Supper - Issue 15

ISSUE 15

Olivier Elzer

The award-winning chef discusses the journey that has brought him to The St. Regis Hong Kong

Super Lyan

Ryan Chetiyawardana lifts the lid on the challenge of opening his first bar outside London

The Times Square Edition

Ian Schrager confounds expectation with a dazzling F&B programme in the Big Apple

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INSIDE SUPPER

Setting

SPECIALS

Entrée 013

Starters

Journey Beyond

• The Fleur Room

SIPPING The Port Report

092

042

In-Room Oenology

098

Cocktails

102

044

Drinks

104

Moxy Chelsea, New York City

• Heimat

Appetisers 018

25hours Hotel Hafencity, Hamburg

Trends and concepts impacting the world of

• Louix Louis

global hotel F&B

The St. Regis Toronto • Idlewild

046 048

InterContinental Singapore • Torno Subito W Dubai – The Palm

SERVICE

Main Courses • The Times Square Edition Sushi, Boutiques and Movies

026

• Super Lyan

stakeholders lift the lid on growing the Nobu

Kimpton de Witt, Amsterdam

brand from a single restaurant into a global

• The Legacy House

hospitality empire.

Rosewood Hong Kong • Vintry & Mercer 034

052

New York City

Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and his fellow

Hong Kong’s Star Chef

EVENTS

050

058

To The Table Europe

110

To The Table MEA

112

NRA Show

113

Tiger: The Future of All-Day Dining

114

062 068

SIDES

London

A passionate exponent of modern French fine

• Tramonto

dining, Olivier Elzer is rising to the challenge

Hotel Ottilia, Copenhagen

072 Hepp: Elemental Force

120

of his demanding role as Culinary Director of

Petits Fours

123

the new St. Regis Hong Kong.

Head of the Table

129

The Washing Up

138

SWEETS Pick Your Own Dinner

078

Cooking On Gas

082

Signatures

086

Cover: Coffee cremeux and caramelised pecan nuts with mascarpone ice cream at L’Envol

003

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ENTRée

Journey Beyond

W

hen we launched Supper back

two decades, is currently hosting voyages with

in 2016, we did so because of a

Aqua Expeditions along the Mekong. Meanwhile,

palpable change in the approach to

Como has joined forces with Singapore Airlines

hotel dining. Previously a necessary

to bring its culinary programme to the skies in a

service that was, in many cases, little more than

move that will not only extend the group’s reach,

an unappetising meal served in a somewhat drab

but raise the bar for in-flight dining.

dining room, the hotel restaurant has become a

Such

ventures

essentially

mean

that

place that both guests and locals actively seek

travellers can experience quality F&B and

out, in which creative cuisine and an inventive

design throughout their entire journey, not

cocktail list marry with the interior design scheme

only at their destination. This is also the idea

to produce a captivating experience.

behind Supper’s sister publication, Starboard,

In issue 1’s entrée, we talked about the

born out of the increasingly close relationship

remarkable journey of hotel F&B, and the way in

between hospitality and transportation, and

which owners, operators, designers, chefs and

the idea that travel experiences extend beyond

bartenders are increasingly collaborating, not

the realms of a traditional hotel. We’ve recently

only at the luxury end of the market, but across

published issue 2 of Starboard, which features

all segments, from hostels and budget hotels to

reviews of newly launched vessels, previews of

boutique and lifestyle properties.

forthcoming concepts, and notably, a number

More recently, that journey has taken on a more

of new F&B ventures. London Stanstead Airport

literal meaning, with many of those involved in

has collaborated with top scientists to make

hotel F&B broadening their remit to encompass

the Sky High Sandwich, specifically designed to

other forms of hospitality such as cruise ships,

taste good at high altitude; Oceania Cruises has

river boats, sleeper trains and aeroplanes. Thomas

introduced a plant-based menu; and Silversea

Keller – who heads up a restaurant at Four Seasons

has announced plans for an innovative culinary

Hotel at The Surf Club, Miami – partnered with

programme tailored according to the region

luxury cruise line Seabourn to bring his classic

sailed, incorporating immersive experiences both

American cuisine to the seas, serving updated

onboard and ashore. These ventures demonstrate

versions of iconic dishes at The Grill, designed

an increased focus on F&B across all aspects of

by Adam Tihany. Elsewhere, Daniel Boulud –

travel, making the journey as much a part of the

whose seasonal French fare can be sampled at

experience as the destination.

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London – has

To receive a copy of Starboard, you can register

recently signed with Celebrity Cruises in a new

online at www.starboardmagazine.com, or if you

culinary adventure, and David Thomson, having

would like to get involved in the next issue, please

worked with Como Hotels & Resorts for almost

don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Catherine Martin | Managing Editor

013

THE BRIGADE P O R T FO LI O @suppermag

Editorial

Design

Editor-in-Chief Matt Turner - m.turner@mondiale.co.uk

Design Manager David Bell - d.bell@mondiale.co.uk

Managing Editor Catherine Martin - c.martin@mondiale.co.uk

Production Zoe Willcox - z.willcox@mondiale.co.uk

Assistant Editor Richard Frost - r.frost@mondiale.co.uk Editorial Assistant Kristofer Thomas - k.thomas@mondiale.co.uk Ben Thomas - b.thomas@mondiale.co.uk Consulting Editor Heleri Rande - heleri@hrande.com

Advertising

Strawberry Studios, Watson Square Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8390 www.suppermagazine.co.uk

Finance Finance Director Amanda Giles - a.giles@mondiale.co.uk Group Financial Controller Sarah Healey - s.healey@mondiale.co.uk Group Credit Controller Lynette Levi - l.levi@mondiale.co.uk

Advertising Manager Rachel Chadwick - r.chadwick@mondiale.co.uk

Accounts Assistant Kerry Mountney - k.mountney@mondiale.co.uk

Marketing

Corporate

Brand Director Amy Wright - a.wright@mondiale.co.uk

Chairman Damian Walsh - d.walsh@mondiale.co.uk

Subscriptions Enquiries: supper@mondiale.co.uk Website: Designed and developed by 93ft.com Supper is printed by Buxton Press

www.pordamsa.com @pordamsadesignforchefs

Setting

Trends and developments in the global F&B sector

“Compiling the menus collaboratively is extremely important, it instils a sense of comradery and engagement.”

Cédric Bourassin, Head Chef, Le Berceau des Sens, École Hôtelière de Lausanne

APPETISERS

Star Training An educational restaurant in Switzerland enters the history books by winning one of gastronomy’s highest accolades.

The culinary world was well and truly turned on its

menu. Bourassin, who passionately believes in using as many

head recently when a Michelin star, that benchmark of

Swiss products as possible, is keen for the whole team to

gastronomic achievement, was awarded to an educational

contribute to the creative process. As he puts it: “Compiling

restaurant in Switzerland for the very first time. While most

the menus collaboratively is extremely important, it instils

top establishments rely on assembling a settled team of

a sense of comradery and engagement.” Current culinary

experienced industry professionals in order to reach such

highlights include snow crab tart with a jolt of yuzu and

dizzy heights, Le Berceau des Sens (literally ‘Cradle of the

celery; bestseller ‘umami’ duck foie gras in dashi broth; and

Senses’) at École Hôtelière de Lausanne adopts a totally

Vaudois pork, braised celery shoots and roasted vegetables

different approach, with the hospitality management school’s

on toast. Away from the kitchen, students working front-

students taking turns to complete two-week shifts in the

of-house are also given regular critiques by experts, helping

restaurant, albeit under the watchful eye of Head Chef Cédric

them develop and ensuring customer needs are always placed

Bourassin, who has been at the helm since 2017. The 50-

front and centre during every service.

seat venue, which had already obtained the highest rating by

While understandably proud to have won a Michelin star,

Gault & Millau for an educational restaurant, is open to the

Bourassin is determined that Le Berceau will keep improving,

public for lunch and dinner during weekdays, but its primary

and not stray from its key aim – training the managers of

purpose is to immerse students in both front-of-house and

tomorrow. The excitement on campus when the news first

back-of-house operations, paving the way for them to hit the

broke was palpable, he recalls, and he is acutely aware that

ground running in their subsequent careers.

the award could deliver longer-term benefits for graduates

“It was not an objective to get a Michelin star, we are

too, noting: “The students were incredibly happy and proud,

training future managers not future cooks,” explains

and they celebrated with us, with some even being clever

Bourassin, whose CV includes stints working with the

enough to note that now they can put work experience at a

likes of Anne-Sophie Pic and the Bras family, as well as an

Michelin-starred restaurant on their resumes.”

extensive period in Japan. “But it means that the system we

There is no doubt that Le Berceau’s recognition in the

implemented is working – the students are switching sections

Michelin Guide, whose inspectors paid tribute to the ‘great

every day and we are changing the team every week. It is all

finesse’ shown in every dish as well as the ‘impressive

about organisation and precision.”

service’, underlines how the hospitality management school’s

The dishes change every two weeks, matching the students’ schedule for service, and seasonality has a big impact on the

018

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APPETISERS

Raising the Bar From pop-up bars to partnerships with renowned mixologists, top hotels are working hard to up their beverage game.

The global F&B sector has witnessed a significant shake-up

As for programming, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts has

in recent times, moving from an industry of imitation to one

introduced the Symposia Mixology Event, a series of two-

characterised by innovation. When it comes to beverages, for

night shows bringing six top bartenders – as named by The

example, today’s hotels are tapping into the experience-led

World’s 50 Best Bars – to Bulgari venues in Beijing, Shanghai,

economy by introducing elevated drinks concepts.

