New Indian-Italian wine bar and restaurant to open tomorrow on Broad Street

By Oliver Monk 3rd May 2024

Brian Mathias, owner of Teddington’s latest wine bar and restaurant Primitivo Club and industry veteran of 11 years is ‘hoping for the best’ in the run up to opening day (Photo: Oliver Monk)
Brian Mathias, owner of Teddington’s latest wine bar and restaurant Primitivo Club and industry veteran of 11 years is ‘hoping for the best’ in the run up to opening day (Photo: Oliver Monk)

A new Indian-Italian fusion restaurant and wine bar is opening in Teddington tomorrow, Saturday 3 May.

Located at the junction of Park Road, High Street and Broad Street, Primitivo Club is hoping to make its mark on Teddington households with a 20-percent discount during its first two months.

The restaurant is the brainchild of Brian Mathias, who's proven himself as a capable restaurateur after 11 years of running popular pub The Bell on the Green in Feltham.

"People have been asking, 'when's the next one coming?'" he says.

Mr Mathias says the restaurant's interior leans more towards an Italian wine bar (Photos: Oliver Monk)

Mr Mathias shares how he spent the past month working on the location, saying: "There have been quite a few changes, it was completely different."

His vision for the 'Bombay Blues Bistro' is undeniably ambitious – why Indian and Italian?

"I think there is a huge demand for Indian cooking in this area," says the owner.

He continues: "People around here like to experiment [...] I'm excited. The market is very promising."

Mr Mathias sees Primitivo Club as a venue of two halves: customers drinking wine will be chatting over charcuterie and cheeseboards; however guests looking for a more substantial meal out can opt for British-Indian classics like butter chicken and tikka masala.

The curved window frontage on Teddington's central roundabout, seen here in 2008 as the now-closed Kou-Kou Bar, is a understated landmark for the area (Photo: Google Maps)

While the final verdict on the Primitivo Club's food will have to wait until opening night on Saturday, the restaurant's decor is far closer to the finished product.

Mr Mathias says he and his team have made "quite a few changes, it was completely different."

The building's iconic floor-to-ceiling wraparound windows combined with a central bar creates a semi-circular layout – almost every table becomes the sought-after 'quiet one in the corner'.

Those not directly next to the large window seem like a natural fit for the wine-bar crowd, the high, bar-style seats more suited to a glass or two of Primitivo's Tuscan cabernet sauvignon than a lamb pasanda and one too many naans from the kitchen's tandoor.

'I've got a great team, great staff. I'm a lot more chill and relaxed now,' says the optimistic owner (Photo: Oliver Monk)

Despite his optimistic exterior, Mr Mathias confesses: "I can't sleep, same as with the pub. I was only 28 when taking over.

"It was like digging my own grave." A smile creeps across his face as he jokes: "I've gotten out now!

"I've got a great team, great staff. I'm a lot more chill and relaxed now."

It remains to be seen if Mr Mathias' experience will lead Primitivo Club to the success he is hoping for, but there's no denying his approach to the restaurant business.

"If you don't do good, people won't come back," he says. "It's that simple."

Primitivo Club is offering 20-percent off food for its first two months of business, starting on opening day, tomorrow, Saturday 4 May. For more information, please visit their website here.

The Primitivo Club's team adding the final touches to the venue's exterior (Photos: Oliver Monk)

     

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