East London Archives - Dash and Splash

November 24, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

A Gastronomic Wonderland: Three Unique Christmas Menu Photoshoots in London

Best Festive Menu in Canary Wharf — *Festive dishes at Bōkan 37*

'Tis the season, and Christmas menus are popping up all around London. Whether you're looking for a lavish fine dining meal or a Christmas sandwich on the go, there's something for every mood. In the past few months, I've had the pleasure of shooting three unique festive menus at Bōkan 37, The Pear Tree at Greenland Place, and B Bagel.

Shooting festive cheer

Three's something undeniably special about Christmas. it's a time when families and friends come together, often around the table. As a result, festive menus abound.

Since August 2023, I have done three festive photoshoots. The first was at Bōkan 37 in Canary Wharf, which is serving an elegant five course Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menu. The second was at B Bagel, which is welcoming the festive season with two decked out bagels. And the third one was at The Pear Tree, which is serving a two and three course menu throughout the month of December.

Best Festive Menu in London — *Three unique Christmas menus*

Christmas Menu at B Bagel: The Christmas Turkey Bagel — *Three unique Christmas menus*

A delectable five course menu at Bōkan 37

Perched atop the Novotel in Canary Wharf, Bōkan 37 beckons food lovers with its understated elegance and unmatched views. On Christmas Day, Executive Chef Robert Manea and Head Pastry Chef Luigi Festinante have put together a five course feast like no other.

To capture the essence of the menu, I shot three dishes, as well as some festive desserts, These were:

Chestnut soup, Alsace bacon
Venison, queen’s pear & ginger spice
Foie gras Brioche, Berries Chutney
Ricotta & pear cheesecake
Bōkan Big Ben

Fine Dining Photographer — *Fine dining elegance: The festive menu at Bōkan 37*

The battle for London's best Christmas sandwich: B Bagel's Christmas Bagels

Come December, we're all looking for a great Christmas sandwich. B Bagel, with its casual and playful atmosphere, has introduces a festive treat to their menu. Served with stuffing and cranberry sauce, you have the option of turkey or brie as your filling. Whatever you choose, this is a Christmas sando to remember!

Brie and Cranberry Bagel — *A taste of festive cheer: B Bagel's Christmas bagel*

A neighbourhood gem: The Christmas menu at The Pear Tree in Greenland Place

Nestled in the heart of Greenland Place, The Pear Tree invites you in for cosy meals with your nearest and dearest. From the 30th November to the 24th December, they are running a festive menu alongside their regular one, offering two courses for £29 and three courses for £36.50.

You can start your meal with pumpkin soup with roasted chestnuts and truffle, or the duck rillette, before indulging in a mushroom & truffle wellington or a roasted partridge with a confit leg croquette. End your meal with a decadent dessert like the Christmas pudding with blueberries and almonds, or the rice pudding with boozy prunes and coconut flakes.

Let the festive feasting begin!

Christmas Menu Photography — *The two and three course Christmas menu at The Pear Tree*

Christmas Set Menu — *The two and three course Christmas menu at The Pear Tree*

Behind the scenes

The three photoshoots took place between August and October 2023. If you fancy seeing more festive content, including Christmas cocktails, keep an eye on my Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok as I have two more Christmas shoots scheduled in the next weeks.

To delve deeper into previous food and restaurant shoots, have a look at TOKii, Taste of London, Benares Mayfair, Bonfire, SlowBurn, Chuku’s and The Haberdashery. If you're into cocktails, check out the festive cocktails at Bōkan Bar, Lanique Spirit of Rose and Sabine Rooftop Bar.

Or drop me a line - I'd love to hear from you!

