As a city saturated with food options, London has hosted its fair share of "concept" eateries. We've had cheese toastie restaurants, cereal cafes, cat cafes, owl cafes, and pay-for-time-not-coffee shops. Every permutation of novelty has been mined and exploited in the interests of capturing jaded diners' imaginations.But Luca Longobardi and Chris Denney didn't bother with any of that. They just built 108 Garage and lo, people have come.
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At the not-so-posh end of Notting Hill in what was an actual car mechanics during the 1970s, the duo's restaurant serves food that has thus far defied categorisation.
108 Garage in London's Notting Hill. All photos courtesy 108 Garage.
"What I wanted to do was open an Italian tapas place," Longobardi tells me. What 108 Garage ended up as is something else entirely. But then Longobardi is a man who I suspect can no longer be taken by surprise.Let's go back to the start. Longobardi began his career not in food, but in investment banking. So far, so boring, you might think—but wait.READ MORE: How an Olympic Gold Medalist Lost a Bet and Ended Up Buying a Vineyard"In 2010, I was wrongly indicted on three counts: fraudulent bankruptcy, money laundering, and conspiracy," says Longobardi. "I was put on Interpol's top ten list of Most Wanted Men. Me! Alongside Osama Bin Laden, El Chapo, Matteo Messina Denaro."Understandably, he's still incredulous at the idea.Read more at Munchies