Tokyo, Dubai, Bali and Milan. Created by Dario Schiavoni,

Naturally, the rise in the popularity of craft beer and spirits

Bar Director of Bulgari Hotel Beijing, the initiative sees guest

has led some hotels to prioritise the fact they have onsite

bartenders share six cocktail and mocktail recipes, each one

breweries and distilleries in their marketing. Cavalier Hotel

inspired by a particular Bulgari hotel. Shanghai held the first

in Virginia Beach includes a bourbon, rye and vodka distillery,

event in March, kicking off with Nick Wu and Hidetsugu Ueno

while BrewDog recently announced plans to open a second

from Tokyo’s Bar High Five and Bangkok’s Locker Room,

DogHouse property at Ellon in Aberdeenshire – complete

while José Luis Léon Martinez of Mexico City’s Licorería

with in-room beer taps – after launching the concept in

Limantour presented the Beijing edition in May, and Kris Du

Ohio last year. Likewise, The Swan in Suffolk offers guests

from Shanghai’s Speak Low hosted the Milan programme in

the chance to sample beers and spirits at Adnams’ very own

June. Later this year, Bulgari Resort Bali will welcome Jad

production facility, while gin-themed boutique The Distillery

Ballout, owner of Beirut’s Central Station Bar, while in Dubai,

on London’s coveted Portobello Road hosts regular tasting

the guest bartender will be Luca Cinalli from London’s Oriole

experiences in its basement unit – billed as The Ginstitute.

Bar. The last instalment will take place in Tokyo in October,

Others have partnered with alcohol brands – Raffles Hotels

020

with Cyprus’ Dinos Constantinides taking the creative reins.

recently collaborated with Sipsmith to create a signature gin –

Elsewhere, InterContinental Bali Resort has teamed up with

while temporary pop-ups have also come to the fore as a way

mixologist Grétar Matthiasson – named 2018 International

of testing the market. This includes Marriott International,

Bartenders Association Short Drink World Champion – to

which launched Canvas, an F&B incubator project in 2014,

create the exclusive Sunset Cocktails Collection, reinvigorating

established to make better use of under-utilised space in its

the drinks offer at its Sunset Beach Bar & Grill.

European hotels; the rooftop at Marriott Park Lane in London

From onsite breweries and distilleries to pop-ups and

was transformed into a rustic summer garden by former

collaborations, the world’s top hotels are clearly responding

Restaurant & Bar Manager Ashley Dawes, while hot on its

to the growing customer demand for brilliant beverages,

heels came MI+ME, an urban cheese-and-charcuterie bar

delivering forward-looking programmes that really tickle

within St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel.

the taste buds of consumers.

APPETISERS

Riding the Wave Hotels can no longer afford to ignore the growing impact of the Third Wave Coffee movement on guest expectations.

022

Wherever you look these days, there are signs that forward-

UK-based coffee-roasting business Iron & Fire in 2014 after

thinking hotels are finally waking up to the power of good

a decade working in one of the world’s Third Wave hotspots,

coffee. Recently, Yotel partnered with Workshop Coffee in a

Melbourne. “For example, hotel restaurants put so much

move that will see the pair develop a bespoke single-origin

effort into creating a meal, only to let customers down with

coffee for the global hotel group, while no fewer than four Ace

the last experience they provide, the coffee, which is often

Hotels across the US now have Stumptown Coffee Roasters

made using cheap beans and equipment.”

cafés on-site. Meanwhile, at the launch of Super Lyan, the

To tease out the individual flavours of different beans, Iron

ambitious new bar at Kimpton de Witt in Amsterdam, Ryan

& Fire prepares coffee at its own roastery, but it also has a

Chetiyawardana emphasised that his house blend was not

coffee-machine showroom and a barista training centre that

simply an afterthought, but instead a carefully considered

educates those responsible for serving customers. “With

mix of Brazilian and Nicaraguan beans, supplied by local

a little bit of work, you can get your staff making a good

roaster Lot Sixty One.

cup of coffee even if they’re not skilled baristas,” explains

All of this can be seen as emblematic of the Third Wave

Burrows. “From a hotel’s perspective, people will pay for a

Coffee movement, which positions coffee as an artisanal

quality coffee, and most of that is pure profit. Quite apart from

foodstuff across all stages of production and consumption

the fact that properties will enjoy higher levels of customer

(like say wine), rather than a mere commodity. Its supporters

satisfaction by serving a high-quality product, they’ll also

argue that changing different parts of the coffee-making

make more money.”

process can have a radical impact on the end result with, for

Of course, hotels looking to tap into the money-spinning

example, harvesting the beans later potentially producing a

potential of Third Wave Coffee must first develop a distinctive

fruitier brew, or extracting them via a French press delivering

offering that reflects what guests will be drinking in future.

a more full-bodied texture than an AeroPress.

“I think consumers will increasingly get into acidic coffees

Hotels, of course, typically provide coffee at various times

and nuanced flavours in the coming years, similar to how the

throughout the day – breakfast, drinks breaks, afternoon

wine market has evolved,” predicts Burrows. “Also, people

tea and post-meal – and yet far too many properties still

will start to look more for unusual coffees with strawberry

rely on offering the same off-the-shelf blends as in years

undertones, lemony acidity and so on.” This makes perfect

gone by, seemingly unaware of how consumer tastes have

sense when you think about it; after all, nobody expects every

evolved in the meantime. “Hotels are really missing out on

glass of wine to taste the same, so why should a cup of coffee

the possibilities of coffee,” says Kevin Burrows, who founded

be any different?

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SERVICE

Profiling leading figures with a fresh take on hotel F&B

“My philosophy is that I like to see customers eating with a smile and laughing. So I get to know what people like, and what makes them smile.�

Nobu Matsuhisa

SERVICE

Sushi, Boutiques and Movies Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and his fellow stakeholders lift the lid on growing the Nobu brand from a single restaurant into a global hospitality empire.

Words: Chrissy Iley

I

’ve been rushing people off the phone all week with the line “got to go – Robert De Niro’s waiting.” And he is. I’ve flown to Las Vegas to meet the Oscar-winning actor, celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa and entrepreneur Meir Teper. They

are the founders of Nobu Restaurants, which now has dozens of sites around the world, and the rapidly growing Nobu Hotel chain. Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace was the first, and I’m here for its fifth birthday.

The Nobu story began about 30 years ago when De Niro discovered a small but cool eatery in LA called Matsuhisa, whose Chef-Patron was one Nobu Matsuhisa. It was the Japanese sushi chef’s first restaurant in Tinseltown, having previously honed his craft in Alaska and South America.

De Niro became a regular and decided he’d like a similar restaurant in New York, so he brought in his friend Meir Teper, a fashion impresario and film producer, to help make the dream a reality. “We were friends first,” says Teper, recalling the origins of his relationship with the Hollywood star. “I worked with him on movies a couple of times, but I met Bob through another producer. We became friends and

”Japanese cuisine is very strong these days in New York, and maybe one of the reasons is Nobu. I think we really started something.”

Robert de Niro

started travelling together. If he was going out on the road for

salad myself, I joke – soft and creamy on the inside, crispy

promo or location scouting, he liked me to join him.”

on the outside. “Ok,” he says without a fight. “I guess I’d be

Teper is elegant and smells impeccably laundered. You see their commonality: they like analysing details from food and bed linen to places and cultures. They can go on forever about these things, and they can also be quiet with one another.

side that you don’t discover straight away? “Yeah.”

Of course, it’s hard to overstate the impact of Nobu’s clever fusion of Japanese and Peruvian gastronomy on the culinary

De Niro, Teper and Matsuhisa call themselves the

world. “Japanese cuisine is very strong these days in New

stakeholders – it’s almost a movie title. That says it all.

York, and maybe one of the reasons is Nobu,” ponders De

They’re not controllers or CEOs. Stakeholders is where it’s

Niro. “I think we really started something. If somebody’s been

at. They’ve put in the money, the time, the skill. Teper

in the door once and it’s no good, they don’t come back, but

remembers: “Bob brought me to Matsuhisa, saying: ‘I’ve

with Nobu, they come back.”

found a nice Japanese restaurant, we should have dinner

De Niro discovered Matsuhisa, so to speak. From

there.’” Accepting the invitation, Teper found himself in a

restaurants, they graduated to hotels. It wasn’t a plan, it

small establishment where the chef not only cooked for his

just sort of happened. “I thought we owed it to ourselves,”

customers, but chatted to them too, and the trio soon built

explains De Niro. “Let’s do our own thing. It felt good to open

up a good rapport. But it would be a few more years before

a hotel – a Nobu hotel with a Nobu restaurant in it. It all

Matsuhisa finally agreed to team up with them professionally;

happened simultaneously. Meir started seriously thinking of

the first Nobu restaurant opened in New York in 1994.

doing the Nobu hotel here in Caesars Palace. He came in on

“After New York, we were so successful, people started

the Tribeca Grill [another of De Niro’s restaurants in New

saying, ‘can we have Nobu London? Can we have Nobu Vegas?’

