Rishim Sachdeva to crowdfund permanent London restaurant

Chef Rishim Sachdeva is turning to crowdfunding to turn his “mostly vegan” Tendril concept into a bricks-and-mortar London restaurant.

Sachdeva will launch a first round of equity crowdfunding via Seedrs at the end of this month with a target of £150,000, following a residency at Soho’s Sun and 13 Cantons.

Dishes on the Tendril menu will include tostada with muhamarra, winter squash and chard kimchi; Chinatown purple potatoes, sticky soy and sesame cracker; and chipotle mushroom, BBQ kale, walnut, crispy potato and gremolata. There will also be non-vegan dishes such as baked brie, truffle mascarpone, honey and seeded bread.

Sachdev said: “By cooking plant-first food that’s not specific to a cuisine or nationality, I want to recreate my most evocative memories of flavours and textures that have influenced me through my travels around the world, not just the UK and India. Putting plants in the forefront is at the core of Tendril – creating a whole experience based around them that’s imaginative and approachable all at the same time. At the end of the day, it’s tasty and wholesome food that just happens to be made using plant-based ingredients.

“We were blown away by the success at the Sun and 13 Cantons and can’t thank everybody who came and supported us enough. We’ve built a real community thus far with Tendril, and I’m now hoping with this crowdfunding that I can finally realise the dream of opening a permanent restaurant home for us in London.”

Sachdeva grew up in New Delhi, India, and moved to the UK in 2003 to study hospitality and tourism at Oxford Brookes University. He went on to hold senior sous chef roles at Heston Blumenthal's three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, and at London's Chiltern Firehouse under Nuno Mendes. He was also part of the senior chef opening team at the Dairy in London's Clapham.