Victoria’s huge Nova development is nearing the end of construction and inside, there will be 17 new restaurants. Yup, seventeen. Restaurant group D&D London has secured a whopper of a space, a ‘Nordic French’ café/wine bar, restaurant and cocktail bar called Aster, opening on 25 January.
Words: Neil Simpson
Aster will be spread over two floors, with a ground-floor café becoming a wine bar by night, while above will be the split-level restaurant and cocktail bar. Executive chef Helena Puolakka (below) hails from Finland and is promising to combine a “Nordic no-nonsense approach to flavour with exquisite French technique.” Puolakka worked for D&D London as executive chef at Skylon for six years until 2013, so Aster is the chef’s opportunity to draw on her heritage and personality to create an unusual menu.
![Aster London restaurant chef Helena Puolakka](https://cdn.squaremeal.co.uk/articles/restaurants/news/helena-puolakka-2016-web-to-use.jpg)
Puolakka’s upbringing shapes her uncomplicated, homemade-style cooking. Diners can expect her French culinary training and love of Southern France to inform the food too, resulting in the likes of juniper-smoked turbot with tender leeks and butter sauce, or beef meatballs à la Lindström (a Swedish dish of meatballs studded with chopped beetroot). Significant veggie and vegan options are also promised, as well as a tasting menu of fish roes, blinis and matching vodkas and aquavits (yes please).
![Aster London restaurant](https://cdn.squaremeal.co.uk/articles/restaurants/news/aster2016food2webfish.jpg)
Downstairs in the café and deli, you can expect a selection including fish roe with pickled herring and wild berries, alongside cinnamon buns and open sandwiches of house-cured Var salmon on rye bread.
![Aster London restaurant](https://cdn.squaremeal.co.uk/articles/restaurants/news/aster2016food1toast.jpg)
![Aster London restaurant](https://cdn.squaremeal.co.uk/articles/restaurants/news/aster2016food4webmeat.jpg)
Helena’s take on Aster is that it will reflect “the craftsmanship, the presence of handmade food and local produce that has always been a key part of Nordic daily life.”
![Aster London restaurant](https://cdn.squaremeal.co.uk/articles/restaurants/news/aster2016food3fish2.jpg)
Nova itself will have a mind-boggling amount of eating options, including an Italian from Jason Atherton, Will Ricker’s new American BBQ project The Stoke House, ETM Group’s Greenwood and the 150-cover Rail House Café from Riding House Café co-founder Adam White. There’s also (deep breath) Sticks ‘n’ Sushi, Franco Manca, Jamie Oliver’s second Barbecoa, Bone Daddies and Timmy Green.
D&D London was founded by Des Gunewardena and David Loewi 10 years ago this autumn and it’s still growing: two more London projects for 2017 are soon to be unveiled, as well as a rooftop project in Manchester’s Spinningfields district and another in Leeds. D&D is also investigating Amsterdam, Dubai and Lisbon. Over the past 10 years, the group has served enough flutes of Champagne to fill two swimming pools – we’ll drink to that.
This time last year, D&D London launched its King’s Cross restaurant German Gymnasium and we were there to film it: watch our SquareReel at German Gymnasium video here.
To find out more about Nova Victoria, visit CreateVictoria.com.
This article was published 3 November 2016