Colicci, an artisan family brand of cafés and kiosks in London, today announces its collaboration with The Royal Parks to launch two new landmark cafés, The Serpentine Café in Hyde Park and Storey’s Gate Café, in collaboration with chef Theo Randall, in St James’s Park. In addition, a family of nine sculptural kiosks will open this autumn, offering a range of locally sourced food and drink, including London’s first health-focused park café. Award-winning architecture and design practice, Mizzi Studio, has been appointed to design the new outlets which will be built at noteworthy locations including the entrances to Hyde Park, Green Park and St James’s Park.
With the first kiosks installed this autumn and the last opening in March 2019, the cafés and kiosks are designed to enhance the visitor experience, making a refreshment stop at one of these stunning structures an integral part of a journey through the parks. Serving healthy breakfast, brunch and lunch using the finest local and seasonal ingredients, alongside freshly baked cakes and pastries from the Colicci bakery, locally roasted single origin coffee and ice cream, the cafes and kiosk structures are organically-inspired and will be sympathetic to the Grade I listed landscapes of the different parks.
Storey’s Gate café
- London’s first healthy food café in The Royal Parks will open in Spring 2019 in St James’s Park, and is a collaboration between Colicci, award-winning chef Theo Randall and The Royal Parks. Theo Randall has worked with Colicci to devise a healthy menu with a large choice of vegan dishes using seasonal produce. Breakfast and brunch includes Crunchy Coconut Bircher Muesli; Acai Bowl topped with seasonal berries, coconut shavings, cacao nibs, goji berries, chia seeds and pecans or a selection of cakes. For lunch, the café offers a selection of hot and cold dishes such as Soft Chili Cheese on sourdough; Roast Butternut Squash with red onion, tahini and za’atar and daily soups. The café also offers a selection of juices, smoothies, coffees and gelato.
- The new structure, designed by Article Design Studios, will use methods and finishes that are sympathetic and complement the existing and adjacent architectural details, with a warmer tonal palette which draws inspiration from the autumnal colours found in St James’s Park. The interiors will be clean, elegant and inviting, using hexagonal shapes and limited timber.
The Serpentine Café
- Opening in Hyde Park in Spring 2019, the café will have views across the Serpentine Lake and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and serve a selection of artisanal bakery products, single origin coffee and London’s finest gelato, sourced from local partner Gelupo.
- Designed by Mizzi Studio, the sculptural, undulating brass roof that defines the Serpentine Café takes the curve of the lake as a point of departure and is evocative of the sweeping motion of a stingray’s flight.
The family of nine kiosks
- Offer a similar range of food and drink but each have unique dishes tailored to the respective site. These include a range of sweet treats such as fresh waffles served with nutella, oreo cookies and ice cream; Gelupo Gelato; Prosciutto, rocket, mozzarella and chilli jam filled croissants and cakes from the bakery. Lunch offers a range of hot and cold piadina wraps such as chicken, bacon, avocado, tomato and mayo; Sourdough Toasties; Ciabattas; Salads and fancy hot dogs such as the Crispy Dog with BBQ sauce, coleslaw and crispy bacon.
- The kiosks have been conceived by Mizzi Studio as a family of individual forms that are united in their design language, with a 360-degree sculptural canopy that swells out like a tree’s crown creating a recognisable silhouette. Eight of the kiosks are clad in oak, while the flagship Horse Shoe Bend kiosk in St James’s Park is clad in tubular brass.
Mizzi Studio has used sustainable materials and traditional craft techniques, together with state-of-the-art manufacturing methods, to create simple, functional forms that are visually captivating. Curvaceous oak cladding has been designed by Mizzi Studio for a number of the kiosks, and Tom Raffield – who has become known for transforming wood through a unique method of steam bending – has been entrusted with bringing the design to life.
Colicci’s Director, Rob Colicci, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have extended our long-standing partnership with The Royal Parks. Food and drink are an important part of everyone’s day, and we believe in pairing great tasting fresh food with a truly memorable experience. By pioneering a ‘collection’ of revolutionary kiosks and cafés we have pushed the boundaries in design and architecture. Now you can buy your cup of coffee from a sculpture in the park.”