the bar, central seating area and restaurant.

By combining different light fittings in complementary colour schemes, the team were able to help the designer achieve their aims.

For more information visit www.chantellelighting.co.uk or alternatively call 01282 877877. For email queries: Kelli.Keenan@chantellelighting.co.uk.

 

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Roma Publications