Jolie London a unicorn amongst the horses

Jolie London is a French salon which is a hybrid of a restaurant and bar that stands out above the rest as it is a unicorn amongst the horses of other restaurants within London as they provide a magical experience from start to finish.

I went along to their press night to sample the magical delights which Lollipops newest venue pop up Jolie within their Chelsea Funhouse.

Lollipop

Lollipop is founded by Sebastian Lyall in 2015, and other London and Paris venues.

Lollipop are the creators and innovators of immersive events providing unique experiences from Breaking Bad bar, ABQ, and now they are getting ready to unveil their next restaurant called Jolie, which will bring French cuisines and signature cocktails within a relaxed atmosphere.

Now they bring Jolie a pop up set within their Chelsea Funhouse.

Chelsea Fun House

Guests can enjoy a variety of entertainment set over three floors. Enjoy a martini shaken not stirred on the roof terrace of Chelsea Black, enjoy a magical dining experience at Jolie or enjoy a curated cocktail to match your personality down in The Bletchley.

Chelsea Black + Terrace – London’s Espresso Martini Bar
Inspired by the legend of Chelsea Black, this bar is on the 1st floor of the Funhouse serving mad twists on the classic all night long.

The Bletchley – 1940’s Inspired Immersive Cocktail Bar
Enter an immersive world of code-breaking and cocktails. Crowned as the Best Bar in West London By Conde Nast, at The Bletchley you use WW2 Enigma machines and protocols to help our mixologists create personalised cocktails for you.

Jolie (pop up) – a magical restaurant providing French cuisine
Jolie is a popped up French restaurant in which provides high quality French dishes from duck to profiteroles.

Jolie

Jolie is Lollipop’s next-popup, which is a salon, which is a hybrid of a restaurant and a cocktail bar, inspired by Jolie herself. Opening 28 August 2020.

Jolie said one night “Serait-il bon de manger et boire comme on le fait en France?” meaning “Would it be good to eat and drink as we do in France?” as her visits to a few French restaurants in London was to her just “meh” and “uptight”.

Combining Chelsea Funhouse restaurant and cocktail bar into one laid back relaxed salon, Jolie a French restaurant was born.

Taking inspiration from the French cafe culture from the tables to the decor around guests can sit side by side to enjoy exceptional drinks and delicious tasting French food.

When you arrive, you will experience a warm scenic atmosphere inviting you to spend your night with friends and family in a very “je ne sais quoi” setting.

For the food, you’ll be able to enjoy radicalised traditional French dishes in the form of sharing plates all of which have influences from France’s neighbouring countries.

The cocktails take inspiration from the smells and auras of different regions in France. They are complex in nature and flavour (just like Jolie), yet easy to gulp with or without your food.

The music and vibes played are inspired by Hotel Costes in Paris and terraces in Cote d’Azur which are two of Jolie’s favourite places.

Jolie sits on the ground floor of the 3 story Chelsea Funhouse where you and your guests are welcomed to spend the rest of the evening.

This salon type restaurant is an ideal hang out for local residents, Londoners and people travelling into the city looking for something that extra special and unique.

Be quick though as this salon is a pop up and only will be around for a few months.

Unicorn amongst the horses

Jolie is a unicorn amongst the horses as their salon is magical providing a French relaxed atmosphere, along with great service and outstanding food & cocktails.

Jolie is a new pop up which has replaced Journey within their three-storey Chelsea Funhouse, and has seen the team build a new salon giving consumers traditional French salon food, spaced out tables and French furnishing.

Upon walking into Jolie I felt like I had stepped into a classy French cafe. I loved the decor and was happy to see the tables and chairs were beautifully spaced out, plus I liked the yellow sofas within the middle of the venue which were bright and very chic.

As this was a special press night it was nice to meet Seb the owner of Lollipop in whom I have met on many occasions. After a quick catch up I was then taken over to my seat for the night which was within the special Unicorn area.

Even though a lovely area and quite romantic as only two tables in this area I did feel a little like I was not part of the main restaurant area and more like in the bar area. Plus the tables were so low in this area it was hard to eat from but this was rectified later on when a staff member brought over a higher side table. The tables within the main area are normal height. However since visiting I have been told that they now have been replaced with higher tables making it easy for grazing.

Upon looking over the menu there is plenty of classic French dishes to choose from all of which come served as sharing plates, with each dish being influenced from neighbouring countries.

The cocktail list features scents from different French regions with signature cocktails such as serve Versailles a champagne base with homemade caramel peach cognac and vanilla gold spray.

With the help of our server for the night Peter made it easier for us to choose dishes which we would love. So me and my partner Jason we decided to try out the Smoked duck breast, Beef sliders, Broccoli, Wild mushroom croquettes, White chocolate crème brûlée, and the Profiteroles.

Sitting back and waiting I ordered an Espresso Martini which tasted creamy and smooth with that hit of coffee.

Then after a little while my food started to come out.

The Smoked duck breast, Lyonnaise potatoes, mustard sauce came within a box and upon opening steam came out. The duck was cooked to perfection slightly pink and melted in the mouth, the potatoes were soft and came with a nice dollop of mustard sauce and caramelised onions which gave that extra zing of sweetness. Tasty.

The Beef sliders, charcoal bun, Funhouse secret sauce and cheese are like no other burger I have tasted all served within a charcoal bun which gives it that extra smokiness. Moist and juicy mini burgers.

The Broccoli with almonds was cooked to perfection. Usually when I have broccoli served in any establishment it is hard and cold but at Jolies it was nice and soft, very green and tasty with that extra texture from the lightly roasted almond flakes.

Their vegan Wild mushroom croquettes, tarragon mayonnaise are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Earthy sensation.

The vegan White chocolate crème brûlée looks beautiful and big enough to share with another. Tastes just like a creme brulee with the hint of white chocolate.

The vegan Chocolate and coconut profiteroles were a lovely small stack of profiteroles coated in chocolate. Nice but I missed the real taste of cream. A good size portion though to share between three people.

Magical

All in all Jolie is a stunning salon which serve up tasty sharing plates, incredible, the best food I have had in a long time out.

Plus along with their new cocktails which each represents a region of France it was a nice added magical touch.

I Absolutely loved it at Jolie and will 100% be going back to try the cheese fondue.

Plus don’t forget to check out the unicorn area in which spits out champagne.

A perfect night out for a date night, out with friends or as a celebration meal.

Jolie book now

Chelsea Funhouse
Jolie
Ground Floor
459 King’s Road
London
SW10 0LR

Wed – Fri: 5pm – 12am
Sat – Sun: 12pm – 12am
Chelsea Funhouse open until 2am on Friday and Sunday

Full menu.

Gallery of photos.

Reservations are open from Friday 28 August 2020. Book your table via clicking here.

For parties bigger than 6, email them at chelseafunhouse@wearelollipop.co.uk mentioning Jolie

Thanks to Lollipop and Jolie for the press launch invitation I loved it. All views are my own honest opinion.