York] – when I needed partners for Nobu, he was the only

but Nobu’s a chef and Robert’s an actor,” Teper continues. “I

one that I had.”

was the only businessperson in the group, I understood how

Today, Nobu Hotels has grown to encompass sites around

to negotiate, how to make the deal.” Gradually, his interests

the world, including Malibu, Miami Beach, Los Cabos in

in film and fashion disappeared: “I’m so busy with Nobu and

Mexico, Shoreditch in London, Marbella, Ibiza Bay and Manila

I put so much time into it, everything else has gone away.”

in the Philippines, with further properties planned in the likes

At the party later on, De Niro, Matsuhisa, Teper and Trevor

of Chicago, Atlanta, São Paolo, Warsaw, Riyadh and Tel Aviv.

Horwell, CEO of Nobu Hospitality, sit together in the rooftop

Last year, the brand reported it was on track to have 20 hotels

penthouse suite. Chefs dressed in white are making sushi.

by 2020.

Servers are topping up champagne and lychee martinis.

All of which begs the question, how does De Niro balance

Teper and De Niro watch everything as if it’s on a screen, as

the demands of Nobu’s rapid expansion with his acting

if they’re in a movie of their own.

career? How does he compartmentalise? “I’m not doing

The party is filled with casino high-rollers, those who have

what they do,” he answers. “I’m here when they need me.

won and lost millions, and deserve a bit of caviar on their

We always ask each other for their input, and I’m front and

sushi. There is no VIP area, no silver cord, yet the stakeholders

centre when needed.”

keep to themselves. De Niro looks content, approachable, but no-one does approach him.

028

a big fish. The cod.” The black cod with the sweet miso on the

De Niro doesn’t do the deals like Meir does, he’s the metaphor for the brand. In the olden days, he threw himself

We go to a different suite for our interview and he is

into roles very intensely, and there was not much space for

extremely courteous, accommodating even. Where would I

anything else. “These days, we have meetings on set if it’s

like him to sit? Opposite or beside? Sofa or chair? If he was a

not a tough day,” he reveals. “Sometimes I’m waiting around

Nobu dish, I ask, what would he be? “I might be the artichoke

a lot, so we sit in my camper. You need to get your mind off

salad,” he replies. I was rather hoping to be the artichoke

things, it’s a welcome distraction.”

SERVICE

Miso black cod at Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay Photography: © Steven Freeman

Nobu Hotel Marbella in southern Spain

Photography: © Charly Simon

029

SERVICE

Yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno at Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay Photography: © Henry Hargreaves

”I was the only businessperson in the group, I understoood how to negotiate, how to make the deal.”

Meir Teper

charmingly concerned for my jetlag, whereas the chef thinks I’ve just had one too many cocktails.

When I ask Matsuhisa to tell me how he invented his signature dish of miso black cod, he shrugs. “It’s a very old Japanese style, but I made it in a different way,” he says. “In the beginning, I was looking for a nice but cheap product. I

030

Incidentally, De Niro has worked out I have trouble saying

found frozen black cod at 25 cents a pound, though I couldn’t

Nobu’s last name. I’m not really sure how he spotted this, but

serve it as sashimi because it’s frozen. And I blended the

I find it endearing. We all like to be known. He tries to teach it

traditional miso sauce with a sugar marinade because I like

to me over and over again as if I’m a baby learning to speak.

sweet sauces.”

When he’s satisfied, I tell him the first time I went to

In every Nobu restaurant, waiters are imbued with an

Matsuhisa, Kelly Osbourne took me. She said it was a family

uncanny ability to assess diners, and suggest exactly what

restaurant that she’d grown up in. I can’t remember what

they might want to order. “My philosophy is that I like to

I ate; he responds, “I had the cod and that told me right

see customers eating with a smile and laughing,” Matsuhisa

away, this guy is really special.” Is he good at making instant

explains. “So I get to know what people like, and what makes

assessments of people? He nods. “I like him,” he adds. “He’s

them smile. Hotels are the same concept, but the operation is

low-key and I knew that there is no way this restaurant

much bigger. People come because they want to eat good food

wouldn’t work in New York.”

and enjoy good service, have a good bed and feel comfortable.”

Speaking of which, Matsuhisa is waiting for me, and De

Horwell, the British CEO, is last to join us; a vibrant

Niro asks if he can stay while we talk about the fusion cuisine

personality, he previously worked for the likes of Hard Rock

that has helped make him a household name. The film star’s

International, Como Group and Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

SERVICE

Robert de Niro joined forces with Nobu Matsuhisa in 1994

Nobu Hotel Los Cabos in Mexico Photography: © Jeffrey Mosier Photography

“When we thought about going into hotels eight years

Nobu Ryokan Malibu may well be the most beautiful hotel

ago, we were apprehensive because we already had a great

on the planet; with only sixteen rooms, it’s the place for the

business, which was running incredible numbers,” he says,

celebrity staycation. “The Nobu restaurant in that hotel is still

recalling the discussions they had about branching out into

doing the same numbers, in fact better, than 20 years ago,”

accommodation. “Some of the restaurants would do 200,000

remarks Horwell. “That’s longevity. To me, that’s timeless.”

covers a year, and each cheque was about US$120. If you have these numbers, you think, why go into hotels?

But aren’t they worried about diluting the brand? “We don’t like to be predictable,” he says. “We have different designers, the one in Shoreditch has won major design awards. The menus have some things that are the same, but each chef

”I don’t ever want to cook without heart, without passion. It’s about making people happy.”

Nobu Matsuhisa

has created local specialities.”

Now Matsuhisa rejoins the conversation, and it soon becomes apparent that he doesn’t really get me, and certainly doesn’t get my jokes. De Niro is curious to watch this play out.

The tension builds further as Matsuhisa gets more and more frustrated that I can’t follow his recipe for miso black cod.

“Why does everyone like their mother’s food?” he asks.

“Because the mother cooks for the kids with heart. I’m a chef

032

“It was really because we didn’t want to put a restaurant

now, but I don’t ever want to cook without heart, without

in every city of the world, which commoditises the brand. If

passion. It’s about making people happy.” Was his mother a

you go into a secondary city, you might not get the volume,

good cook? “Oh yes. She would always be asking what I’d want

you might be spending too much on the ones that aren’t

to eat tonight, tomorrow. Always with heart.”

doing well. We didn’t want to go into secondary cities, so we

I wonder if this is his big secret. Was Matsuhisa inspired

thought about doing hotels. We also had a lot of customers,

to create a successful hospitality empire because he had a

three million going through the doors of Nobu, so why not

mother who cooked from the heart? I ask De Niro if his mother

get them to stay? For instance, there was a Nobu restaurant

was a cook. “Not great.” He sees where this is going, more

in Malibu before there was a hotel.”

possible conflict with Nobu. “Get some sleep.”

Fine porcelain from Limoges Color table, white table, table accessoiries

raynaud.fr contact@raynaud.fr

AP_SUPPER_236X275.indd 1

25/06/2019 16:45

Hong Kong’s Star Chef A passionate exponent of modern French fine dining, Olivier Elzer is rising to the challenge of his demanding role as Culinary Director of the new St. Regis Hong Kong.

Words: Neena Dhillon

T

all, purposeful and commanding, Olivier Elzer

quality clearly struck a chord. While working at the

strides around the understated sophistication

family restaurant in the south of France, he stepped

of his dining room with an air of efficiency

in when the resident sous-chef took ill, and “fell in

and discipline. He is checking that everything

love instantly”, as he puts it. “The job only called for

is as it should be during this lunchtime service at

a low level of skill but I had my first taste of pressure,

L’Envol, occasionally pulling aside members of his

execution and pace. I knew then that you couldn’t learn

team to ensure nothing falls short of his own exacting

good cooking by studying alone; it happens on the

standards, while choreographing the delivery of plates

battlefield, working 18, 19 hours if necessary, absorbing

and presiding over adjustments.

lessons from other chefs like a sponge. It was a totally

This, I am to learn, is Elzer’s German side, a part of

painful but pleasurable process of learning.”

his personality that means he thrives on the precision

While Elzer did attend a hotel industry-recognised

required of fine dining here in Hong Kong, as well as

school in Cannes, it was his good fortune to also visit

the hierarchical nature of Michelin establishments the

some of France’s foremost epicurean establishments

world over. Yet as he stops and talks to guests savouring

during his formative years, his growing passion for

his dishes, his warm charm and deep knowledge of food

food recognised and supported by a close family

prove irresistibly engaging, leaving hard-to-impress

friend, giving him the opportunity to sample Michelin-

Hong Kong folk hanging off his every word. Suddenly

starred cuisine first hand. After gaining his diploma, a

he is French through and through, from inside out, the

succession of jobs ensued in Michelin kitchens across

heart and soul of the kitchen. Not a split but a dual

France, including the illustrious La Pyramide in Vienne,

personality, a chef who leaves fusion to others, but

until his appointment as Head Chef of Abbaye de la

who thrives on contrasts, on complementing forces,

Bussière in Burgundy before his 30th birthday. A first

the very idea of two worlds coming together.

Michelin star soon followed, and he was named among

Born in Germany but raised in France, Elzer credits his mother with introducing him to the simplest yet

France’s Best Young Chefs by gastronomic guide Gault & Millau shortly after.

finest ingredients his home country had to offer,

Meeting him now at the newly opened St. Regis Hong

where the ideas of seasonality, nature, variety and

Kong – where he is both Culinary Director and Head

SERVICE

Photography: © Moses Ng

Red prawn ‘carabineros’ at L’Envol

Chef of its graceful contemporary French restaurant L’Envol

direct to the demanding clientele of Hong Kong, all while

– seems fitting. He is celebrating not just a 40th birthday, but

refining a creative, emotive experience that totally knocks the

also a decade working in Hong Kong. Here again is that theme

stuffiness out of what you might traditionally expect to find

of duality. Perhaps Elzer could have sailed through more

in a fine-dining restaurant. For him, it is about comfort over

prestigious hotel kitchens on familiar turf back in France. But

conformity, intimacy over austerity, mood over manners, and

where would be the challenge in that? Instead it was an offer

quality above all else.

from culinary legend Pierre Gagnaire, who Elzer first met in Paris, which lured the chef out to Hong Kong.

