SW16 Bar & Kitchen Puts English Wine in the Spotlight This English Wine Week

Streatham Hill's favourite neighbourhood restaurant, SW16 Bar & Kitchen, is making some waves this English Wine Week with a bold celebration of British vineyards and seasonal British produce, showcasing how a local restaurant can redefine destination dining.

Once a modest bar on Streatham Hill, SW16 has evolved into one of South London's most exciting culinary spots. 

Led by 25-year-old hospitality rising star Tom Small, the restaurant has built a well-deserved reputation for heartfelt service, sustainability, and honest, flavour driven food that speaks for itself.

Now, with a bespoke tasting menu and curated wine pairings featuring standout producers such as Hundred Hills, Whitewolfe Estate, and Davenport Vineyards, SW16 is bringing English wine to the forefront of the local dining scene.

“We've gone from barely stocking English wines to proudly serving Welsh orange wine and Cornish Pinot Noir,” Small told That's Food and Drink.

“What's exciting now is the story behind each bottle, family businesses, biodynamic pioneers, vineyards thriving thanks to climate change. This is wine worth that's well worth discovering.”

Guests can enjoy a special two or three course tasting menu created by Head Chef Teddy Karkut, paired with Tom's handpicked selection of English wines. The menu, which includes standout dishes including scallop ceviche and british rump steak, captures the essence of SW16's ethos: seasonal, Quality ingredients and always local.

SW16 has recently gained acclaim for its monthly Italian Supper Club:

“SW16 is already a beloved local spot, but this supper club made it feel like a destination.”

“The Supper Club, Offers locals another reason to fall in love with this restaurant”

“SW16 is a dining spot hidden gem”  

This same energy is being poured into English Wine Week, a showcase not just of great bottles, but of a restaurant pushing boundaries in local dining. 

With intelligent, thoughtful pairings, a focus on independent producers, and a commitment to genuine hospitality, SW16 is proving that you don't have to leave your postcode for a world class food and wine experience.

Tom Small is available share his expertise and comment on:

English Red - Is it worth it?

How English farmers are selling livestock and planting vines. Climate change and how it's already begun to change our agriculture.

English wine, is it genuinely accessible for the restaurant trade?

The English obsession with wine. Why do we have more Masters of Wine than anywhere else in the world?

Wine influencers, and why they're important for the new generation of wine rookies, geeks and fledgling sommeliers. 

https://sw16barandkitchen.com

New Chocolate Cake from Bonne Maman

Leading specialist French treats brand Bonne Maman has caused ripples of excitement amongst their many UK fans, by announcing the launch of an utterly delicious new Chocolate Cake to its UK range of delectable goodies.

Simply made with in excess of 20% cocoa, and best quality butter, eggs and flour, these fantastically chocolatey new Chocolate Cakes are an absolutely gorgeous little treat to enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee, or a drink of chocolate, at any time of the day. 

And why not consider it to be the perfectly heavenly dessert, topping it off with cream, crème fraîche or ice cream and some fresh berries, too?

Individually wrapped to preserve the flavour and lovely softness, Bonne Maman Chocolate Cake comes in packs of seven, available at first at Waitrose stores or online from Ocado at a suggested price of £3.00.

Transforming Restaurants: KAIKAKU’s Robots to Augment Human Capabilities

The three founders

The Gen-AI craze has largely overshadowed the revolutions bringing AI to the physical world. Robotics. 

A 22-year-old serial entrepreneur is embracing both AI and Robotics to revolutionise the way we consume food and has assembled an A-list team of respected innovators and “do-ers”.

The core philosophy of KAIKAKU centres around augmenting human capabilities by automating the repetitive chores and manual tasks native to the restaurant sector, which has long been riddled by chronic staff shortages and low job satisfaction. Unleashing the potential of robotics and AI, they aim to empower hospitality staff to embrace creativity and innovation, making the industry more dynamic and more engaging than ever before.

At its helm is CEO Josef Chen, who is a serial tech and food entrepreneur who at just 17 years old founded his first successful venture, which achieved a successful exit in just two years. 

Chen grew up in a Chinese Restaurant family helping with chores like slicing up cabbage at the age of 7. He said: “Having experienced all the problems first-hand and seeing my parents struggles to find staff, I've given thought to finding ways to radically change the industry.”

KAIKAKU, derived from the Japanese term for “radical change”, was founded in April 2023 by a stellar team with a mixture of F&B and technical expertise.

“I endeavoured to assemble the best team in Europe that can build everything at breakneck speed, and I believe we’re off to an amazing start!”opined Chen.

Co-Founder and CTOis  Dr David Sharp, who has a remarkable track record of delivering breakthrough innovations as former Head of Ocado Technologies 10x and Head of Engineering of Ocado’s Autonomous Mobility Team, joined the mission after researching commercial food and beverage  Technologies. 

Sharp said: “There's an exciting opportunity to apply the latest automation, robotics and AI technologies to transform the customer proposition and operational economics for the quick service restaurant sector."

Another notable addition to the team is Piers Millar, who Chen convinced to drop out of his studies at the London School of Economics to join as Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer. 

Bringing hands-on experience as the UK’s youngest Crew Trainer at McDonald's and having helped Chen scale a dark kitchen dessert brand to 6 figure revenues within 3 months of inception, Millar confidently pre: “By 2030, will robotics be a common sight at restaurants and cafes? I have no doubt!”

Chen went on to say: “To achieve our hyper-ambitious goals, we needed expertise on scaling the world’s largest locations of F&B chains, creating delicious food consistently at massive scale and the details on creating and opening new food and beverage concepts from ground Zero.”

He added: "So we went out and found the world’s leading experts in their fields to join our advisory board!”

Featuring industry veterans including Don Fertman, former Chief Development Officer of Subway, David Crean, former Global Chief Science Officer at Mars Inc and Jonathan Hart, former MD of Café Nero and CEO of Thorntons.

Automation and robotics aren’t distant dreams for the food and beverage industry; they’re today’s reality. 

Leading restaurant chains worldwide are embracing technology to streamline their operations and elevate customer experiences, emphasising the immense potential KAIKAKU is poised to harness.

Readers can learn more by visiting their website:- https://kaikaku.ai

(EDITOR: What do you think of AI and robotics being used in the food industry in an increasing fashion? Is it a good or a bad development?

Is it going back to the old days of the automated robo-diners of the 1950s? They were called Automats and you'll find details of the rise and fall of Automats here:- https://www.thoughtco.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-automat-4152992)