'Emily In Paris' Star Opens Up A Luxury London Dive Bar
If you're a fan of "Emily in Paris," then you are probably très familiar with Chez Lavaux, a fictitious restaurant that appears as a frequent backdrop in the Netflix series. According to Holr Magazine, there's a real-life restaurant behind the exterior of the Parisian restaurant where Emily (played by Lily Collins) finds one of her love interests, Gabriel (played by Lucas Bravo), working as a chef. The outlet explains that the restaurant is actually Terra Nera, and it's an Italian bistro serving up dishes like linguine alle vongole and torta della nonna.
Though Chez Lavaux may be a made-up restaurant and Bravo acts the part of a chef in the series, he revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he has actually spent some time in a kitchen in real life. It turns out, Bravo isn't the only cast member with experience in both hospitality and playing a romantic lead in "Emily in Paris." According to Time Out, Lucien Laviscount, who plays, Alfie, one of Emily's other paramours in the series, recently opened a luxury dive bar in London.
The Wealthy Beggar is Lucien Laviscount's new spot
Lucien Laviscount, who has acted in a number of TV series in addition to "Emily in Paris" including "Supernatural" and "Snatch" (via IMDb), has joined forces with some veterans of the hospitality scene to open his new locale, The Wealthy Beggar. According to My London, the team behind Laviscount's latest spot also includes restaurateur Zac Lichman who was formerly on the series "Big Brother" and head chef Gareth Drew who previously worked at Nobu London. As Time Out explains, the three businessmen also opened a cafe bar together in 2018 named The Shop, but the establishment has since closed.
Customers headed to The Wealthy Beggar in Kensal Rise will find the self-proclaimed "five-star dive bar" offering bites like "cheeseburger dumplings with kimchi ketchup" and drinks such as the "Loaded Dice" with watermelon, banana, coconut, and rum, according to Time Out. Entertainment is also on the menu at the new bar, with musician/DJ Don Letts running a program of live performances and quiz nights (via Forbes). Though it might be a little early to speculate whether the venue's fans will be as invested in the bar as "Emily in Paris" fans are invested in the lead characters' love lives, there is already some evidence of enthusiasm for Laviscount's new place. In an Instagram post for The Wealthy Beggar's launch party, one follower gushed, "North London just got a lot better."