036

Over the past ten years, the chef has seen up close how the tastes of Hong Kong’s gourmands have changed. “They have

“I’m ashamed to say it now, but my vision of Asia back

matured quickly to understand the specialities and nuances of

then was old Jackie Chan movies,” he admits sheepishly.

French cuisine, with interest in oysters from Brittany, wines

“As soon as I arrived, I knew this city was made for me – I

from the Rhône valley and strong cheeses from Bordeaux,” he

couldn’t believe the energy, the dynamic pace, the incredible

notes. “They have a strong memory for food, so you need to

buildings. As a foreigner to Hong Kong, you need two to three

keep moving, updating menus, responding with techniques,

years to understand the market and the palate. Then there’s

flavours and presentation. Seasonality is key – I have three

the efficiency. When you have a city with maybe 60,000

deliveries from France and Belgium arriving every week,

restaurants, you can lose a customer instantly if your flavour,

with other ingredients coming from Australia, Japan and the

technique or menu is not right. The competition is intense so

Philippines. We can source from anywhere in the world but we

you have to hit just the right spot to make it work out here.

have to pay 30% to 40% extra for shipping and duties, and at

You need momentum to capture people.”

the same time our customers want to pay less.”

Listening to the chef talk about his time in what is arguably

It’s a tricky conundrum, exacerbated by factors such as

Asia’s hottest dining scene reveals how it has instilled in him

exorbitantly high real-estate costs. One of Elver’s solutions

a keen commercial sense, as well as a greater understanding

has been to vary the offering at L’Envol, with guests able to

of ingredient sourcing on a global scale, and the need to adapt

enjoy a speedy three-course gastronomic affair for HK$588

to different customer expectations. Culminating in his latest

(£59) at lunchtime, contrasting with more of an emphasis on

role, Elzer has made a name for himself by taking his long-

the signature seven-course tasting menu and à la carte dishes

held passion for reinventing and redefining French cuisine

to linger over in the evening.

SERVICE

L’Envol at The St. Regis Hong Kong Photography: © Michael Weber Photography

Elzer’s career in Hong Kong began at Mandarin Oriental’s

introduced my dishes to them and then they asked me to sit

Pierre, where he maintained two Michelin stars during his

down for a private talk,” he remembers, laughing. “Turned

tenure, followed by a three-year run as Executive Chef at

out it was the management of The St. Regis Hong Kong, and

the triple-Michelin-starred L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. Of

they were looking for a Michelin chef to take the helm of their

course, the eponymous chef behind L’Atelier passed away

new F&B operations.” Promised the opportunity to come in

last year, and Elzer is keen to pay tribute to his charismatic

and run things the way he saw fit, and perhaps buoyed by

mentor. “Mr Robuchon was a man of a thousand layers who

the backing and prospect of security offered by owner China

taught me so much about respecting ingredients, and showed

Resources, Elzer accepted the challenge. “Hong Kong had

such kindness,” he recalls. “He had restaurants around the

been waiting for an ambitious luxury hotel opening of this

world, so had to work hard to protect his privacy. I will always

level,” he says. “Coming in early, I knew straight away that

remember the big kiss I had from him after being invited to

I wanted to change back-of-house while altering the kitchen

his tasting menu in Singapore. He was incredibly generous. If

layout in L’Envol, adding a section for pastry, creating a

there was any chef I could work with again, I would wish for

cheese cellar and introducing more capacity for wine.”

the impossible, and select my mentor.”

The chef admits to rubbing up architects the wrong way

Experience gleaned from these two kitchens opened up an

in the past (“the ones with big egos can be very sensitive”),

opportunity for Elzer to strike out on his own with a French

but here he established a good rapport with André Fu, the

restaurant called Seasons in trendy Causeway Bay, a venture

Hong Kong-based designer whose curated mansion concept

that initially gave him a sense of freedom and expression he’d

permeates the hotel, reflecting both the brand’s stately

not encountered before. Although the establishment earned

residential legacy and Hong Kong’s distinctive architectural

a Michelin star in its first year of trading, the chef soon felt

silhouettes and rich culture. As a setting for the haute cuisine

constrained when he differed with his partner on wanting to

of L’Envol, Fu has been stylistically guided by Coco Chanel’s

elevate the business proposition from casual to fine dining.

spirit, seeking to create a contemporary yet timeless union of

Fortuitously, and for a second time in his life, the sickness of

wood, stone, quartz and brushed bronze, the feminine tonal

a sous-chef meant he was in the right place at the right time.

scheme understated in white, beige and gold. Table linens

Working in Seasons on his day off, Elzer noticed a table of

are handmade with motifs that mimic champagne bubbles,

po-faced businessmen who he suspected were inspectors. “I

while dinnerware has been selected from Bernardaud. Elzer

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SERVICE

Coffee cremeux and caramelised pecan nuts with mascarpone ice cream at L’Envol

also reveals that he liked the idea of an open kitchen, but

There are Asian twists along the way too – a hint of wasabi

understood that some clients would want privacy, so asked

here, an injection of sea urchin there. And as expected,

Fu to artfully divide the space in two.

desserts are pretty as a picture, feminine, indulgent, airy

Without doubt, Elzer clearly has a keen eye for design.

038

and delicate.

“When it comes to colours, lighting, accessories, I think

Having brought a trusted team with him – about 60% of

you need to work with the real look of a restaurant, not 3D

L’Envol’s team have worked for Elzer before – everything

pictures,” he argues. “When I saw the texture of our crystal

seems to be in place for this ambitious chef to embark upon yet

quartz chandeliers, I liked the idea of the contrast between the

another Michelin-star run. Moreover, he seems comfortable

fine finish at the top and the raw edges.” The menu mirrors

with the responsibilities of his second role as the hotel’s

this aesthetic with thick papyrus sheets – which can be

Culinary Director, confiding that he recently pulled up the

updated in-house to reflect seasonal updates – encased in a

mixologists over at The St. Regis Bar after a guest reported

finer stock and silk finish wrapping. In its entirety, it serves as

having to wait too long for his cocktail to appear; Elzer

an attractive memento of a guest’s visit, one to keep, an idea

smoothed things over by entertaining said guest with a glass

that harks back to his days of visiting Michelin restaurants

of champagne and instantly putting things right. I ask why

and getting chefs to sign their menus.

he isn’t Executive Chef – “too much paperwork” is his canny

There’s that romantic French side again, the one that

response. Anyway, in Executive Sous-Chef Vincent Leroux,

wants to evoke emotions and memories, not least through

he has a trusted comrade with whom he talks daily, while

stunning signature dishes that hold firm to the soul of French

stylish Cantonese restaurant Rùn is already in the safe hands

gastronomy, yet sing with verve, invention and originality.

of culinary master Hung Chi-Kwong.

Dedicated fans won’t be disappointed – his signature five-

For now though, there are hands to shake and guests to

spices grilled tuna makes an appearance, while other superb

send off with kind words and a smile as L’Envol finishes its

starters elevate humble ingredients such as cauliflower, white

lunch service. Then, once the kitchen has been made spotless

asparagus and red prawn to dazzling heights. High-quality

and everything returned to its allocated place, he can swap his

produce abounds, spanning everything from Brittany blue

natty uniform for an equally natty Adidas top, and set off for

lobster, John Dory and abalone – an obsession of Chinese

a break on the streets of Hong Kong, before service resumes

diners – to pork shoulder, pigeon and milk-fed veal fillet.

all over again later this evening.

STAR

F OLLOW US

W W W . Z I E H E R . C O M

Specials

Exploring the concepts behind new hotel F&B venues

“Far too often, design is shoehorned in during the later stages of a project, so you don’t get an opportunity for it to become one with the concept.”

Ryan Chetiyawardana aka Mr Lyan

STARTERS

Photography: © Michael Kleinberg

The Fleur Room Moxy Chelsea, New York City

Crowning the newly built Moxy Chelsea in Manhattan’s blossoming Flower

Meanwhile, a distinctively shaped disco ball, salvaged from Los Angeles’

District – and named Best Bar at AHEAD Americas 2019 – the Rockwell

infamous Vertigo nightclub, hangs above guests to add a sense of decadent

Group-designed Fleur Room is accessed from street level via a mysterious

glamour, and at the touch of a button the space’s wraparound glass walls

vestibule staircase, before enveloping guests in a vibrant scheme inspired

can be retracted to transform it into an open-air veranda.

by the botanicals of the streets below.

Developed in collaboration with Tao Group and Angelo Bianchi, Principal

Taking the form of an intimate rooftop bar on the 35th floor with both

of AB Hospitality Consulting, the bar serves a menu of gourmet bites and

indoor and outdoor elements, the elevation and positioning of the space

bespoke cocktails curated by Executive Chef Jason Hall, with highlights

offer sweeping views over the city. Characterised by its floral theme and

including black truffle popcorn, king crab salad, and signature drink

large botanical prints, The Fleur Room further incorporates a textured

Fleur of the Valley, combining Grey Goose, prosecco, fresh strawberries

palette of materials, including rough concrete and polished bronze, for a

and basil. The Fleur Room is joined within the hotel by an Italian fusion

subtly industrial undertone. And a sleek copper-clad bar is offset by the

restaurant, café and bar trio conceptualised by Tao Group with Francesco

rounded silhouettes of water drop chandeliers, whilst subdued indirect

Panella of Antica Pesa – rounding out an F&B programme that has the city

lighting creates an intimate atmosphere and emphasises the view.

flocking to experience it.

