Anyway, we have had a fantastic first week. OK sometimes I feel like a swan, you know, cool and stately to the outside eye but paddling like mad just under the surface.  No matter how many soft openings and rehearsals you do with friends and family nothing prepares you for the real thing. The public can always find a way to surprise you – like the man who got upset with his wife because she had been in twice already and not told him.

We’ve been doing a few promotions to see what works and that will continue as we work to refine our offering. We also will be looking at the menu as we have now got quite a bit of feedback and are getting an idea which are the favourites from our wide range of dishes. Although, having said that, we haven’t had anything that people have just hated – thank goodness!

The small plate dining that we were all a bit worried about has gone down really well. We thought some people might find it a bit off-putting if they were used to a normal three course format – but so far it is the most popular of our menu offerings. Dine and Dash is also a big hit with the theatre goers. We’d like a few more people in the bar area – but hopefully that will grow  as more people get to hear about us.

Actually the only thing that hasn’t really gone to plan is that one of our cocktail bar guys has broken his hand which is a shame as he is supposed to be the brains behind our macarons and matching cocktails. Hopefully he’ll be back in the saddle soon.

The most satisfying thing to me is that we are already getting some “regulars” and some of the faces we’ve seen in the Foodhall are also trying us upstairs.  Lots of them are residents an we are so pleased to see them. Hopefully we can do something special for them on a regular basis. First residents night is tonight so I'll blog about it tomorrow.

Talking of the Foodhall this continues to build and the new grocery lines that I blogged about have all gone down well. We continue to ask people what they want from us and there is lots more to do in this area.

Finally for  now I’d like your help. When I started this blog the idea was always that it would be an insight into opening the two spaces from scratch and against the clock. But I’ve really enjoyed doing it and it seems a shame to let it just fade away. I’ve got a few thoughts for improving it – or changing it anyway but it would be terrific to get any feedback from you. I’d particularly like to hear from any residents of the Barbican, people who work here or anyone from the local area that pops in regularly. We are trying to build something much better than simply a place to look after the audience for the shows. We’ll be looking at ways to get people in after the shows or concerts have begun – maybe at 8.00 in the evening. Any ideas – other than free food and drink! – welcome.

With my Foodhall hat on we are busy working hard to improve the range of goods we sell in the grocery section. We had a fantastic tasting session yesterday. Would you believe chocolate covered popcorn? Or rich, luxurious, fantastically tasty chocolates that come in a round wooden box like a camembert and are actually GOOD FOR YOU? Or a beer developed by the genius behind the legendary El Bulli restaurant? Or, well so many things. There are just so many fantastic producers now that the problem is fighting through them to the very, very best. One weird thing we stock is 5 lt cans of extra virgin olive oil - people are buying them! Who knows where they put them - wouldn't fit in my flat that's for sure!

In my "second life" as part of the team opening the Lounge next week, things are also going better now. In reality we are almost ready to open as, I hope, these pictures taken on a dodgy camera last night in poor lighting demonstrate. We are now using the bar to serve family and friends, although the mixolagists who will develop the cocktails to go with our maccarons - see earlier posts - are still in training. Delighted to say the wines taste just as good as when we first tried them although I'm too busy to do more than have a sip. One day!

If you can see the bar stools - these were actually last produced forty years ago and the company re-did them especially for us! The outside space is now finished and I think is really cool - but not too cool I hope on a lovely autumn day!

We've learnt a lot in two weeks and we shone tonight as we have done in the past - but it’s going to be easier to deliver the customer experience we want when we open upstairs in the Lounge. That should take 100 seats off the Foodhall. If any of you were waiting in a queue for four minutes to pay for your food I'm really sorry. We're doing our best!
The good thing is that the feedback we are getting is still positive about both the quality and value of the food. I'm so excited about what we are achieving here! This might be one of the toughest 90 minutes of food service in the Capital and we're doing fine - every night.

One thing I'm loving is the take-up of the little extras we have at Barbican Foodhall. So this evening, before the rush, I saw three families putting games back into the Book Bank area. They'd been having a coffee and a bite while playing with their kids! We also have a regular table who come in at lunchtime and play Guess Who. Love it.

We are determined that everything will be perfect before we open so now it's Monday. Serves me right for being so confident. I'll take some pictures tomorrow so everyone can see what it's going to look like - which is fantastic.

To cheer ourselves up we've had another spectacular weekend in the Foodhall - sales are still going up every day so we are obviously doing something right!

Following the success of the launch of Foodhall is it too much to hope for the same again? Well, if concentration and effort can make a difference we should be ok. Although I’m so busy at the Foodhall I do pop upstairs at least once a day and, whatever else happens, I can tell you that the Lounge is going to be a fantastic place to eat. It’s all really coming together now, the lighting is genuinely amazing, the bar and the furniture stunning and we all think the various menus offer a combination that is unbeatable. We’ll see.

We did actually think about opening a day or so earlier – but this is SO important to us that we want to make sure that everything is perfect for the opening night.

