Cau plans Wimbledon and Reading sites
Argentine-style restaurant group Cau is to open a new site in Wimbledon, south London, this autumn, amid suggestions that another site, in Reading, is in the early planning stages.
The Wimbledon opening has been confirmed for September or October this year, on the site of former Wimbledon Village restaurant Layla.
Developers have also submitted a planning application to build a two-storey restaurant in Reading's well-known Oracle shopping centre, which names Cau Restaurants as the proposed tenant.
The application also states that the council should aim to make a decision by tomorrow (Friday 25 July), and suggests that permission be granted, subject to clarification about some nearby public artwork and lighting, which would need to be moved should the build go ahead. This is said to be because the plans include a two-storey, glazed extension to the existing property.
The proposal also makes reference to an outdoor seating section, "feature lighting" on the outside walls, and a bar area on the riverside and bridge level.
A spokesperson told The Caterer that the group was still awaiting planning permission for the Reading site.
It is expected that the sites will be along similar lines to the group's six other locations, which comprise Cambridge, Guildford, Blackheath, Kingston, Tunbridge Wells and Amsterdam.
Owned by the same shareholders as Argentinian steakhouse restaurant Gaucho, the restaurant takes its inspiration from Argentine cuisine and South American street food, with Mediterranean touches.
Dishes include Argentine-style charcuterie, South American-style gambas and chicken, a selection of steak cuts, burgers and grilled meat sandwiches, salads, sides such as spicy chickpeas and chorizo, truffled mac and cheese, chipotle butter, and desserts such as churros and dulce de leche chocolate brownie ice-cream sundae.
The new sites are part of a wider expansion for the brand, which opened its 150-seat Kingston site in April, its Cambridge restaurant in 2012, and its Guildford site in 2011. Another restaurant is set to open in Bristol on 4 August.