Published by Naf Castanas in Food and Drinks, Food Photography, London guides, London Restaurant Photography, Restaurant & Brand Photography

November 23, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

Magical Spirits and Spooky Colours: Shooting Fall and Halloween Cocktail Specials at Bōkan Bar, Canary Wharf

Cocktail Specials Bokan 37 and Bokan Bar in Novotel Canary Wharf — *A festive photoshoot at Bōkan Bar*

At the top of the Novotel hotel, Bōkan Bar is more than just a place to grab a drink; it's a sanctuary for those who appreciate the art of making cocktails. During my latest photoshoot, I had the chance to explore the captivating mixology of Bōkan, where I focused on their seasonal and Halloween cocktail specials for Halloween and London Cocktail Week, as well as the brand new drinks menu crafted by Bar Manager Generoso D'Avino.

A bar with a view: Bōkan Bar in Canary Wharf

Perched on the 38th floor, Bōkan Bar in Canary Wharf undeniably offers some of the best views in the city. But don't be fooled; the real reason to visit is the innovative cocktail list. While the talented staff can make you any drink you fancy, their cocktail list changes twice per year, and they create cocktail specials for most occasions. As such, every visit is an invitation to find your new favourite cocktail!

Commercial Photographer London Cocktail Specials — *Creative mixology meets breathtaking views*

A creative mixologist's vision

One of the highlights of this photoshoot was delving into the creative process of Bar Manager Generoso D'Avino. His new cocktail menu reflects his passion for making drinks and his commitment to pushing the limits of flavour combinations and presentation. Shooting behind the scenes, I captured him and his team put finishing touches to the beautiful drinks.

Cocktails Specials in London — *Capturing the magic happen: Shooting behind the scenes at the bar*

Commercial Photographer London Cocktails — *Capturing the magic happen: Shooting behind the scenes at the bar*

The new cocktail specials

Bōkan Bar always delivers on its drinks specials. In this photoshoot, I captured the Halloween Special as well as the Gimlet which was on the menu for London Cocktail Week.

Witching hour: The Bōkan Halloween Cocktail special

Bōkan Bar's Halloween special, the Canela Rai, is a balanced mix of calvados, Mozart pumpkin, pumpkin purée, and cinnamon syrup. It is served in a flute covered with cinnamon and topped with a cinnamon stick and an edible flower.

Raising a glass to London Cocktail Week

During London Cocktail Week, Bōkan Bar added a special to their menu. A smokey twist on a Gimlet, it's a mix of Don Ramon Salmiana mezcal, lime juice and HM lime, grapefruit & rosemary cordial.

London Cocktail Week Bokan Bar Cocktail Special — *A smokey gimlet for London Cocktail Week*

Cocktails that look like works of art

Other than the cocktail specials, I photographed the brand new cocktail list. Bōkan Bar shines as a hub of creativity and sophistication for mixology lovers - and that's what makes it one of my favourite bars. It's a place where every drink is a work of art, and every moment is an experience. As a result, Generoso D'Avino's new cocktail list pushes the boundaries of taste and appearance.

I aimed to capture the craftsmanship of his cocktails, highlighting their vibrant colours and intricate details.

Bokan 37 and Bokan Bar in Novotel Canary Wharf — *The stunning cocktails at Bōkan Bar*

Bar snacks in Canary Wharf

Lastly, I ended the shoot with their food menu. Specifically, the Bōkan tiles: a selection of Paxton & Whitfield cheese and Cobble Lane cured butcher’s charcuterie.

Restaurant Videography — *The Bōkan tiles: A selection of British cheese and charcuterie*

Cheese and Charcuterie Board London — *The Bōkan tiles: A selection of British cheese and charcuterie*

The technical details

This was a half day shoot at Bōkan Bar. I shot on a mirrorless Sony a7iii, with a 24-70mm and a 50-mm lens and a Godox softbox strobe light.

Bōkan is located at 40 Marsh Wall, London E14 9TP. The shoot was organised by Roche Communications.

Interested in seeing more?

You can follow me on Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok to see more of my work.

