M Canary Wharf
We are huge admirers of restaurateur Martin Williams and all that he has achieved.
Martin entered the restaurant industry in his teens, moving steadily up the ranks to management positions at WOK WOK, Zizzi and Christopher’s Covent Garden.
He joined the Argentinian steakhouse group, Gaucho, in 2005 and worked his way up to the position of Managing Director until in 2014 he left to launch M Restaurants, growing the business to 150 staff and generating a turnover in excess of £8 Million.
In 2018 Martin returned to Gaucho to take over the company as CEO, following its period of administration in the years after he left.
He brought the M and Gaucho brands together under a new company, Rare Restaurants Ltd.
Martin has become something of an industry spokesperson and is frequently seen to comment on any number of issues that affect the restaurant industry, from energy costs to staff shortages, although he is particularly passionate about sustainability.
M Restaurants is entering a new era as the group’s third restaurant opens in Canary Wharf.
M will be a culinary destination in the 220m high Newfoundland, located both on the banks of the Thames and the waterways of Canary Wharf, boasting the most sustainable new build in the area to date.
Extending over the ground and first floors of Newfoundland, M Canary Wharf offers a destination bar serving sensory cocktails, a 180-cover restaurant, two private dining rooms, a wine tasting room, the Taste of La Petite M Café, and an exclusive private members’ lounge.
All are surrounded by a Provence-inspired terrace filled with lemon trees and lavender, offering rosé wine and gin in partnership with Maison Mirabeau.
The 10,000 square foot René Dekker designed venue, which is inspired by vintage yachts found in the French Riviera, is encased in 360-degree floor to ceiling glass with accents of teak and leather.
M already boasts two celebrated international grill restaurants, in Threadneedle Street and Victoria Street, which offer the most exclusive cuts of Wagyu beef available in London.
Billed as ‘gastro playgrounds’, the venues are known for attracting top business leaders and politicians, as well as sports personalities and music and film stars.
Sustainability Credentials
M sources all ingredients from the best ethical and sustainable food suppliers around the world, as part of their pledge to run carbon neutral restaurants by 2030.
All their restaurants offer 100% carbon neutral beef, achieved through work to reduce carbon footprint at source and an ongoing partnership with Not For Sale, an organisation that runs reforestation projects in the Amazon taking local people out of danger of modern-day slavery whilst also off-setting carbon emissions.
To date, Rare Restaurants has funded the planting of over 4,000 trees across six projects in Peru and Brazil, with a total offsetting potential of 1,464 tonnes of carbon.
They have now invested in further projects to offset their meat carbon footprint for the whole of 2022 and every year thereafter, two years ahead of schedule in the company’s roadmap to carbon net zero, which is managed by Impact Manager Alyson Parkes, the company’s in-house sustainability expert.
For Canary Wharf, M is also introducing Highland Wagyu sourced from Perthshire in Scotland, where cattle graze on 25,000 acres of British grassland.
The sustainable beef will sit alongside sustainably sourced fish, as well as herbs, leaves and baby vegetables from the hydroponic urban farm, Crate to Plate, grown within walking distance of the restaurant in Canary Wharf itself.
M also offers a programme of Sustainable Serves, such as the rosé wines and gin of Maison Mirabeau.
The Provençal winemaker is rewilding its vineyards, regenerating soils, rebuilding biodiversity, and investing 50% of profits in projects that directly combat climate change.
M have also launched an Impact Blog Series online, outlining all recent news and activity.
Newfoundland is owned and managed by Vertus, a part of Canary Wharf Group (CWG) who are the largest sustainable developer in the UK.
They excel operationally as they have purchased 100% electricity from renewable sources since 2012 and sent zero waste to landfill since 2009.
CWG has created a 24/7 city where people can live, work and thrive on the Canary Wharf estate and enjoy all the benefits: great transport links, access to green spaces and waterside living; and a wide range of amenities including an award-winning arts and events programme.
Canary Wharf’s retail offering comprises over 300 shops, including grocery stores, pharmacies, health clubs, bars and restaurants, all within 15 minutes’ walk.