The Gojk serves up European fusion style in West London
Parsley in Time helps shape identity of new restaurant and lounge
After scoping out the landscape around the Old Brompton Road, Simeon Gojkovic decided he wanted to open an establishment with a little more sparkle and customer choice. So he set up the Gojk restaurant and lounge, a 64-cover premises that dishes out exciting European fusion food in its main eating space and serves up a plentiful array of cocktails and drinks in a downstairs lounge bar. The Gojk also offers something of a rare treat for a Kensington eatery: it has an outside garden terrace. It’s been beautifully landscaped and gives the restaurant and the lounge, which both have access to it, a very open feel. In good weather it provides seating for an extra 16 covers.
When it came to tableware and glassware, the Gojk team wanted a touch of ‘wow’ factor to bring their culinary and cocktail concepts alive. So they teamed up with Parsley in Time, a supplier with a reputation for sourcing ‘point of difference’ tableware, cutlery and glassware.
“The Gojk thrives on seasonal produce and seasonal dishes which we change often,” says Adrian Pardavila, head chef. “Our menu is open, so customers don’t have to follow the classical structure of starters, mains and desserts. They can have something a bit different in a different environment. For example, it could be a cocktail with tapas-sized bites.
“Our dishes are very colourful and we wanted our tableware to be a canvas for them,” he says. “This is where the theatre happens, on the table, so we chose soft natural colours with different textures – texture is something that you don’t see very often on a dish itself. The tableware creates the perfect scene for colourful ingredients and helps us to enhance the food that we present.”
The Gojk team wanted to make every item on the menu shine, which is why they asked for advice from Parsley in Time. “The company is one of our key suppliers” says Adrian. “They have been involved from the conception of the business. They have been fantastic in advising us on the range of products we needed. We see them as a professional partner.”
Parsley in Time offers a huge range of different products. The company helped Gojk research the plethora of options available and create the identity and ethos that they wanted in-house. “They were very patient with us – we’re not an easy customer!” Says Adrian.
The stand-out tableware includes plates and platters from Churchill’s heritage-inspired Raku range. This stunning collection is constructed from vitrified china and combines a superior eco glaze finish, making it resistant to stains and metal marking, with a delicate speckled colourway.
“The Raku range fits in perfectly with the ethos and image of the Gojk. It’s one of the most elegant collections out there at the moment, and will bring the restaurant’s dishes to life,” says Parsley in Time’s marketing manager Rob Blunderfield.
The quality of drinks, and the way they are presented, is as important as the food at Gojk. “This makes the glassware so important to us; not only to compliment the design side of things but also to enhance the enjoyment of the drink itself,” says Simeon, who, as well as being the owner, runs the bar and lounge area. “For our wine glasses we went for a Nude range. It has a beautiful angular shape, the glass is very thin, it really allows for a good enjoyment of the wine. It’s also practical, being durable and dishwash safe.”
The Nude Climats range that the Gojk selected is a versatile collection of glassware. Its shape really shows off a red, white or even something sparkling, with the bowl allowing the flavours and aromas to fully develop and breathe.
“The team at the Gojk have made bold choices,” says Rob. “We were very aware of the impact they are aiming for, and tried to help them create the identity. They paid meticulous attention to detail. For example, Simeon wanted to get cocktail glasses he’d used in a bar about eight years ago, and asked us to find them. It took a lot of work as they’re not available in the UK, but we sourced them from Italy in the end, and thankfully he was delighted.”
For more on the Gojk restaurant and lounge visit www.thegojk.co.uk