Lavender Hill has long needed a bakery, and it’s set to finally get one.  The last few weeks have seen a flurry of cafe, bar & restaurant development on Lavender Hill – starting with Sweet Smile, pictured above, which is set to be a bakery / Cafe / cake maker, and which (if all goes well) could be open within the week.  They’re not a new business, but this is their first high street branch – and we’re already told there should be some Portuguese Custard Tarts in the offing. It’s looking the part – when we visited the new poured concrete floor was having a polish, and the all-important coffee machine was already in working order.

Update (21st December) – Sweet Smile is now open.

A few doors down, the former “Delicious Chicken and Pizza” unit, which has been in use as a variety of takeaways in recent years,m has had a very comprehensive overhaul, and is (we understand) set to open as a rather smarter fish and chip restaurant, including seating for the first time.  We’ll update this post when we have details.

Next up is The Fat Crab, who are opening their third branch in the unit that was previously Gastronhome, promising “The ultimate seafood experience”.  They currently have restaurants in Sutton and Harrow.  Fit-out is going swiftly, with a replacement terrace and a complete review of the interior – and it looks as though they may be up and running within a couple of weeks.

Update (21st December) – Sign now up, and this looks a lot closer to opening.

Unexpectedly, all three of these have used a common decorational feature of recycled wood from wooden pallets as a wall covering.  It looks good, and is clearly the trend of the moment!

Nearer the centre of Lavender Hill, the former The Lavender is finally being refurbished after a whole year empty (the seasonal Christmas decorations on the window are the ones left from last year!).  We’ve had various reports, but the most recent suggest this will be a Tapas restaurant.  Let us know if you have more details.

It’s not a restaurant, but we noticed that Hamilton Dry Cleaners on the opposite corner has had the builders in too – with a major refit to get a much fresher look and make the interior layout a lot more efficient.

And towards the station – Heidi, a restaurant / bar with an extensive wine selection, are taking over the old Valentina unit (opposite Pizza Express).  It’ll be their second site (the fist one is in Balham), and they’ve recently have had their application for an alcohol license approved, so we should expect work to start soon.