We continue our look at new businesses in Ealing with a restaurant entrepreneur’s venture in the centre of the town, which he sees as part of the beginning of an exciting future for the ‘new Ealing’.
Building on the success of Charlotte’s Place in Ealing Common and Charlotte’s Bistro in Chiswick, Charlotte’s W5 has opened in the old stable block in Dickens Yard after a painstaking conversion of the heritage property. As you can see in the video (above) Charlotte’s W5 is intended to be more than just a restaurant and bar.
Owner Alex Wrethman said: “Ealing being my home patch, I wanted to create something that residents and the business community could use for almost any purpose, any time of the day.
“It is a ‘third place’ concept – you have home, you have work and you have your third place. You can come here for anything from morning coffee to a breakfast meeting; a working lunch or brunch; to simply catch up on emails; to have some evening drinks or to enjoy a blow-out dinner.”
Here comes the new Ealing
Alex sees Charlotte’s as part of a wider regeneration of Ealing which is only going to accelerate with the advent of Crossrail (or the Elizabeth Line, as it is to be called).
“I am absolutely delighted we are being a part of, or maybe even a catalyst for, the regeneration of Ealing,” he said. “There have been all kinds of wonderful meetings taking place here already – we have had people here celebrating planning consents going through, people with architect’s drawings out on the table, and all sorts of meetings going on in at Charlotte’s W5. We are really excited to be part of the new Ealing.
“Watching all the changes that are going to be occurring in Ealing I have a feeling that Ealing may well become the tourist stop-off between Heathrow and central London.
“I have a little feeling that with all the hotels cropping up, and all these new businesses, that Ealing might become that tourist hub you can stay in just outside the centre of London and there might be a lot more good quality food and drink operations cropping up in Ealing and servicing that need. It might be a really interesting and vibrant area to be in.”