Florals are further referenced across fabrics, colourful arrangements on tables and inverted resin pyramids that glow with embedded petals.

www.moxy-hotels.marriott.com

IN A BITE Owner: Tao Group, Lightstone Group • Operator: Tao Group • Developer: Lightstone Group • Interior Design: Rockwell Group • Architect: Stonehill Taylor • F&B Consultant: Next Step Design • Procurement: Purchasing Associates • Lighting Design: Focus Lighting • Art Consultant: Rare Culture • Head Chef: Jason Hall • Beverage Director: Nikki McCutcheon • Director of Operations: Michael Marinoff • Menu and Graphic Design: QNY • Uniform Design: Kimmie Kakes

042

STARTERS

Photography: © Stephan Lemke

Heimat 25hours Hotel Hafencity, Hamburg

The restaurant was closed on Supper’s last visit to 25hours Hafencity,

of wine-growing regions, alongside classics spanning a vast geographical

though finding somewhere to hang out only required a two-minute walk to

range from the North Sea to the Alps. Dishes, and the viticultural regions

sister hotel Altes Hafenamt, where Boilerman Bar and Neni were packed. A

which shape them, change quarterly in line with the seasons.

year later, both venues are as popular as ever, but no more so than Heimat.

At the heart of the offering is a centrepiece sharing platter, or ‘herzstück’,

Hamburg is the hometown of 25hours (the original hotel, now

around which side dishes are served in brimming copper tureens. A joint of

appropriately known as ‘Number One’, is on the other side of town) and,

Husum-bred beef comes with bean ragout and potato gratin, and a whole

judging by Heimat’s success, the company clearly knows what locals want.

turbot arrives with riesling sauce alongside pea and lettuce salad.

Here, the brand has collaborated with host Dominik Kirchhoff, sommelier

Heimat translates roughly as ‘homeland’ in English but for German-

Lars Mahlmann and chef Kolin Krüger-Heyden to create a concept offering

speaking nations it is one of those words, like the Danish ‘hygge’, with

the best regional cuisine from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

deeper meaning, encompassing notions such as childhood memory,

Above the bar, glasses of soil from local vineyards add an olfactory

nostalgia and belonging. Or as Krüger-Heyden puts it: “Heimat means

element to the oenological activity below. Designer Conni Kotte has

dining in a relaxed atmosphere. Heimat means sharing and lots of different

reinvented the space with dark earthy tones, cabernet-hued curtains,

pots on the table. And of course, great wines as well.”

inky-black tables and velvet seats to provide a cosy, wine-cellar ambience.

Meanwhile, the menu is structured around dishes from any two of a variety

www.heimatrestaurant.com

IN A BITE Covers: 85 • Private Dining Rooms: 1 • Owner: 25hours Hotel Company • Interior Design: Conni Kotte • Head Chef: Kolin Krüger-Heyden • F&B Manager: Lars Mählmann • Sommelier: Dominik Kirchhoff • Dinnerware: Serax, Steelite • Cutlery: Solex • Glassware: Chef & Sommelier, La Rochère • Buffetware: Emile Henry • Table Linen: Libeco • Menu Design: Nørd design • Uniform Design: Saat / Merz beim Schwanen

044

The soul of stylish vintage combined with old-world charm.

www.tigerhotel.co.kr

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14/06/2019 15:32:39

STARTERS

Photography: © Brandon Barré

Louix Louis The St. Regis Toronto

Inspired by Toronto’s whisky-producing heritage, Louix Louis spans

and golds reminiscent of whisky swirling in a tumbler, while three glass

3,720ft2 on the 31st floor of St. Regis’ first Canadian property. The

chandeliers cast soft light over a space filled with leather armchairs, curved

restaurant’s interiors by DesignAgency, which is also behind the ground-

elongated sofas, scalloped banquettes and comfy bar stools. Meanwhile,

floor lobby and Astor Lounge, make full use of warm amber tones, giving

a raised mezzanine hosts a 24-seat private dining room, showcasing a

guests the impression of dining in a cut-crystal glass filled with whisky.

darker palette of burgundy leathers, charcoal velvets, marbles and stained-

The epicurean experience begins with visitors entering an impressive

oak finishes.

gilded mosaic lobby. Here, a host station combines burled walnut and

Louix Louis’ culinary concept, overseen by Head Chef Guillaume Robin

burgundy leather with bronze detailing, while champagne-coloured tiles

and Chef de Cuisine Mahesh Bhambure, allies contemporary American

are ignited by golden light from a geometric chandelier overhead.

cooking with classical French technique; typical dishes include whole

Upon moving into the main restaurant, the eye is drawn to a 30ft bar

truffle chicken, Dover sole meuniére and pastrami short rib. Guests can

of book-matched cognac marble with a lacquered-oak countertop, which

also choose from an extensive cocktail menu or more than 500 dark spirits,

sits below sculpted-bronze and antique-smoked mirrored shelving rising

selecting from one of the largest collections in North America.

18ft. Another hero feature is the immense handpainted ceiling mural by local artist Madison Van Rijn, an abstract combination of metallics, browns

www.louixlouis.com

IN A BITE Covers: 130 • Owner: InnVest Hotels • Operator: Marriott International • Architecture: Zeidler • Interior Design: DesignAgency • F&B Consultant: Chris Hart Consulting, Icon Legacy • Procurement: Sue Dulmage & Associates • Head Chef: Guillaume Robin • Chef de Cuisine: Mahesh Bhambure • F&B General Manager: Dominik Ociesa • Head Sommelier: Myles Harrison • Dinnerware: Dudson, Playground • Cutlery: Fortessa • Glassware: Schott Zwiesel • Table Linen: My Drap, Casa Rovea • Menu, Graphic and Uniform Design: Icon Legacy

046

BY APPOINTMENT TO HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES SUPPLIER OF CRYSTAL GLASS JOHN JENKINS & SONS LTD T/A WILLIAM YEOWARD CRYSTAL HAMPSHIRE ENGLAND

JOHN JENKINS established 1901

the perfect cocktail… the perfect glass

NYEWOOD, ROGATE, PETERSFIELD, HAMPSHIRE GU31 5HZ Tel: 01730 821811 Email: office@johnjenkins.co.uk NEW YORK SHOWROOM, 41 MADISON AVENUE, 13TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10010 Tel: 1-800-818-8484

www.johnjenkins.co.uk

STARTERS

Photography: © E.K. Yap

Idlewild InterContinental Singapore

Named after JFK Airport’s original moniker, Idlewild harks back to

A sweeping split-level bar guides visitors through the space, decorated

the golden age of air travel, with Hassell Studio setting out to create a

with smoky mirrors, hand-glazed tiles and plush counter stools. The

journey “full of discovery and delight”. The bar is located at one of central

main salon and performance area is lined with booth seating, wrapped in

Singapore’s most prominent sites, the InterContinental at Bugis Junction,

embossed velvets within mirrored niches, and accented with rich mother-

yet is discreetly tucked away – a speakeasy in the very heart of the city.

of-pearl tabletops and patterned panelling framed in pink stained timber.

The design is hooked around an imaginary couple, as Paul Semple of

The focus is on the stage, where live music is performed nightly; behind

Hassell explains: “Albert moved from the US to Hong Kong in 1925 in

the embossed velvet curtain backdrop is a secret VIP entrance, ensuring

search of adventure. An engineer by training, he found himself working

performers can enjoy a smooth arrival and departure.

as a producer in the film industry with Run Run Shaw and later Cathay in

The drinks offer, overseen by New Zealander Andy Griffiths, also takes

Singapore. May, a Cantonese beauty and actor, met Albert in 1930, moving

its inspiration from the jet-set era. Idlewild Airport was where the first

to Singapore in 1935. Idlewild was a gift from him to her.”

transatlantic flight took to the air, and the cocktail menu takes this as

Guests arrive through a dusky pink velvet reveal to find themselves in an intimate parlour with rich blue walls, adorned with photographs and

its jumping-off point, with drinks classified under airport codes – and libations based on travel hubs such as Lima, Havana, London and Paris.

travel memorabilia. And a ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ houses a rare and exotic selection of liqueurs and spirits, curated by Proof & Company.

www.idlewild.sg

IN A BITE Covers: 89 – 105 • Owner: BCH Hotel Investments • Operator: InterContinental Singapore • Interior Design: Hassell Studio • Drinks Consultant: Proof & Company • Lighting Design: DJCoalition • Executive Chef: Eric Neo • Head of Operations and Creative: Andy Griffiths • Glassware and Barware: Proof & Company • Buffetware: Zieher • Menu and Graphic Design: Manic Design

048

Thanks La Réserve Paris © Safran Paris

Ta b l e w a r e , B u f f e t Te a - t i m e , S u i t e

L E T ’ S

C R E A T E

T O G E T H E R

W W W. S A F R A N P A R I S . C O M

STARTERS

Photography: © Alex Jeffries

Torno Subito W Dubai – The Palm

Massimo Bottura’s first restaurant outside Italy, Torno Subito at W Dubai

The Italian restaurant’s kitchen, led by Bottura’s protégé Bernardo

– The Palm is a deeply personal project, which takes guests on a journey

Paladini, is open for lunch and dinner daily, and serves a selection of their

through the triple-Michelin-starred chef’s childhood, and celebrates the

favourite recipes on colourful tableware, spanning everything from beef

stylish coastal playground of Rimini in the 1960s. Translating as ‘I’ll be

tartare and tagliatelle al ragù to grilled octopus and robiola cheese and

back soon’, a nod to the signs Italian shopkeepers hang on the door during

truffle pizza. Afterwards, guests can treat themselves to an ice cream from

their afternoon break, Torno Subito is all about having fun, with Bottura’s

the roving gelato cart, or enjoy a signature cocktail from the bar.

bold vision brought to life by local interior design firm Bishop Design.

