Mindfulness Finally Invades London Restaurants

It’s time to eat: in spaces infused with “elements of positive psychology throughout.” Yeotown, a celebrated Devon wellness retreat that markets itself as “the home of complete wellbeing,” has opened its first London site on Chiltern Street in Marylebone — as reported by Big Hospitality.

The original Devon retreat promises to “expand your awareness, fine tune your balance and increase your levels of health, vitality and spiritual curiosity,” all of which are excellent qualities for a restaurant — though balance, health and vitality may well take a whack at some of London’s best and hottest spots.

The restaurant does not just serve food and drink, instead providing structured meditations in specially-designed pods for when the rhapsodic experience of a beetroot latte leads the spirit astray. As Yeotown puts it:

The Basic Break: For a quick rejuvenation in mind, body and being
The Bravery Break: For a boost of courage and confidence (perhaps pre-meeting/ presentation/date?)
The Beauty Break: To encourage self-love and finding beauty within
The Brain Break: To soothe anxiety, gain better clarity and perspective
The Balance Break: To restore focus, direction and equilibrium

Yeotown Kitchen | Instagram

Yeotown Kitchen | Instagram

Napkins are emblazoned with tips for eating mindfully, while tables carry fortune-cookie style messages like ‘Accept and Move On’ or ‘Take a Deep Breath’. Food includes bowls named after various character traits: The Courage Bowl features buckwheat soba noodles with smoked tofu, carrot, avocado and other vegetables, while the Empathy Bowl is an “Indo noodle” creation. Integrity Raw Rice Paper Wraps feature “shredded seasonal veggies, avocado, mango thai basil, smoked tofu, and much more”, while The Honesty Burger (named for its ironic approach to intellectual property) features “beluga lentils, caramelised onions and local quinoa on a flax sun-dried tomato bun with probiotic aioli catsup with roasted sweet potato fries.” Avocado toast is referred to as Forgiveness, presumably to pre-empt the disgruntled millennials who find themselves unable to buy a house after eating — all while mindfully chewing twenty times.