Fancy seeing more cocktail photography? You can check out my previous shoots for Lanique Spirit of Rose and Sabine Rooftop Bar. If you're interested in food and restaurant photography, have a look at previous shoots at TOKii, Taste of London, Benares Mayfair, Bonfire, SlowBurn, Chuku's and The Haberdashery.

If you liked this photos or if you'd like to discuss a shoot, get in touch! I'd love to hear from you.

Published by Naf Castanas in Behind the Scenes, Food and Drinks, London Bar Photography, Restaurant & Brand Photography

Tags: Bar Photography, Behind the Scenes, Cocktail Photography, Drinks Photography, East London, London Bar Photography, London Hotel

December 28, 2021 — Comments are off for this post.

Christmas Food Photography – The Festive Burger at Bonfire

Bonfire Restaurant at the Barbican specialises in burgers, beers, and fiery fried chicken. This Christmas, they went all out with their incredible festive burger: a turkey burger with bacon and cranberry sauce, topped with pigs in blankets. It's Christmas on a plate!

A Christmas photoshoot: Shooting the festive burger at Bonfire

Bonfire at the Barbican is an industrial-chic casual restaurant, with quirky art and a spacious summer terrace.

This Christmas, they had a winter makeover. The restaurant featured beautiful seasonal decorations, complete with a stunning wreath by the talented Yan Skates. By popular demand, they brought back their delicious festive turkey burger.

The aim of this shoot was to capture the Christmas specials and team, in order to populate their social media, as well as some of the items they were low on photography for. These included one of their veggie burger, some sides, and Freedom beer.

The photography brief

The focus of the shoot was:

The festive turkey burger
The Christmas wreath
The halloumi burger
The burgers with the Christmas decorations
Some sides, beers, and the festive dessert
The team with the wreath

The festive burger

The Bonfire festive burger features a turkey patty, rashers of streaky bacon, cranberry sauce, and is topped by three pigs in blankets. The client requested photos of the entire burger, as well as photos of the pigs in blanket.

Festive Burger Photography — *The festive turkey burger*

The Christmas wreath

While there were lots of Christmas decorations, the wreath steals the show. I shot it both in its entirety and zoomed into some of its features. I also used the wreath as a backdrop for lots of the photos, to create a cohesive look on social media.

Restaurant Photographer Portfolio UK — *Yan Skates' stunning wreath*

The halloumi burger

While Bonfire's menu is short and sweet, there are several vegetarian and vegan options. During my photography session, I shot the halloumi burger - both on its own and with veggie sides. I also photographed the burger with the wreath, to be used during the festive season.

Vegetarian Burger Photography London — *The halloumi burger*

Sides, desserts and Freedom beer

The last part of the food brief consisted of sides, shot with and without the Christmas background, the Christmas special dessert, and bottles of Freedom beer.

*Fries, onion rings, Freedom beer, and mince pie tart*

The group shot

Once all the individual shots were done, I photographed a group scene with all the elements from the shoot.

The team

Lastly, I photographed the team in front the wreath, holding burgers. The photos were used on social media, as well as the restaurant's newsletter.

Restaurant Team Photographer — *The team at Bonfire*

The nitty gritty

This was a two-hour shoot in December 2021. I used a Sony a7iii, with a 24-70mm lens and a 50mm lens, and a Manfrotto tripod.. I only used natural light, and also shot short videos to create Instagram Reels. Alexa Harris assisted.

Bonfire is located on Level 1 of the Barbican Centre, EC2Y 8DS.

Like this? There's more!

Catch me on Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok.

You can also check my previous festive shoot at Sabine Rooftop Bar, and restaurant shoots at SlowBurn, Chuku's, The Haberdashery, and Pastore - or get tips on how to pick the right restaurant photographer for your business. You can also see some of my food styling gigs!

If you liked this post, please drop me a line - I'd love to hear from you!

Published by Naf Castanas in Food and Drinks, Food Photography, London Restaurant Photography, Restaurant & Brand Photography

Tags: East London, Festive Photography, Food Photography, London Food Photography, London Restaurant Photography

October 19, 2021 — Comments are off for this post.