Torno Subito is one of six F&B venues at W Dubai – The Palm, the 350-

Both the main restaurant and adjoining beachside terrace present a

key luxury hotel that opened its doors earlier this year. The property’s

veritable riot of colour; the walls, ceilings and furniture are filled with

other options are Akira Back, a Japanese-Korean fusion restaurant that

striking green, blue and pink shades as well as softer pastel hues, all neatly

represents the eponymous chef’s first foray into the Middle East; SoBe,

offset by floors showcasing 3D agitated sand and black-and-white-striped

an adult’s-only rooftop bar inspired by the spirit of Miami; LIV, an

patterns. Bottura’s love of the seaside is writ large in details such as the

international all-day dining venue; WET Deck, offering a fresh menu of

custom-made beach ball-style lights illuminating the dolce counter and

poolside bites and beverages; and W Lounge, a lobby space where visitors

the life-sized images of sunbathers on the walls, while guests can take

can order small plates, hot drinks and cocktails.

their very own Polaroid in a photobooth at the entrance, which will then go on display within a suspended ceiling feature.

www.tornosubitodubai.com

IN A BITE Operator: Marriott International • Interior Design: Bishop Design • Signature Chef: Massimo Bottura • Chef de Cuisine: Bernardo Paladini • Tableware: Zieher • Buffetware: Zieher • Furniture: Paola Lenti

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The Times Square Edition New York City

Words: Kristofer Thomas • Photography: © Nikolas Koenig (unless stated)

T

here is a sentiment among a subsection of New York natives that Times Square isn’t actually in New York – not anymore anyway. Like Vatican City isn’t technically in Rome, and Monaco borders France but keeps its procedural distance,

the gleaming billboards and monolith flagships of Times Square are enjoyed by the intersection’s tourist class, and closer to tolerated or humoured by locals.

It wasn’t always like this though; the area’s place in New York lore as a proving ground for stars and criminals alike through the 20th century remains, but with its modern-day positioning as heart of the city for everyone but locals came creeping sterility, and a loss of any discernible character untethered from heavyweight commerce.

In business terms, there is a tried and tested formula for hospitality success in today’s Times Square, and if you have the money to build it then they will most likely come. So why take risks?

Ian Schrager – hotelier, developer and New York veteran – knows a thing or two about risks. He took one back in 1977 when crafting

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MAIN COURSE

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© Liz Clayman

the decadent Studio 54 a few blocks away, and revolutionised nightlife

beige drapes closed, guests are cocooned within a residential-style space

stripped back the traditional hotel model under the Morgans Hotel

and immediate respite from the neon chaos beyond the window. All-

Group banner to find something more intimate and stylish, introducing

white accent furnishings, custom bleached leather armchairs and ivory

the world to the boutique sector.

hand-tufted silk area rugs make for a suitably elegant scene for elevated

Whilst his latest venture in the Marriott International-partnered

bar fare including shiitake, sweet potato and hoisin glaze skewers

Edition Hotels sees the risks less pronounced – toned down in favour of

and homemade croissants, generating something closer to a living

a lifestyle offer in line with more comfortable times – in returning to his

room than a bar at the western world’s busiest intersection. A darker

old stomping ground with The Times Square Edition in tow, Schrager

counterpoint adjacent sets a circular brass table amongst a pack of black

demonstrates by way of its three distinct F&B spaces that he still has

leather armchairs and matching wood panels, lampshades and carpet

a few tricks up his sleeves for guests, and surprises for New Yorkers –

– the gold hue of the table echoed by the orange and gold of a fireplace

just passing through or otherwise. Reunited following their work on the

and flanking candles.

brand’s stately London outpost, Schrager, Edition and designers Yabu

This refined styling carries through to 701West, the hotel’s signature

Pushelberg have sought to counteract the chains and nondescript cast of

fine-dining option, with pops of colour brought into the fold by way

venues below with notes of drama, history and the natural world.

of chartreuse and electric blue velvet banquettes – the space’s white

“The F&B spaces go hand-in-hand with the hotel’s overall direction,” says Glenn Pushelberg, the eponymous studio’s co-founder. “When we thought about how we wanted to approach the project, we asked

054

The surprises begin as early as the Lobby Bar, where, with delicate

culture in the process. Then another came in the eighties when he

marble mosaic floors and amber mahogany wood panels hinting at the old-world glamour of its wine list.

Meanwhile, a cocktail programme curated by Bar Director Salvatore

ourselves what would be an unexpected move for Times Square. We

Tafuri features avant-garde mixtures and presentations, including

were inspired by Ian’s first venture in hospitality, the Morgans Hotel

Bali Ha’i – a rum punch made with mango noodles – alongside an Old

with Andree Putman, but added a modern, Yabu Pushelberg twist. The

Fashioned with shiitake-infused bourbon and a truffled peach garnish.

outcome is a complete counterpoint to the area.”

“We wanted to repackage the liveliness Times Square has to offer in a

MAIN COURSE

© Liz Clayman

subtle, pared-back way,” says Pushelberg. “The F&B environments do

their Times Square location if they so desire – the bustle and traffic

just that, we take the kinetic energy from below to act as a parallel to the

only visible if you stand to look over the terrace’s walls, and the glow of

way wining, dining and entertainment can be done. The hotel challenges

billboards faded from this vantage point.

what the area can be, and to us, that is invigorating.”

George Yabu, the studio’s other co-founder, agrees completely: “Each

Where designers often draw inspiration from their surroundings, it is almost as if the space is designed as an antithesis to the Times Square

F&B space is an extension of the hotel’s vision. We used public spaces to

experience, a natural remedy for the acceleration and perpetual motion

explore how Times Square can be experienced in a new, contemporary

of the scene below. A menu of natural ingredients – think tuna crudo

way. To counteract the surroundings, we incorporated lush greenery,

with pickled kohlrabi and Fresno chillies, and an entire section dedicated

serene outdoor terraces, and created a genuine respite to a location that

to lettuces – sees the loose theme translated into the culinary realm.

has historically embodied everything The Times Square Edition is not.

“Of all the things Times Square is known for, nature is not one of

Each of the venues tells this story through their different offerings and

them,” Pushelberg laughs. “We used greenery as a mechanism to

sense of place.”

contrast the hotel from the neighbourhood by creating a botanical

Stepping out at the 9th floor, guests are ushered into the programme’s next serving – a leafy oasis with the line between outdoor terrace and

boundary between the two environments.”

“Botanicals allowed us to transport guests into a calm, tranquil

indoor restaurant blurred by a canopy of plant life flowing throughout.

environment, away from the lights and intersections below,” Yabu adds.

Inspired by the French brasseries and American chophouses Executive

“Greenery also brought other aspects of the design to life, such as light

Chef John Fraser once worked at – Fraser oversees the hotel’s entire

oak wood finishes and charcoal and cream walls.”

F&B programme for a coherent progression of culinary drama and

Tying an elaborate red bow atop the hotel’s F&B offer is Paradise,

experimentation – Yabu Pushelberg’s ensemble cast of potted trees,

the most dramatic of The Times Square Edition’s venues, marrying the

hanging ferns and climbing ivy not only give the space its breezy,

decadence of Schrager’s Studio 54 with the visual styling of burlesque

refreshing ambience, but smartly divide it into sections, echo the wall of

and cabaret. Chaotic, high energy and risqué, the concept is a hybrid

greenery behind the reception desk, and transport guests far away from

performance-gastronomy experience, which sees productions by

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Brooklyn collective House of Yes unfold alongside complementary

flavour, sights, and sounds in one place through the progression of an

menus of imaginative dishes linked with the show’s narrative.

evening,” Yabu explains. “This is our fifth collaboration with Ian and the

Provocative and uncompromising in its vision, the deep red palette

fourth Edition hotel we’ve designed,” Pushelberg adds. “We understand

spreads across flared banquettes, a roof of programmable LEDs, a

Ian and the brand’s story, and knew the fusion of food, performance,

boudoir-like glow behind the bar, and the scene of a Renaissance-styled

and style was bound to merge within the Times Square Edition.”

mural depicting hedonism the likes of which has not been seen in Times Square for a long while.

Supper was in the Paradise audience for The Devouring; a 360-degree

Whilst risk-taking and breaking the mould sits somewhere towards the bottom of most operators’ Times Square check lists – F&B industry or otherwise – the efforts of Schrager and Yabu Pushelberg to

performance that saw ariel acrobatics, ballet and breakdancing paired

differentiate the property within several blocks of others playing it safe

with a menu of ‘Drowning Octopus’, caviar and red eggs, and ‘Asparagus

are rooted in both a close reading of the current landscape – and how

in Bondage’, the latter requiring diners to crack into a not-so-allegorical

best to counter it – as well as Schrager’s intimate knowledge of the city

runny egg with not-so-metaphorical vegetable spears. Programming

and its guests.

throughout the hotel is being overseen by Schrager, with the venue set to introduce a variety of shows and paired menus once word spreads.

