Jaguar isn't just about cars, now it has a café in Knightsbridge, led by chef Michael O'Hare

You may well have seen the reveal of Jaguar's new electric Type-01 car in the news - it's quite the thing. That's not all they're launching this week, though, as it's coming alongside their brand-new showroom opening in Knightsbridge, just down the road from The Berkeley hotel.

As well as showing off the new car, that showroom is going to be doing something new for Jaguar, as it's the location for their own cafe called Cafe Eighty One. And as part of that, they've brought in a well-known chef, Michael O'Hare. He's best known outside of London for restaurants The Man Behind the Curtain and his latest in Boston Spa, Inlamentation (and you may have seen him on Great British Menu too). 

A few weeks ago, we got to try a little preview of the cafe as well as get a sneak peek at the showroom. One main takeaway: the concept car looked MUCH better than it did in photos, both in person and in red. As for the cafe, it's all very sleek and pared back - they've apparently been working at making lots of the elements inspired by the shapes, materials and colours used in the cars. 

We didn't get to try the food that the café will be serving - it was more of a tasting menu by O Hare "inspired" by the cafe menu (but honestly it was great to try the chef's food for the first time). If you're visiting the cafe, though, you'll find the afternoon tea to be a big part of that. That will feature "curated teas, savoury courses and a striking reinterpretation of the traditional scone". There's also the petit gâteau "inspired by the obloid" (a geometric form used in the design of the car), which you can see at the front of the picture below. 

Outside of the afternoon tea, you'll find the chef's take on a bacon sandwich (with cured Iberico pork secreto, spiced ketchup, dashi-infused mayonnaise, fresh mint and basil) and a lobster tail lobster roll with Amalfi lemon mayonnaise as well as a French onion soup. He's even serving up eggs and brioche soldiers (with truffle or caviar, mind). 

They're also planning future chef collabs in the cafe and if you know of any chefs who happen to drive a Jaguar, we'd put them at the top of the list for those. And if you're into the cars yourselves, it's well worth a look and maybe lingering over a lobster roll too.