There’s a new dining experience coming to London and it’s all about mental wellbeing.
The pop-up, dubbed The Good Plates, will be open in Shoreditch (where else, really?) at the end of January for two days, and has been designed with the aim to improve Londoners’ mental health.
When people choose a restaurant, they don’t just go for the food – the environment is almost equally important. Everything from the interior, the food, the tableware, the lighting, the music and the seating layout at the pop-up has been thought-out with this in mind.
First, let’s talk about the food.
Adjusting your diet could improve mental health problems, according to research and the pop-up offers a menu boasting mood-enhancing ingredients, such as salmon, blueberries, wild mushrooms, as well as unique flavours including seaweed butter, black beluga lentils, black truffle and sunflower seed purée.
Other goodies known to boost your brain activity are cauliflower, salsify and almonds, which contain components that can reduce anxiety and stress.
The menu was created by chef and mental health ambassador Andrew Clarke and nutritional therapist Ian Marber, who have put together six dishes in total, available at £10 including three non-alcoholic drinks.
As for the space, don’t be surprised if you make new friends.
To combat loneliness and encourage diners to talk to each other, the pop-up features communal seating, and there will also be conversation-starters provided for those who feel shy about striking up chats with strangers.
And forget about having to put up with rude staff – the servers have been trained to make you feel as relaxed and happy as possible.
The event is also for a good cause; all money from bookings will go to the UK mental health charity, Mind.
‘The Good Plates restaurant is not an attempt to be a cure or quick-fix for mental health difficulties, but instead simply be a warm and welcoming place where people can learn in an interactive way how certain foods, surroundings and conversations can complement positive mental wellbeing when they form part of everyday life,’ said a spokesperson for David Lloyds Group, the company behind the pop-up.
‘Inside, the aim is to give guests a positive experience and hopefully they will feel that they have benefitted in some small way from their time at the restaurant.
‘But we also hope guests leave having taken on board some of the thinking behind The Good Plates and introduce this into their day-to-day lives.’
Need to destress? Here’s your chance.
The Good Plates brain-boosting menu
- Wood roasted monkfish, chickpeas and walnut gremolata
- Chargrilled venison, spent coffee, blueberries, roast salsify, trompette mushrooms and mint
- Cauliflower, almond miso, black beluga lentils and curry butter
- Halibut tranche, seaweed butter, winter tomatoes and white beans
- Wild mushroom and kale toban, sprouting broccoli, sunflower seed puree, poached egg and black truffle
- Roast salmon, herb labneh, poached cucumber, beach herbs and salmon roe
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/10/london-getting-pop-restaurant-specially-designed-improve-mental-wellbeing-12035720/
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