“When designing the Paradise Club, we put ourselves in the shoes of the guest, thinking about how they would experience the stimulation of

Times Square might never again have the edge, infamy or place in the hearts of New Yorkers it once did, but for those seeking a vision of the neighbourhood beyond tourist traps and fast-food flagships, Times Square Edition is a welcome anomaly.

IN A BITE Owner: Maefield Development; Mark Siffin • Operator: Marriott International • Interior Design: Yabu Pushelberg, ISC Design Studio • Architecture: PBDW Architects • Project Manager: Ian Schrager • Head Chef: John Fraser • Head Bartender: Salvatore Tafuri • Head Sommelier: Amy Racine • Lighting Design: Isometrix • Glassware: Schott Zwiesel

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Super Lyan Kimpton de Witt Amsterdam

Words: Richard Frost

N

obody could accuse Ryan Chetiyawardana, better known as Mr Lyan, of playing it safe. After seeing Dandelyan at Sea Containers London (formerly Mondrian London) top the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2018 – a year after being named

World’s Best Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail in 2017 – he promptly closed it down to make way for a new concept, Lyaness, which opened earlier this year. At the exact same time, he decided to relocate another cocktail den, Super Lyan, from a small basement in Hoxton to a far larger space in the centre of Amsterdam, despite having never run a bar outside London before.

For Chetiyawardana, the lure of the Dutch capital was impossible to resist after he “totally fell in love with Amsterdam” upon visiting the Netherlands, with the 35-year-old fascinated by the city’s UNESCOlisted canal district and beautiful Golden Age mansions as well as its residents’ famously progressive values. As luck would have it, the 274-room Kimpton de Witt – an imaginative fusion of three Golden Age buildings and two 20th-century counterparts that forms part of Lore Group’s expanding portfolio – was keen to ramp up its F&B offering, and the master mixologist was invited to replace its existing House Bar with something befitting its historic setting.

Not for the first time, Chetiyawardana turned to Jacu Strauss, Creative Director at Lore Group and founder of its in-house design practice Lore Studio, to help realise his vision. The bartender and designer originally teamed up on Dandelyan, back when Strauss worked at Tom

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Photography: © Dishtales

Dixon’s Design Research Studio, and also collaborated on its successor,

from the radical overhaul required to deliver an “all-day mini-

as our rapport, is what enables us to fully integrate how we work,” says

Super Lyan experience” in the courtyard, which was previously just

Chetiyawardana, explaining why he jumped at the chance to join forces

a thoroughfare between the hotel’s lobby and its American-inspired

with Strauss again. “Far too often, design is shoehorned in during the

restaurant, Wyers, to the transformation of the lounge. “The living

later stages of a project, so you don’t get an opportunity for it to become

room was the space I was most nervous about because it’s isolated from

one with the concept.” This is certainly not an accusation you could level

everything else, but it’s turned out to be really special,” he reflects.

at Super Lyan, where, as Strauss points out, “the bar’s offering is really

“I’m proud of how we’ve managed to turn a dead space into something

ingrained in the interior design, and vice versa”.

people want to experience.”

Super Lyan’s concept revolves around the idea of playful nostalgia,

Of course, stylish interiors can only take a bar so far – the quality of

with an all-day neighbourhood cocktail bar celebrating the optimism

the drinks offering is the key to ensuring customers return again and

of the 1950s. The venue actually comprises three distinct parts: an

again. To ensure service never dips below his own impeccable standards,

atmospheric main bar with a retro American-diner vibe and bold neon

Chetiyawardana is putting his faith in trusted lieutenant Alex Lawrence,

lighting, a cosy lounge area reminiscent of a private living room from

former Head Bartender of Dandelyan and now Head of Bars for the Mr

the mid-20th century, and a casual indoor courtyard where the newly

Lyan group, alongside Bar Manager Thomas Datema (co-founder of

installed skylight introduces a palpable sense of space. The first two

local cocktail bar Rosalia’s Menagerie) and Head Bartender Dan Garnell,

only open in the evenings, and utilise hero pieces such as a spectacular

another Dandelyan alumnus.

curving bar counter (“it’s almost like a spaceship from The Jetsons”,

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Strauss freely admits that the project was not without its challenges,

Lyaness. “The constant communication between me and Jacu, as well

They will oversee a constantly changing drinks menu that caters to

jokes Strauss) and an authentic vintage minibar, accompanied by

drop-ins as much as connoisseurs. “Super Lyan’s a democratic bar – we

brightly coloured banquettes and stools; by contrast, the latter operates

want to make cocktails that appeal to everybody across all times of day,”

right through from 7am till midnight daily, and employs a classic

explains Chetiyawardana. To this end, customers can order a selection

blue-and-white colour palette to evoke a calm, welcoming atmosphere

of breakfast cocktails like the Lyan Mary (Ketel One Botanical vodka,

whatever the hour.

miso, tomato, passata and lemon), alcohol-free creations, and signature

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serve Panacea (Johnnie Walker Black Label, lavender and honey shrub,

Billed as the playful sibling in the Mr Lyan group, Super Lyan’s fun

lemon and sage dust), which comes on draught. They could also sip tea

approach will undoubtedly shake up Amsterdam’s traditional cocktail

and coffee in the courtyard, or splash out on vegan shakes such as the

scene, and feels a world away from the high-concept ethos of Lyaness

aromatic Halo Hi Ball Float (Karma Cola and orange blossom coconut

(where guests choose from a list of ingredients instead of a drinks

‘cream’), which can be turned into a hardshake by adding Bacardí

menu) and Cub (which champions sustainable eating). Later this

Quatro and Angostura bitters for a €2 supplement. “Shakes help us

year, Chetiyawardana also plans to open another bar, Silver Lyan, in

reflect the garden feel and fit into the fifties theme,” he adds. “Most

Washington D.C., although the details of this particular venture are still

shakes tend to be heavy, but we’ve done a lot of R&D to develop rich

being kept firmly under wraps.

flavours without using dairy.”

Chetiyawardana’s training as a chef (lest we forget, he also heads

For now though, Chetiyawardana can bask in the positive reception for Super Lyan, a venue that amply demonstrates the London-

up London’s Cub restaurant) is evident, meanwhile, in the unusually

based bartender has what it takes to succeed outside of his home

adventurous bar snacks menu. Among its highlights are the Amsterdam-

city. Far from playing it safe, the brains behind the World’s Best Bar

inspired trio of fresh stroopwafel (waffles with a sweet caramel syrup

is clearly seizing his time in the spotlight, and his proven flair for

filling), beef bitterballen (fried balls of beef ragout) with beer mustard,

mixology looks set to win over a whole new legion of fans, both in the

and fries with deep-fried mayo, while the more-ish vegan donuts

Netherlands and beyond.

(raspberry with miso caramel, almond butter with banana, or dark chocolate with speculaas) are perfect for those with a sweet tooth.

www.superlyan.com

IN A BITE Covers: 65 (main bar and lounge), 45 (indoor courtyard) • Investor: Lore Group • Interior Design: Lore Studio • F&B Consultant: Mr Lyan • F&B Director: Jos van Hunen • Interim Head Chef: Bas Verheul • Bar Manager: Thomas Datema • Head Bartender: Dan Garnell • Head Waiter: Laurens Keg • Dinnerware: Tovari, Villeroy & Boch • Cutlery: APS • Glassware: Tovari, APS • Barware: APS, Cocktail Kingdom • Buffetware: Tovari • Menu and Graphic Design: Magpie Studio • Uniform Design: Pakkend

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The Legacy House Rosewood Hong Kong

Words: Heleri Rande

O

n the site of the former Holt’s Wharf on the shores of Victoria Harbour stands new ultra-luxury property Rosewood Hong Kong. Rosewood Hotels & Resorts certainly has high hopes for the development, describing the opening

as ‘a defining milestone for the group, solidifying its stature as one of the world’s most dynamic hotel brands’.

No expense has been spared on the Tony Chi-designed hotel, which boasts 413 keys, 33,880ft2 of meetings and events space, artworks

by Damien Hirst and Henry Moore, room amenities by Zieher, and a plethora of F&B outlets. Currently, visitors can enjoy the local and international menu at all-day dining restaurant Holt’s Café, try the artfully created delicacies in the Butterfly Patisserie and Butterfly Room, experience ancient flavours in the adjacent Tea Conservatory, indulge in a nightcap at the DarkSide bar, and take in the views of Victoria Harbour in The Legacy House, the property’s signature restaurant.

To honour Dr Cheng Yu-Tung, grandfather of Rosewood Hotel Group CEO Sonia Cheng, The Legacy House focuses on the cuisine of Shunde in Guangdong Province, regarded by many as the basis of Cantonese gastronomy. “With The Legacy House, we wanted to do something different,” explains Sandro Gamba, Director of Culinary Operation at Rosewood Hong Kong. “Most five-star hotels in Hong Kong have fine-

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Photography: © Callaghan Walsh

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Photography: © Edmon Leong

dining Cantonese restaurants, a lot of them awarded Michelin stars. That

Cheng family’s private collection, special commissions include romantic

is not our goal. The main dining room part is very casual and accessible,

portrait murals from Melbourne street artist Rone.

while the seven private dining rooms offer excellent customised service and a truly tailored experience.”

