The top line: This modern Georgian restaurant and natural wine bar has taken over the 10 Heddon Street site in Mayfair that has been home to a roster of pop-ups and concepts over the past few years, including Manteca, Fallow, Sarap, and Magpie, in a move that will hopefully be more permanent. DakaDaka marks the London debut of Berkeley Square Hospitality, a new venture from hospitality duo Giorgi Mindiashvili and Mitz Vora, who first collaborated at Ennismore, where they led the development of The Hoxton hotels before going on to launch projects across the UK, Europe, and Georgia.
The food: Vora, whose CV also includes The Palomar and Foley’s, and head chef Adrian Hernandez Farina, formerly of London restaurants Canal, Humo, and Chiltern Firehouse, have put together a menu that represents Georgian traditions but which uses British ingredients - in particular cheese - where possible. Central to the offer is an open fire charcoal grill and wood-fired hearth on which a range of classic Georgian dishes are cooked, including stuffed flatbreads and skewers. A range of saziaro (snacks) kick off the meal, such as soko - crispy oyster mushrooms with tarragon aioli and burnt onion - and abkhazura - Iberico pork sausage with barberries, blue fenugreek and sour plum - followed by a selection of small plates that include lobio - a kidney bean hummus with ajika chilli crisp and pumpkin seeds, and khinkali - Georgia’s famous hand-folded soup dumplings. Key to the offer are DakaDaka’s stuffed flatbreads, filled with beet chard, fennel and cheddar, or Iberico pork and Svaneti salt; and shampuri (skewers), that include oyster mushrooms, coriander seeds, red ajika and white soy; and Black Spot pork, pickled walnuts, roasted onion and sumac. Larger plates, meanwhile, include beef short rib stew; and garlic roast chicken in a confit garlic sauce; as well a dishes such as a Whole John Dory with sumac molasses and thyme from its specials board. For dessert, the striking red wine soft serve made with Saperavi grapes and drizzled with olive oil - a nod to the street food of Tbilisi - is a must order alongside the Napoleon, Georgia’s take on the French mille-feuille with dulce de leche cream and Rkatsiteli caramel.
To drink: On the drinks front, renowned sommelier Honey Spencer leads the wine programme with a 100-bottle selection that celebrates Georgia’s winemaking heritage and which has a focus on natural wines, while the cocktail list comes courtesy of Jack Porter, formerly of Gothic Bar, whose menu includes recipes made with a housemade chacha (known as Georgian grappa) such as the Pomegranate Negroni, Seabuckthorn Sour, and Plum Margarita.
The vibe: DakaDaka’s neutral washed walls, patterned textured seating, and a Persian marble bar at which diners can watch the chefs in action all work to create a space with a rustic Georgian aesthetic that feels less polished than some of is neighbours - Fonda and Ambassadors Clubhouse in particular - but no less inviting. Downstairs, meanwhile, is a cocktail bar, private dining room, and event space with a now de rigueur state-of-the-art vinyl sound system.
And another thing: DakaDaka takes its name from the repetitive sound of action and the buzz created by the loud chatter, laughter, music and open-fire cooking of a restaurant blending into one sound.
10 Heddon Street, London, W1B 4BX