Mr Lyan Studio bar consultancy for Noreen restaurant

How do we extend the venue’s stories and experiences through cocktails?

Noreen is a new, middle eastern restaurant, tucked into St Christopher’s Place - a lively pocket of central London that reflects the city’s dynamic and diverse nature. Taking its name from the Arabic for ‘two lights’, Noreen explores dualities: past and present, rooted and evolving, familiar and unexpected.

With a menu crafted by Harrods’ Head Chef Mehdi Hani, the restaurant celebrates refined Middle Eastern cooking with a contemporary lens. Mr Lyan Studio were brought in to create a beverage programme that would complement this approach, building a menu with storytelling at its heart, and guest experience front of mind.

A balanced menu, where alcohol content is secondary to flavour and experience

The Studio developed a drinks menu where alcohol was optional, but flavour was fundamental, recognising the importance of catering to a largely Middle Eastern audience. The cocktails showcased regional ingredients like black lime, mulberry and pomegranate, each available with or without alcohol, placing drinkers and non-drinkers on equal footing.

To honour Bahraini culture more directly, the team created ‘Arak Gimlet’–a bold, celebratory digestif rooted in local spirit traditions. Alongside the menu development, Mr Lyan Studio supported Noreen with training, sourcing, systems setup, photography and marketing support, ensuring the drinks programme launched with impact and integrity.

The partnership has captured significant press attention since launch, with coverage in Hot Dinners, Harpers Wine & Spirit, Hardens and Dine Out Magazine amongst others.

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Summary of scope:

• Cocktail program development

• Team training and mentoring

• Co-promotion, press and industry outreach