Salt Yard Group co-founder to open Portuguese restaurant

Volta do Mar, which loosely translates as ‘return from the sea’, will focus on the regional cuisine of Portugal ‘from classic staples to dishes born of the country’s trading past and culinary interactions’.

Former Sexy Fish and The Fat Duck chef George Tannock will oversee the kitchen, working with Mullins and Da Silva to create a menu that explores the influences from countries including Angola, Goa and Brazil that have helped inform Portugal’s cuisine.

A frequently changing menu of both sharing and large plates will include dishes such as a traditional bean-based stew with smoked ham hock, a Macanese seafood rice served tableside from a cataplana; and a Goan dish of smoked chorizo served in a naan.

Volta do Mar will also operate as a traditional Portuguese pastelaria, with an inhouse baker making pastel de nata; bola de berlim doughnuts; and pão bread.

The restaurant will feature a wood-panelled dining room on the first floor that’s been designed ‘with an eccentric merchant’s house in mind’ by Mullins and Da Silva. There will also be a ground floor bar, and a private dining space.

Mullins co-founded charcuterie bar and restaurant Salt Yard on Goodge Street in 2005. He went on to open six further restaurants with the group, but left the business in 2017.