Lahpet to bring Burmese spice to Covent Garden

Longmartin Properties Ltd, a joint venture between Shaftesbury and the Mercers’ Company, has announced that Burmese restaurant, Lahpet, has selected The Yards, Covent Garden, for its first West End site, and second permanent central London location.

One of London’s only restaurants specialising in Burmese cuisine, Lahpet, has signed for a 2,500 sq ft unit at 21 Slingsby Place, and will be bringing it’s unique and contemporary take on authentic Burmese cooking to The Yards, Covent Garden later in the year. The restaurant’s location sits within St Martin’s Courtyard;a destinational dining hub that connects the spaces between Slingsby Place and Mercer Walk, which is also home to the newly relaunched Dishoom on St Martin’s Lane.

Founders Dan Anton and head chef Zaw Mahesh are both from Burmese heritage and have made it their goal to shine a light on this relatively untapped cuisine and popularise the flavours of Myanmar by creating their own take on Burmese regional specialities and staple dishes. Lahpet’s menu offers a carefully curated selection of small and large plates and noodle bowls, including the restaurant’s namesake dish, Lahpet Thohk, the infamous pickled tea leaf salad, and also other classic dishes such as Mohinga (Catfish and lemongrass chowder) and Coconut Noodles with Chicken. There will also be a creative cocktail list and house-made fermented drinks offering. 

Dan Anton, Co-Founder, Lahpet, added:“We knew we wanted to open our next restaurant in the heart of central London, and Covent Garden’s bustling and vibrant community is the ideal place for us to branch out. When we visited The Yards we saw first hand its appeal as an exciting dining hub in one of London’s most iconic areas. With our unique offering and the strength of a new West End location, we are sure Lahpet Covent Garden will be a huge success and we can’t wait to get started on our latest venture.”

Further enhancing The Yards as a leading dining hub within Covent Garden, Longmartin Properties has also revealed that they have been granted planning permission for change of use at 9 Slingsby Place, authorising the alteration from its current retail use status to Sui Generis– unique to certain locations – and in this case a potential live music venue. The 3,270 sq ft basement space, primely located amongst Covent Garden’s popular retail and F&B brands, is a great opportunity to further develop The Yards’ day-to-night offering.

Commenting on behalf of Longmartin Properties Ltd, Charlie Owen, Property Director at Shaftesbury, said:“Through our continued investment and commitment to the area, The Yards has become an exceptional dining hotspot with unique and popular brands such as Lahpet and Dishoom. Despite the impact of Covid-19, the Lahpet deal and the highly sought after planning permission which has been granted for 9 Slingsby Place will further compliment the surrounding the courtyard offer and contribute to Covent Garden’s leading night-time economy. A proposition many are looking forward to post lockdown.”

The signing follows the news that Dishoom raised the curtain to their new enlarged restaurant at their original home on Upper St Martin’s Lane in December. The restaurant reopened after undergoing a re-design and significant expansion in line with is 10thanniversary last year. In addition, artisan bakery, Arôme, also selected The Yards, Covent Garden, for its first permanent bricks and mortar site following its successful pop-up in Soho last year.

CBRE is the asset manager on behalf of Longmartin Properties and Colliers and DCLacted for The Yards. Lahpet represented themselves.