Joyau is three!
Everything we've learned from another year running the bar.
The last week has been a big one for milestones.
We marked three years since we first opened Joyau and we celebrated my sister (and her now husband) getting married.
The wedding was all sorts of wonderful and I could easily wax lyrical about it for days. The abridged version however, is that it was four days full of friends, family, food and an iconic first dance. I now feel brimming over with love and slightly in need of a holiday.
Back to reality and reflecting on the chunk of time Joyau has been open – 1,095 days to be precise – it feels at once like the blink of an eye and a small lifetime. Perhaps that’s the dichotomy between working hard and resting hard?
Who knows! What we are very sure of though, is that we’re beyond happy to still be open. You don’t need me to remind you that it’s tough out there for hospitality businesses right now – pubs are closing by the day, restaurants are doing what they can to encourage guests through the door, and all the while prices of everything are increasing everywhere.
Doom and gloom aside, consider this a small but gargantuan thank you to anyone who’s spent their precious time and money at the bar, this year, or really at any point since we opened our doors. None of it – the bacon sandwiches, the chef pop ups, the wines on tap, the tote bags – would be possible without you.
Now, and without further adieu, here’s everything we’ve learned from running the bar this year.
A cup of tea and a small biscuit at 4:26 has the power to turn anything around.
Margins are wafer thin and every single pound counts.
A NinjaCreami is basically a Pacojet and it makes extremely good, texturally dreamy ice cream.
It’s hard to work with your friends. It’s not impossible but it does add pressure to perform.
Planning a wedding while running a restaurant is a capital J, Juggle. But it’s also not impossible.
Pip Apple Juice may be the thing we sell the most of but it’s also what gets wasted the most. Those 180ml pouches are just a sip too many for little tummies.
You can replace bread in a recipe for taramasalata with hard-boiled eggs.
A shower after a dinner shift feels like a spa treatment.
You really do need to wear good shoes – and not Adidas Sambas – to be on your feet all day. Mary San Pablo convinced me that these (worn by nurses) are the best.
An account with Johnsons London Linen might feel excessive but by hell, it’s worth it.
The dishwasher will only drain if you hold the pipe at a horizontal angle and crouch while holding it, like you’re milking a cow.
A 1/9 pan can hold a whole bottle of wine.
Much as we might like to think otherwise, the P&L doesn’t lie.
Ras Al Hanout is a superior yet overlooked seasoning, thank you to Chloe Walsh for the enlightenment.
Speaking of Chloe, her green sauce is good on absolutely EVERYTHING.
The best staff meal often comes together from delving into the depths of the fridge and is a meal with more than one dish (one main and at least one side) and bread for Scarpetta.
A chicken sandwich will always sell. We’ve tried other filling combinations but nothing ever seems to trump a mayo-dressed chicken sandwich. Ditto for a bacon sandwich with Heinz ketchup.
It’s important, no matter how tired you are or how sore your feet feel, to resolve an argument before you go to bed.
Left to right; Julie Hetyei's salt cod brandade with spring crudités April 2026; a festive set up for December 2025; Jack as pizzaiolo, September 2025. The wine we sell the most of is our tap white wine – currently it’s a lovely Chenin from Nicolas Reau who’s based in Anjou – this year we’ve shifted 47 gallons of the stuff.
Julie Hetyei knows the best places to eat and drink in Marseille (her recommendations and a few others are in my Google map here).
Jack is the hardest working person I’ve ever met. He’s also a gifted napper.
Pop ups are fun and hugely rewarding but by golly, they’re hard work and not necessarily a money-making exercise.
Jemma Harrison makes the best gnocchi.
Having dinner in a restaurant that you helped to build doesn’t get boring.
Hosting a joint hen/stag for my sister and her now husband, was arguably the best night I’ve ever witnessed at the bar. But getting a second wind, drinking three spicy margaritas right before going to bed at 2:37am, is the most hungover I’ve ever been while working at the bar.
You absolutely must not open the oven while scones are cooking. Otherwise, you end up with scones as flat as pancakes.
Malik Bouzid taught us that there is a formula for creating a dish and it works every time without fail. The formula is also a secret.
Eleni’s least favourite job is refilling the blue roll, mine is taking the nozzles off the beer taps.
Jack’s doesn’t have a least favourite job.
Joyeta Ng’s dumplings are the most generously filled, juicy and well seasoned that I’ve ever eaten.
The best way to cook onions is with the lid on, sweating with butter and salt until the butter and the onion liquid emulsifies.
You can tatin practically any vegetable but aubergine is best. Thank you Alice Newman for showing us the way.
Getting to the bar at 7am to set up and prep might sound excessive but it’s the best way to back yourself. Plus it gives you enough time to sit down and have breakfast before the work really begins.
Until next time, have a good one!
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Huge!