‘Nightmare’ fire-bombed London restaurant has licence revoked

An upmarket sushi restaurant has lost its bid to stay open after bosses failed to turn up at an all-important licensing meeting.

Westminster City councillors took less than 15 minutes yesterday to revoke Monak’s licence, saying the restaurant in Abbey Road, failed to meet any of its licensing objectives after it was fire-bombed and targeted by gunmen over a 12-month period.

Councillors heard how Monak’s owners, Olives and Cream Limited, initially denied being the licence holders before cutting off contact with the Met in May.

The Met said it was by “sheer luck” no customers were killed or seriously injured when Monak was targeted in a drive-by shooting in May 2022 and set ablaze by masked men carrying machetes and Molotov cocktails in April.

Representing the police, counsel Stephanie Bruce-Smith said: “The facts speak for themselves. These are both incidents where members of the public could have easily been killed, if not very seriously injured and it is by just sheer luck that no such injuries or death occurred.”

Max Barney Pub Company, which leases the St John’s Wood site, apologised for the “nightmare” residents faced and claimed it had no idea what was going on until April this year.

A representative from the company – which has 25 licensed premises across London – said the chain does not get involved with the ‘day-to-day’ operations of its tenants and found Monak’s owners through an agent.

They said: “The case is absolutely appalling. It has been fundamentally undermining the licensing objectives and shows a total disregard. 

“We believe the licence is tainted. We don’t want anything to do with it”.

The company said it hopes to fill the venue with a new tenant “at a future date”.

Ward councillor Caroline Sargent said nearly 200 residents signed a petition calling for Monak’s licence review after being harassed by drug dealers as far back as 2018.

Richard Brown from St John’s Wood Society said locals were suffering “huge” anxiety and were too afraid to speak up.

He said one was woken by gunshots and saw a  gunman reloading outside their porch.

He said: “It’s the residents who have been on the frontline of these appalling events… it has caused huge anxiety and fear for their safety and their families’ safety.

“It is testimony to their horror at what has unfolded, that despite what misgivings they had about recriminations should they put their heads above the parapet, 58 have nonetheless done so.”

One resident, who couldn’t be named out of fear of being targeted, said there has been a “day and night” difference to the area since Monak closed in April.

They said: “We are able to sleep again, we are able to open our windows again and not breathe something that is not sickly toxic, dangerous shisha.

“I have reduced anxiety even though I am very nervous right now because my children were approached very regularly by cars, handing out phone numbers to them and asking if they wanted drugs.

“One of my children was really scared to let me know because he knew I would call the police. “

Monak closed in May after it was burnt down in April. In May last year, a gang also fired shotgun pellets at the restaurant’s front door before speeding off, according to a submission to Westminster Council by the met.

Pictured top: Monak’s burnt interior during a police visit in September, 2023 (Picture: The Met)