The restaurant will be the first London venture from celebrated Portuguese chef

In February 2023, Henrique Sá Pessoa, one of Portugal’s most celebrated chefs, will open JOIA, an Iberian restaurant situated over the top floors of the new art’otel London Battersea Power Station. Chef Sá Pessoa also operates the two Michelin-starred Alma and the relaxed trans-Iberian tapas spot Tapisco (both in Lisbon). He is also the Executive Chef at the critically acclaimed ARCA restaurant (located in art’otel Amsterdam). The menu at JOIA will showcase Sá Pessoa’s culinary heritage and will be influenced by the robust flavours and cooking techniques of Catalonia and Portugal, using the best of British and Iberian produce. Chef Sá Pessoa’s uncompromising vision, wealth of experience and exacting attention to detail is evident throughout JOIA’s carefully crafted menu, which offers diners a taste of the Mediterranean in a London setting. JOIA meaning ‘jewel’ in Portuguese will comprise a 14th floor bar and an 85-cover restaurant on the 15th floor, both overlooking the iconic Battersea Power Station, which opened its doors to the public in October 2022. Guests can begin their culinary journey at JOIA with a selection of Snacks, Petiscos and Tapas, including La Bomba de Lisbon – Henrique’s signature croquette made with potato and traditional Portuguese Alheira sausage, served with tomato and sofrito sauce – and octopus salad with red pepper, potato and smoked paprika, a modern interpretation of classic Portuguese fare. Diners will then find a selection of larger plates including Bacalhau à brás – salted cod with shoestring potatoes, parsley, black olive served with an raw egg yolk and mixed tableside for an engaging dining experience set against a dramatic backdrop of the London skyline. Other highlights from JOIA’s menu include:

Scallops with black garlic sabayon
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Grilled leeks with romesco with rocket and hazelnut salad
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Salted Cod Esqueixada with pickled red onion and orange
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Arroz de Cogumelos; wild mushroom rice with Azores Island cheese
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Grilled carabineiro with orzo bisque and coriander
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Braised Iberian pork cheek with apple and turnip puree, fig and plum chutney

JOIA’s pastry chef has developed a menu of innovative desserts that celebrate sweet and savoury flavours to create something truly unique. Guests will find a traditional warm sponge cake with manchego ice cream; chocolate and chorizo crumble with sherry vinegar; and red bell pepper chilli compote with strawberries, coriander seeds, biscuit and crème diplomat.

Set across the 14th floor, JOIA bar will offer a creative cocktail list from Bar Manager Alessandro Mannello. Each cocktail will take inspiration from JOIA’s namesake with a list of 12 signature cocktails inspired and named after gems from the region, reflecting both their colour and delicate qualities. There is the Safira Rosa, a mezcal-based cocktail with elderflower, grapefruit soda and rose petal water; the Pèrola, a mix of peach liqueur, rhubarb bitters and champagne; and the Esmeralda, a basil-infused gin cocktail with mint & matcha cordial. Cocktails will sit alongside a broad list of Portuguese and Spanish wines and vermouths, with a particular focus on lesser-known producers. But for those looking for something more traditional, there will be Opalas, JOIA’s modern take on a sangria, uniquely made using a mix of clarified red wine and white port, combined with agave nectar and served with mixed fruit.

JOIA’s interior design, by Russell Sage Studio, takes inspiration from the art deco style of the Power Station, mixed with modern touches and mid-century influences. By day, the restaurant is filled with natural light from the floor to ceiling windows, complementing the muted palette of pinks and greens repeated throughout the space. Adjacent to the kitchen pass is a chef’s table positioned within the restaurant, rather than in a private area, offering views over both Power Station and the kitchen. The restaurant also houses a sommelier station visible from all points of the restaurant, bringing a touch of theatre to the dining experience. Guests in search of JOIA bar descend a grand staircase, recalling old school glamour and parties of the 1920s. A large L-shaped bar is the focal point of the space with
a marble top with brass accents and a ribbed timber front, painted pink in keeping with the colour palette of the restaurant upstairs. The bar is framed by a scenic decorated double height wall, mirroring features present in the restaurant.

For more information about JOIA, please see here and follow @joiabattersea to keep up to date with all the latest news.

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For media enquiries, please contact:

Joia Press Office
T: + +44 (0)7828 762 882
E: [email protected]

art’otel Press Office
T: + +44 (0)7523 336366
E: [email protected]

Battersea Power Station Development Company Press Office
T: +44 (0) 20 7062 1870
E: [email protected]

About Henrique Sá Pessoa
Born in Lisbon, Henrique Sá Pessoa trained at the Cordon Bleu Institute and honed his craft at Panorama restaurant at the Sheraton Hotel and Hotel da Lapa, both in Lisbon, at the Sheraton on the Park in Sydney, and at the Sheraton Park Lane, in London. In 2009 he opened Alma, his first solo project, which would later relocate to Lisbon’s Chiado district in 2015. In this new location, Alma was awarded two Michelin stars in 2018, making Sá Pessoa only the third chef in Portuguese history to receive this accolade. Sá Pessoa also owns a relaxed Portuguese restaurant Taspico which opened in 2017 and is the concept chef for Chiado, a Portuguese restaurant with an Asian influence in Macau, and ARCA, the restaurant at art’otel Amsterdam which opened in 2021. In Portugal, Sá Pessoa is recognised for his appearances on the cooking show Ingrediente Secreto and Chef de Família, and further accolades include winning Portugal’s Chef of the Year in 2005, GQ’s Chef of the Year in 2007, and being placed 38th in The Best Chef Awards in 2021 – the highest new entry that year.

About PPHE Hotel Group
PPHE Hotel Group is an international hospitality real estate company, with a £1.8 billion portfolio, valued as at December 2021 by Savills and Zagreb nekretnine Ltd (ZANE), of primarily prime freehold and long leasehold assets in Europe. Through its subsidiaries, jointly controlled entities and associates it owns, co-owns, develops, leases, operates and franchises hospitality real estate. Its portfolio includes full-service upscale, upper upscale and lifestyle hotels in major gateway cities and regional centres, as well as hotel, resort and campsite properties in select resort destinations. The Group’s strategy is to grow its portfolio of core upper upscale city centre hotels, leisure and outdoor hospitality and hospitality management platform. PPHE Hotel Group benefits from having an exclusive and perpetual licence from the Radisson Hotel Group, one of the world’s largest hotel groups, to develop and operate Park Plaza® branded hotels and resorts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In addition, PPHE Hotel Group wholly owns, and operates under, the art’otel® brand and its Croatian subsidiary owns, and operates under, the Arena Hotels & Apartments® and Arena Campsites® brands. PPHE Hotel Group is a Guernsey registered company with shares listed on the London Stock Exchange. PPHE Hotel Group also holds a controlling ownership interest in Arena Hospitality Group, whose shares are listed on the Prime market of the Zagreb Stock Exchange.

About Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is one of central London’s largest, most visionary and eagerly anticipated new riverside neighbourhoods. The regeneration project is delivering a vibrant, mixed-use destination offering a community of homes, shops, restaurants, offices, culture and leisure venues, as well as 19 acres of public space, all serviced by an extension to the London Underground Northern Line. The Grade II* listed Power Station and Electric Boulevard, a new high street for London, opened to the public on Friday 14th October, with the first tranche of shops, bars, restaurants and leisure venues welcoming visitors. Further retailers will open through 2022 and 2023. Battersea Power Station is also home to events venues, new office space and 254 new residential apartments. The first residents moved into the Power Station in 2021.