As you have probably heard there's a naked pop-up restaurant in Elephant and Castle now, don't pretend you're not intrigued... we dipped our toe in for dinner at the weekend and here's what we made of it. Did we disrobe? Squaremeal doesn't strip and tell...
With a reported waiting list of 39,000 by May 2016, The Bunyadi, aka ‘that naked restaurant’ has successfully tapped into London’s surging demand for entertainment dining. This latest pop-up from Lollipop (founded by Sebastian Lyall) is hidden inside a seemingly boarded-up pub on a suburban corner of Elephant and Castle and comprises an entrance bar plus a gloomy rabbit-warren of a dining area, divided into dens with bamboo screens and curtains.
Guests change into white bathrobes and hotel-style slippers (included in the price), which you’re free to remove once seated for your meal. Waiting staff are topless. Alongside that scandalous hook, the restaurant also possesses an ethos: purity. All eating accoutrements are made from natural materials (clay goblets and cutlery fashioned from wooden spikes), lighting is from candles, and the five-course set menu has an all-vegan option.
Earthy and well-meaning dishes include the likes of sun-dried tomato-stuffed raw courgette flowers with cauliflower couscous and seaweed flakes, or a starter of pickled apple slices with a whole radish and salted cucumber – all beautifully presented and enthusiastically described. However, a combination of terrible lighting, irritating cutlery (the handle of an edible spoon snapped instantly) and meek flavours and textures rendered much of our meal forgettable. On the other hand, a coconut and chia mousse dessert was sweet, smooth and singing with natural goodness, and we also enjoyed the sliced citrus fruits served with salty dipping sauces.
Given its throbbing waiting list, The Bunyadi is already a success – but we hope the badly organised changing-room system is overhauled. Also, the tree-stump chairs need padding: five courses and no clothes is a long time to sit on a block of wood. If you’re not a naturist or a thrill-seeker, you probably won’t enjoy much here. Luckily for Lollipop, London has plenty of the latter.
This article was published 14 June 2016