More details and hopefully some pictures to follow next time I have a chance to blog – hopefully tomorrow!

I’m fantastically proud of the team that we managed to get everyone who wanted one a meal and that the feedback was really good. We’ve had record takings for the space that we inherited on every day so far - so it seems that people like what we are doing.

Saturday, both lunch and dinner, was manic so when Sunday was a bit more relaxed everyone heaved a sigh of relief and took the chance to take stock of where we are. Having said that the Sunday Roast went down a storm and yesterday and today we are busy again. Hopefully this is just the way it’s going to be!

Because we are quite close to everything it is easy to forget just how many different ingredients (sorry!) go into making a successful food operation. We have to provide great service – there’s nothing worse in a busy restaurant than people complaining. We have to, of course, give people food they want, food they enjoy at a price they are happy with. We have to house all this in surroundings that make them feel happy, comfortable, relaxed.

There is also the “shopping” element of the food hall. We’ll refine the offer, of course, to ensure that we meet the demands of the people coming through the door but we’ve had more hits than misses by a long way so far.

The Book Bank – essentially our take on a library – is also going down well although we’ve had to explain to people that, yes, we are serious about them taking a book away with them if they want to!

So the team, from the waiters to the chefs, from the guys who order the food to the designers of the Foodhall itself and the accountants who fix the prices, all have to gel. And that’s what I’m supposed to make sure happens!

We had a great start – I’m sure there may be, let’s say, issues ahead. But I’m confident we are all now capable of meeting them head on. Hope I don’t live to regret that!

Hurrah! We’ve just opened the doors at the Barbican Foodhall. Can’t begin to describe the relief. I think it looks just wonderful. Obviously the designers are saying that there are a few details to get right – but to me it’s just fantastic. Just seeing the first olives and breads and cakes on display – it seems like the end of a long journey.

Even last night there seemed to be so much to do that I wasn’t sure we’d make it. But everyone has worked so hard and, wow, here we are. Wanted to kiss the first customer as she walked in this afternoon. What was fantastic is that within three minutes of us opening the doors we had 30 people in. Served the first meals within 100 seconds of opening.

There is the smell of coffee, food cooking in the kitchen. Suddenly a building site is the Barbican Foodhall.  The chatter is not builders but chefs, waiters and customers. There is such a buzz! I think it will take us a few more days to be perfect but I’m very happy with the start we’ve made. Ok so there are no tiny espresso cups but I’ll take that as the biggest problem!

It’s a funny job this. I’m so excited about opening the Food Hall – but my mind also wanders upstairs where the Lounge is just one week from opening. Not been up there all day as we’ve been so busy here. Must try to get there later and make sure everything is on schedule. We must be mad but we all love it really!
PS Update
We've had a wonderful night. Loads of people through the door; fantastic feedback on the food, both the menu and the quality. And everyone pleased with the value for money. Obviously a few teething troubles - the automatic doors aren't; either closed shut or, worse on a cold night, stuck open but we managed to sort it. A great start and we know that we can get better. Lots of messages of goodwill as well. Terrific!

Christine joins us from West End restaurant Leon. Before that she pursued an international career only returning to London last year.  After a period with the Roux Brothers she went to work as executive chef for Her Majesty Queen Noor in the Jordanian Royal Palace and then on to a succession of restaurants in Geneva so she’s used to fanatically high standards and working under pressure. The latter will prove to be very useful I suspect!

Nigel has been responsible for the eight restaurants in six museums in Liverpool. In the same way that we are trying to develop a destination restaurant in the Barbican, Nigel successfully did just that at the fantastic Maritime Museum on the Waterfront in Liverpool. A key achievement at Liverpool was reducing the amount of bought in pre-prepared food served in the museums so again, he’s going to fit in well with the ethos of making everything we can in house at the Barbican.

Despite the tough opening schedule we are all really beginning to gel together as a team. We finally have the building handed over to us by the builders so it’s really full steam ahead now. Pressure, pressure, pressure!

I really can’t say enough about the service and attention to detail we are getting from PSLABS of Beirut. When I heard that Helen Hughes, the designer, was seeking lighting help from a company in Beirut it seemed a bit odd. No-one in the UK does good lighting?

However, I have to admit that any company would be hard pressed to match the determination of these guys to get everything just right. Even last week they contacted us to say they wanted to add yet another detail to some of the fittings – and, in case you were feeling cynical – all this is being done within budget! These things are so stylish that there is a rumour that an achingly cool magazine is devoting several pages to them.

Elsewhere work is still progressing well although we have had one disaster. The granite top for the main bar in the upstairs Lounge arrived cracked. It was just a small fault but I’ve learned now that these guys are perfectionists and, well, it wasn’t perfect. So now we are waiting for another one.

Finally, for now, here’s a picture of the food hall ceiling as restored. While I accept that the Barbican is perhaps the original “Marmite” building it seems a shame that this magnificent ceiling was hidden away beyond a false covering. Now returned to its original appearance it is amazing the impact it has on the room.