A new atmosphere brings The Yard back into play. #Blog

Victoria Hayes
10th July 2020

To run a truly great venue you need to understand that its not just about excellent food and wonderful drinks. It’s also about atmosphere.

Ambience is where a venue lives or dies.  In these Covid secure times, atmosphere is not easy. To achieve it, you need a specialist.

In steps Mr Kingdom Thenga of Suburbs fame. ‘Let me show you how it is done’ he says.

As an official Covid hermit, it takes a fair amount to drag me from the comfort and safety of my own home, but an invitation to check out THE YARD, a place which has long been a favourite of mine, with the addition of Mr Thenga at the helm, is not one I am willing to pass up.

The allure of The Yard has long been down to the head chef Carl Noller who remains firmly in charge in the kitchen, an excellent decision as his Italian food is nothing short of wonderful, but the Thenga touch to the venue itself is immediately obvious.

The staff are immaculate, stylish but most importantly, knowledgeable well trained hospitality professionals who really understand what they are presenting and are proud of it.

The venue has been transformed with no less than vintage Vespas above the bar, a sense of style and whimsy which is not often found combined with an understanding of their customer. I particularly enjoy the vintage Fernet Branca poster which remind me of late nights in The Suburbs and being persuaded of its possible herbal medicinal properties (all evidence to the contrary).

Dinner was delicious. A set menu with three options for starter and three for main, and I will confess myself initially a little stymied by the fact I could happily have eaten all three options for both courses. (not all at once I mean to say, yes, lockdown has expanded my waistline but I am always a quality over quantity gal).

I chose the goats cheese, wrapped in a parmesan crisp, paired with heirloom tomatoes. Two of my favourite things I might add, which were perfectly executed and I thoroughly recommend pairing them with the Pinot Grigio we enjoyed, Those tomatoes did something magical to that wine which we totally loved.

For mains, the chicken for me…and chicken so perfectly done….crispy skin, but moist and tender meat in a lemon herb butter sauce which I genuinely would have licked off the plate had it not been terribly unladylike to do so. The sautéed potatoes which came with were perfect, with the salty touch you want without losing the divine flavour of everything else.

The staff occasionally asking if everything was ok and was there anything else I needed were usually greeted with my “mmmmmmm” face and topped my wine up without comment. The service was excellent.

For Briony, to start the Pea and Broad bean Soup with pesto and pine nuts, this soup was packed full of flavour and lovely and light dish perfect for the summer, you could taste every ingredient in the soup but the balance of flavours together was spot on.

and for mains, Briony snagged The Sea Bream with fennel and those spectacular heirloom tomatoes. I am so glad my chicken was so good as otherwise I would certainly have had food envy. The crispy skin of the fish was perfection and cooked beautifully, and the flavour in the tomatoes made the ideal side. Such a simple concept, but done so well.

After dinner we retired  downstairs….we had no idea what to expect and even if we had guessed we would have been pleasantly surprised. Welcome to a real speakeasy, 1920s music, divine cocktails designed by Guy and Emma and once again that all important atmosphere. 

Yes we could have finished dinner and we could have been back home by 8pm, but a place that draws you in and transports you to a happy place, a little magic along the way, until you stumble home content at midnight is a winner.

It comes with all the touches you would expect from the urbane owner of The Suburbs. Staff passionate about cocktails and confident and engaged enough to  sit down with you and discuss their home made earl grey syrup or their love of a particular gin.

All the cocktails were perfectly balanced, from the classic Mai Tai and White Lady, to the newly created cocktails, all expertly and precisely garnished.

I was enraptured by a combination of spiced rum and banana – HEATED, which felt so superbly decadent.

Ladies toilets stocked with hairspray, deodorant and other lady necessities, is just another touch from a team that truly understands “hospitality”.

This is an experience not to be missed, and highly recommend you give the New Yard a try.