Will Bowlby and Rik Campbell, the duo behind the Indian-inspired restaurant group Kricket, have announced the launch of their first bar, SOMA, due to open in Soho this September.
The duo first launched Kricket six years ago as a pop-up in Pop Brixton and have gone on to launch three permanent Kricket sites in Brixton, Soho and White City. SOMA will take the subterranean site adjacent to Kricket’s Soho restaurant on Denman Street.
“Central to Kricket’s growth over the last six years has been making sure that each restaurant is unique and perfectly suited to its location,” said Bowlby and Campbell.
“People have always loved the cocktails we offer at Kricket and we’ve always talked about launching a standalone bar, but it’s the space that gives SOMA its modern speakeasy feel, with a backstreet underground setting in Soho and seemingly non-descript entrance. We see SOMA as the latest addition to people’s Soho ‘stumblings’ and we can’t wait to offer the hospitality we’ve become known for at Kricket in a new context.”
SOMA, which takes its name from the Hindu Moon God, will be open until 3 am, Tuesday to Sunday, and although it will have a focus on walk-ins, some tables for six guests or more will be available to book.
The menu, created by Kricket’s head of beverage, Will Rogers, and SOMA bar manager, Angelos Bafas, formerly of Aqua Shard, in collaboration with Zoe Burgess from Atelier Pip, will comprise of familiar cocktails with twists inspired by “flavours found across Indian cultures and beyond.”