Latest venture to sign up to the Ram Quarter provides another boost to town centre’s fortunes

Independent Japanese restaurant Sushi Moka will soon be opening its doors to discerning diners at its new restaurant in the town centre’s iconic Ram Quarter.

Sushi Moka specialises in authentic Japanese food with a fusion twist, offering yet another boost to the town centre’s economic fortunes.

When it opens in the summer it will join “boutique” bowling alley, bar and restaurant Strike which opened its doors at the Ram Quarter just before Christmas.

Their arrival in the Ram Quarter followed closely behind the unveiling of the new Sambrooks brewery - ensuring the town centre’s 500 year tradition of beer brewing will be maintained well into the 21st Century.

Other recent arrivals include entertainment mega-hub Gravity in the Southside shopping centre – offering visitors an all-electric indoor go-karting track and crazy golf course, along with high ropes climbing, darts, pool and basketball plus new restaurant outlets. It offers family focused entertainment during the day with live music and a high-end cocktail bar designed to attract a young adult crowd in the evenings and nights.

And in a further vote of confidence in the town centre’s economic outlook, Young’s Brewery will soon open its new headquarters as part of a redevelopment of the historic Grade II Listed Spread Eagle public house, which was awarded planning consent last year for the creation of a 21-bedroom boutique hotel on the pub’s upper floors.

Other landmark regeneration schemes that are contributing to the town centre’s continued vibrancy include the Wandsworth Business Village, the Ram Brewery site, Lyon House and The Filaments in Buckhold Road.

Work has also just finished on the redevelopment of two former council office blocks fronting Garrett Lane and Wandsworth High Street along with another formerly owned by South Thames College, providing 200 new homes, a brand new and improved public library, better teaching facilities at the college, new shops and a revamped town centre green space.

Fifty of these new homes are affordable and are being offered to Wandsworth residents on lower incomes to rent or buy at a discounted price.

Another key element of the scheme is making better public use of the Old Burial Ground in Garratt Lane, which is an important but previously underused town centre green space. New pedestrian links have been opened up providing a direct route into the high street, while a state-of-the-art library also forms part of this route, opening up onto a newly created public square, directly adjacent to the burial ground, offering seating and play space for younger children.

Christine Chen, owner and founder of Sushi Moka, said: “Ram Quarter’s emphasis on dynamic, independent brands makes it the perfect place for us to establish our first home south of the river. With our focus on quality and authenticity, we can’t wait for residents of Wandsworth and beyond to come in and discover our fantastic food for themselves.”

Chris Daly, deputy director of commercial for the Ram Quarter’s developers Greenland (UK), added: “Sushi Moka is an ideal fit for the vibrant food and leisure destination we’ve created, complementing our existing line-up of occupiers and playing well to our target demographics across Wandsworth and beyond. Ram Quarter is really cementing its reputation for offering bold, diverse and independent brands.”

Wandsworth Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Skills & Employment Cllr Rhodri Morgan added: “The town centre is going from strength to strength with a steady stream of new arrivals all contributing to a big upturn in its economic fortunes and providing exciting new reasons for people to visit and spend time their leisure time there.

“It’s our mission at the council to do all we can to help create a vibrant and sustainable town centre by encouraging new investment and supporting ventures that deliver new jobs and training opportunities.”

“As the high street faces up to the challenges and opportunities of a post pandemic world, it’s vitally important that councils offer the right level of support to help high streets recover and grow.”

The council has launched a new campaign encouraging residents to shop and eat local and support our town centres as the nation recovers from the effects of the pandemic.