What’s New

Dog & Groom

Dog & Groom is a new grooming salon and boutique that has just opened on Wandsworth Bridge Road. Fulham is their second site after the first location opened 3 years ago South of the river on Bellevue Road. We spoke to owner Anna Ochendzan on the day they officially opened, we talked about the run up to opening their doors, why Fulham and how their business has been received by locals. Sounds like so far so good, as they already have two weeks of bookings in the diary.

“I didn’t plan to open a second location so quickly but we found the property which we loved as well as the Fulham area. Of course we know there are lots of dogs locally and it’s great being so close to South Park and not too far from our other site, I didn’t want to be on a different side of the city, as I cycle everywhere. We wanted somewhere not too far away”. Anna told Urban Village LDN that what Dog & Groom offer is slightly different to other salons. They have one to one grooming in one room from beginning to end which is in keeping with their holistic ethos to create a calm and relaxed environment for everyone; especially the dog and the groomer. There are no holding pens and no cage dryers. Dog & Groom offer a variety of grooming services, from a simple bath and tidy up, to hand stripping and show grooming. Anna said the reception has been great “everyone seems to like what we’re doing and we’ve enjoyed meeting our first local customers”.

Anna has over 8 years experience and has worked is some of London's best known salons. Always curious we had to ask Anna how she got into this line of work. It was by chance as she came to London from Poland to study fashion at Central St Martin’s. “I loved clothes and fashion but not the industry so I thought I’d make dogs pretty instead!”. The shop also looks fantastic with a fabulous colour scheme, shelving units and art pieces. “We used an interior designer and we’re really happy with the end result and it seems like our customers are too”. Follow them on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/dogandgroom or hit the link below to find out more.

Lillie Langtry reopens

Did you know that The Lillie Langtry at 19 Lillie Road is Fulham’s oldest surviving 19th century pub? To be honest neither did we! It was built in 1835 and originally named the Lillie Arms after its owner, Sir John Scott Lillie. It’s present name was given to it in 1979 after the actress and courtesan Lillie Langtry, who in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, allegedly had numerous affairs with noblemen including Bertie, Prince of Wales; who visited the nearby Earl's Court Exhibition grounds on many occasions.

Anyway enough of history and back to the present day. The Lillie Langtry is now part of the Stonegate Group and after an extensive refurb will re open to the public on 5 Dec. We spoke to Sarah Meadows; who continues post refurb to manage the venue. We didn’t get hold of Sarah at the best of times as she was overseeing the delivery of a massive spirits order so we left her to it and rescheduled our call. When we spoke to Sarah she told Urban Village LDN what locals can expect. “We’re now part of a collection of small premium pubs owned by the group which means everything from service to food is now a premium offer. All our food is prepared in house and made from scratch using local produce and our meat is from butchers Aubrey Allen who supply the Royal Family. We’ll have all the classics from burgers to fish and chips, with our Winter menu featuring hearty dishes including home made pies, sea bream risotto and they’ll be a sharing roast board for all the family. We’ve also got a great cocktail list and will be serving our own infused house gins”.

We haven’t been in to check out the refurb yet because the doors weren’t offically open when we went to press but Sarah told Urban Village LDN that the interiors are “beautiful, an elevated take on a classic bar, with dark wood, chandeliers, sky lights and a greenery feature. The overall feel is very warm and we have a terrace at the front and back. We will also have live music and we’ve got a 100 person capacity function room”. Their opening party takes place on 8 Dec and you can sign up to their guest list to see if you’re the lucky recipient of an invite; offered on a first come first served basis. Head to their website on the link below to sign up and find out more.

Tale’ Ka’

Tale’ Ka’ is a new Sicilian Bistro, located at 606 Fulham Road, which opened last month and they are billing themselves as offering all day dining with a twist. We’re liking the sound of their “Aperidinner”, a cocktail or a glass of prosecco with the chef’s sharing platter which is available everyday from 5 - 9.30pm and sounds right up our street! Their “In & Out” (Malfy Blood Orange Gin, Vermouth and Campari) is ticking all the right boxes too.

Tale’ Ka’ procure the freshest products from Sicily and they want the food they offer and the atmosphere of their restaurant to remind their customers of Sicily and introduce them to their culture. On the menu we see there’s a great selection of Arancina, another Urban Village LDN HQ fave, classic pasta dishes including cannelloni, lasagne as well as other options from fresh mussels and clams to veal loin. They also have a range of freshly baked buns for sale including savoury brioches and Pizzettina, cakes including tiramisu, pistachio doughnuts and of course you can’t go wrong with a bit of Panatone at this time of year. We’re definitely going to have go in to also have a try of their pistachio cappuccino as we are massive pistachio fans too!

Head to their website on the link below to make a booking / find out more or give them a follow on Instagram https://instagram.com/tale_ka_bistro