Amazing Restaurant Photography – SlowBurn’s Spring & Summer Menu

Shooting the stunning spring/summer menu for SlowBurn in Walthamstow

How do you capture amazing restaurant photography? Well, it does help when the food is truly great! I've been lucky to work with the team at SlowBurn since before they officially opened. So far, I've gotten to shoot three of their menu iterations.

This time round, I photographed their stunning spring/summer menu. Please be advised that these photos will make you drool.

Amazing restaurant photography in Walthamstow: The spring/summer menu at SlowBurn

The ethos of SlowBurn is to champion vegetables, while putting meat on the side. It is therefore not surprising that the menu changes with the seasons - sometimes even several times per month.

Following lockdown, and as restaurants were allowed to host guests indoors, SlowBurn transitioned from a local takeaway option to a dine-in restaurant. To celebrate the reopening and revamping, I shot their latest menu.

The restaurant photography brief

As with the previous photoshoot at SlowBurn, the brief included:

Single dish shots in similar settings and from different angles
Big table scenes
Zoomed in shots of a single dish on a large table scene
Action shots, including hands
A limited photo selection edited for the Resy website

Best Fish Tacos — *The incredible salmon gyoza tacos*

The single dish shots

Most restaurants are keen to showcase their menu. I therefore always make sure to include single dish shots. These are really useful to use on the restaurant's website, on delivery platforms, or on social media.

Head Chef and Owner Chavdar Todorov wanted each dish on the new menu shot from two different angles. First, I shot them from above, with the same set up for each dish. Keeping the same setting is a great way to save time during a busy shoot - simultaneously ensuring your client gets the images they need without having an overwhelming shot list.

Amazing Restaurant Photography — *The single dish shots from a 90 degree angle*

Next up, I shot the same dishes at an angle, in a table setting.

Restaurant Photography Price London — *Single dishes shot at an angle*

Desserts Photography UK — *Single dishes shot at an angle*

The tablescapes

One of my favourite things to shoot is big table scenes. While these shots take a lot more time to plan and set up, it's really satisfying to see the menu come to life, and represented in all its glory. Shooting tablescapes was a big part of the brief. I therefore shot different scenes of a big table, as well as zoomed in photos of singles dishes on a busy table.

Amazing Food Photography Naf Castanas — *Big table scenes at SlowBurn. Wouldn't you love to sit at this table?*

London Restaurant Photography Portfolio — *Big table scenes at SlowBurn. Wouldn't you love to sit at this table?*

Action shots

Food is inherently social. For that reason, I love shooting people interacting with the food. That includes eating, serving, or holding a plate. Since this was a short shoot, I kept the action shots simple, using the existing set up.

The photos for Resy

Lastly, I selected some of my favourite shots and cropped them to the specifications needed for the Resy website. Namely, the photos were cropped to landscape orientation, with a resolution of 2400 × 1602.

Food Photography for Resy — *The photos for SlowBurn's Resy page*

Food Photography for Deliveroo — *The photos for SlowBurn's Resy page*

The nitty gritty

This shoot lasted one day. The images were shot on a Sony A7iii with a 35mm and a 24-70mm lens, using natural light. The photoshoot took place at the Agenda Brown / Studio Marvelry studio space. Juliana assisted with hand modelling.

SlowBurn is located inside Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, a working denim factory in Walthamstow. You can see my previous shoot at SlowBurn here.

Let's be social

Catch me on Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok.

You can also check my previous restaurant shoots at Chuku's, The Haberdashery, and Pastore - or get tips on how to get started. You can also see some of my food styling gigs!

If you liked this post, please let me know!

Published by Naf Castanas in Food and Drinks, Food Photography, London Restaurant Photography, Restaurant & Brand Photography

Tags: East London, Food Photography, London Food Photography, London Restaurant Photography