Nestled on the banks of the Paddington canal is this exciting open plan restaurant celebrating all things Scandinavian. The founder first visited Scandinavia 10 years ago, and after multiple trips to Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, came up with the ideas that inspired the creation of KuPP. What they wanted was to create a quality casual, all day food & drink concept with a strong focus on speciality coffee that would be attractive in both the Scandinavian & UK markets, and I can tell ya now, that’s exactly what they’ve done.
The Venue
With KuPP, the founder wanted to embrace Scandinavian design. The restaurant and cafe is open plan; large, spacious and fresh, with large floor to ceiling windows spanning the length of the restaurant, directly overlooking the water which, on the day of my visit, was rising fast thanks to the summertime down pour we were being treated to.
There is a lot of copper dotted around the place, with rustic copper topped tables and gorgeous industrial style light fixtures, all set against an exposed brick wall. It gives the place a lot of character, despite its relatively recent completion and opening. The high ceilings along with the large windows make the room bright and spacious. There is a real sense of brand identity and you can see a lot of scope for a franchise.
Kupp Paddington offers up the charming simplicity of Scandinavian design.
The Food
We started our meal with a coffee each. KuPP offer very good quality coffee thanks to the Scandinavian love of the stuff, and they certainly tasted far superior to any you may find in a generic chain. A special mention should also be given to the innovative cups they use -- the ones that have a double layer of glass, keeping the liquid hot but your hands burn free. I love those.
I asked our waitress what she recommended on the menu; what the restaurant prided itself on the most when it comes to their Scandinavian dishes, and without hesitation we were recommended the Fiske Bord (£25), perfect for sharing between 2 or 3, or as one almighty feast for one. The board is generously piled high with home-cured Norwegian gravadlax, Atlantic prawn Skagen, house smoked trout, Hansen & Lydersen smoked salmon, KuPP. potato salad, roasted beetroot, pickled vegetables, rye bread & Leksands Knacker crispbread. The gravadlax was highlighted by the waitress as being something they were particularly proud of, and quite rightly so. Smooth and fresh, delicately complemented by the dill and a squeeze of lemon, it was beautiful both with or without the crispbread which tasted like a high-end ryvita cracker!
Alongside our Fiske Bord we ordered a portion of the crushed avocado with crisp bread, an homage to the oh so popular avocado toast which has launched itself onto the brunch and lunch menus throughout London. With a scattering of chilli flakes and an addition of the smoked salmon from the Fiske bord, it made for a gorgeous addition to our lunch. To end the meal, we enjoyed one of their award winning hot chocolates (because awards are not to be ignored) and their toasted banana bread. The hot chocolate, white, was creamy and indulgent, while the banana bread was warm and light. A wonderful end to a meal that filled me without feeling too heavy.
Mixed boards give you a true chance to savour some of the very best in Nordic fare at KuPP.
Summary
Though the weather on the day of my visit was far from picnic friendly, KuPP offer picnic bags filled with some of the best parts of their scandi menu for you to enjoy on the banks of the canal at Merchant Square. You can also head there on a weekend for their bottomless boozy brunch (because you’re no-one if you don’t offer a boozy brunch these days), or you could just head here for lunch or dinner, rain or shine, and enjoy the kind and attentive service, the refreshing and clean menu that we were very happy to enjoy.
