Riding high on its popularity since it opened this summer, ‘Mr Todiwala’s Petiscos’, the 35-seater pop-up restaurant and bar, is extending its residency in the colourful walled garden of Cafe Spice Namasté in London until mid-October.
A fresh concept, it brings together Chef Cyrus Todiwala’s flair for Goan-Portuguese cuisine with a carefully curated selection of Portuguese wines supplied by Portuguese Vinhos.
Operated by former Punch Taverns catering development manager Steve Schaffer, the concept features a small-plate (‘petiscos’) menu of food described by Schaffer as “a fusion of European, Portuguese and Goan dishes”, accompanied by authentic Portuguese wines, beer and spirits.
“We’ve had a real mix of customers, and of course the weather has been very kind to us,” said Schaffer. “And despite the City being on holiday in August, we’ve had some busy nights. With outdoor heaters and garden umbrellas in place, we’ll be staying until mid-October and we’re looking forward to welcoming back some of our ‘regulars’ in September.”
Schaffer is a trained chef and former pub owner who also held catering development roles with Punch and Pubmaster, as well as with Brakes, Booker, and Nestlé Professional. He is now managing director of Portuguese Vinhos, a specialist wine import business.
He said, “I’m very grateful to my old friends Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala for giving us the use of their garden at Café Spice Namasté. We’re serving a very different style of food to anything else on offer on London, and it’s been ideal served with a chilled glass of Portuguese wine or an ice-cold beer over the long, hot summer.”
Cyrus Todiwala said, ‘This is a great concept, and we’re all very pleased that more people have started to discover our hidden gem of a garden, thanks to Mr Todiwala’s Petiscos. It’s been great working with our friend Steve Schaffer, who is as passionate as we are about good food and wine.
‘Petiscos are the small plates of food integral to Portuguese cuisine, and are tasting platters most closely compared to ‘tapas’, a term more easily recognised by people. Together with Steve and his truly superb, some very rare, Portuguese wines from Portuguese Vinhos, we’re hoping that more people become aware of this great petiscos tradition, and of course, make Portuguese wine and beer drinking staples.’
‘Mr Todiwala’s Petiscos’ will be serving rare, Goan-inspired ‘petiscos’ (tasting platters) alongside wines from small, family-run vineyards in the Douro Valley, Lisboa, Dao, Alentejo and other regions of Portugal.
Mr Todiwala’s Petiscos operates a ‘No reservations’ policy and is open from Wednesday to Friday from 12noon to 10.30pm and on Saturdays from 5.30pm to 10.30pm. Steve Schaeffer will also be hosting a series of special events at the pop-up.