The kitchen at The Legacy House is overseen by Chinese Executive

that are both modern and classic at the same time,” says Romain Gissot,

Chef Li Chi Wai, whose passion for Cantonese cuisine was previously

F&B Director at Rosewood Hong Kong. “Their work with our brand in

showcased in the hotel spaces at MGM Macau and MGM Cotai. “I was

Beijing, Phuket and Phnom Penh is a testament to their skill.”

inspired by my mother when I was a boy – observing and learning

Shunde cuisine is not perhaps a particularly well-known part of

from her, as she cooked for us every day, was the start of my journey,”

Chinese culinary heritage, but having almost disappeared about 20

recounts Wai. “Under the tutelage of a few chefs who originated from

years ago, its dishes and techniques are now being brought back to life.

Shunde, I mastered my cooking skills after working in various traditional

“Shunde is the region of China not far from Hong Kong, on the side of

Cantonese restaurants in Hong Kong, prior to then honing my skills in

Macau; people there loved to use fish that came from the river but ended

some of the best Cantonese restaurants in Macau for over ten years.”

up in the ocean, a place where the fish had both lives and was therefore

The eye-catching interiors of The Legacy House have been designed

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Interestingly, the relationship between Bar Studio and Rosewood is not a new one. “They really know how to design Chinese restaurants

much more flavourful,” explains Gamba. Some of the traditional Shunde

by Melbourne’s Bar Studio. In the main restaurant, rustic and refined

dishes on the menu include pan-fried fish head with ginger and spring

materials such as dark wood, tiles, metal and glass have been used to

onion, minced fish soup, fungus and tangerine peel and stir-fried fish

evoke a sense of warmth and nostalgia, while the seven private dining

noodles with bean sprout, mushroom and dried sole, but speciality

rooms are meant to feel like rooms in a house, a clever way of blurring

dishes such as suckling pig and Peking duck also appear, and are crafted

the transition between hotel spaces. In addition to sculptures from the

to perfection. “Our CEO is very particular about the dishes and is always

export@tafelstern.com · www.tafelstern.com

TAF-19-017-AnzSupper-236x275_3mm_RZ.indd 1

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challenging the team,” reveals Gamba. “She is not a chef, but I am

the seven private dining rooms boast their own unique interiors, each

convinced that she knows more about food than I do.”

modelled after a different landmark moment in Dr Cheng Yu-Tung’s

On the drinks side, the wines are carefully overseen by Nicolas Deneux, Area Wine Director for Asia at Rosewood Hotel Group; the

life. “On the door, there is a logo and date marking a moment in the evolution of the company that the grandfather built,” adds Gissot.

elegant cocktails are crafted by Arkadiusz Rybak, Director of Bars at

This focus on getting every element right also extends to sourcing

Rosewood Hong Kong; and everything related to tea is sourced from

the finest produce around. “The beauty of working in Hong Kong is the

Hong Kong’s renowned purveyor Tak Cheung. “We collaborate with

amount of fresh products available,” explains Gamba. “It is not difficult

a local tea house, a place that knows the market and can assist us in

to reproduce a dish from anywhere as shipments come in so frequently.”

creating truly memorable experiences,” notes Gissot. “This is a unique offering in a hotel in Hong Kong.”

From The Legacy House’s interiors to its menu, the level of detail on

Following The Legacy House’s launch, Rosewood Hong Kong can now turn its attention to opening further hotel restaurants and bars onsite, helping it compete in the city’s impressive gastronomic scene. And with

display here is spectacular. Most of the dinnerware has been custom-

such a dedicated team at the helm, there is every reason to suspect that

made by Gaya Ceramic in Bali, whilst sculptural lighting by New York

this landmark property will become just as well-known for its food and

studio Apparatus and glass pendants by Melbourne-based designer

drink as for its wonderful location in the years to come.

Mark Douglass add craftmanship. “Artisanal touches and creating a sense of place are very important to us,” says Gamba. Moreover, each of

www.rosewoodhotels.com

IN A BITE Covers: 132 • Private Dining Rooms: 7 • Owner: Rosewood Hotels & Resorts • Interior Design: Bar Studio • Head Chef: Li Chi Wai • F&B Director: Romain Gissot • Area Wine Director for Asia: Nicolas Deneux • Director of Bars: Arkadiusz Rybak • Operations Manager: Roy Chang • Dinnerware: Gaya Ceramic • Serveware: Sambonet • Cutlery: Robbe & Berking Silber • Glassware: Schott Zwiesel, Riedel • Catering Equipment: M Style • Table Decoration: Assouline, Blooms & Blossoms • Menu Design: Bing Design Company • Uniform Design: Jourden

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Vintry & Mercer London

Words: Ben Thomas • Photography: © Amy Murrell

L

ocated on Garlick Hill, between the architectural triumphs of Sir

printed wallcoverings featuring hand-drawn graphic sketches merge the

Christopher Wren and Mansion House tube station, Vintry & Mercer

old city with the new.

is firmly rooted in the rich historic influences of London’s past, taking inspiration from the merchant guilds that once traded fine

wines and silks in the warren of narrow streets that line the Thames.

The 92-room property is the second hotel from owner Anton Fedun,

Bean-Pearce continues. “We developed the design, creating 92 rooms and three F&B spaces that utilise the surrounding views. However, the

who opened The Ampersand in South Kensington in 2012. The hotelier

challenging shape of the site led to the creation of a cobbled vestibule

once again turned to London-based multidisciplinary studio Dexter

from the street into the main lobby, positioning the reception to the

Moren Associates (DMA) to devise the interior scheme, which brings

right of the entrance.”

together age-old references and contemporary touches across an all-day

Beyond a dramatic light sculpture in the lobby, 60-cover restaurant

restaurant, rooftop brasserie and bar, decadent underground speakeasy

Vintry Kitchen is inspired by the Far East trading routes used for

and three private dining spaces.

transporting goods over the centuries. The space is decorated with

“The client wanted to create a bolthole away from the city,

geometric-tiled flooring, marble-topped tables and luxurious leather

transporting guests into another space and time entirely,” says Lindsey

banquette seating, while plantation shutters and delicate wire-framed

Bean-Pearce, Partner at DMA. “The interiors are eclectic and combine

mirrors ensure natural illumination from the rooflight above, and a

the contemporary character of the city with its inspirational history,

partially-open prep kitchen, bar seating and overhead storage maximise

marrying the old-world charm of vintage-inspired furniture and joinery

the space. The menu incorporates the flavours of Asia, from the salty

with clean, modern detailing.”

tang of miso and the fiery kick of kimchi to the freshness of yuzu

To chronicle the heritage of the Vintry and Mercer guilds – Vintry was

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“When we first got involved in the project, the hotel plans incorporated 74 guestrooms focused around a small internal courtyard,”

and gentle heat of wasabi, while ingredients that once arrived on the

the centre for London wine merchants, while Mercer were noble textile

shores of the Thames like wine, honey, saffron, garlic and cinnamon

sellers who specialised in fine silks and damasks – the designers used

– honoured in nearby street names – feature throughout. Tapas-style

specialist joinery finishes including metal meshes on doors, leather-

dishes include an octopus okonomi-yaki izakaya plate with siracha

wrapped niches and stud detailing. Bespoke fabrics and curated artwork

mayonnaise, a pork meatball tonkatsu steamed bun, and a tempura

decorate the guestrooms, hallways and dining spaces, while digitally

shrimp with iceberg lettuce and smoked chilli relish. Naturally, wine

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is central to the approach, with a gantry of barrels at the foot of the

pork cutlets and Norfolk white free-range chicken glazed with honey

restaurant – referencing the sailors and merchants of the Vintry guild –

and lavender. Those with a sweeter tooth can choose from classic British

serving a selection of tipples straight from the tap.

puddings including steamed treacle sponge and custard and Cambridge

Up on the seventh level, Mercer Roof Terrace captures London’s skyline in one sweep, taking in the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral and the glass tip of The Shard. Based on a countryside orangery, the brasserie

vanilla ice cream and stout.

Occupying the basement, meanwhile, underground speakeasy Do

is brought to life through a palette of weathered timbers, muted sage

Not Disturb takes cues from the clandestine venues of 1920s New York.

green and grey upholstery, while rich details are introduced in the form

Having discovered the client’s love of speakeasy bars, Bean-Pearce says

of brass detailing, with honeycomb-patterned tiles on the walls and

the vision was to transform the basement level into an opulent cocktail

Versailles parquet timber flooring. Plants are also dotted throughout to

bar. Upon entering through a gated and copper-leafed atrium off the

cement the English garden-feel, while a large potted olive tree becomes

adjacent Minerva Place, guests are greeted by hand-beaded images of

a focal point on the terrace alongside clear glazed balustrades, which

Ziegfeld Follies girls that line the walls, lounge banquettes and plush

allow for the planting of small trees and hedges to create natural privacy

velvet chairs with deep buttons and fringing. Ceilings feature decorative

and shelter. Dark green metro tiles, woven wicker patterned wallpaper

mouldings and trims painted in dark claret, while loose lay vintage

and enamel bucket sinks continue the theme in the bathrooms.

Persian rugs complement a marble bar and brass, fan-detailed frontage

The kitchen is overseen by Executive Chef Chris Golding, who

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burnt cream, as well as playful additions like chocolate mousse with

designed to tarnish over time. Two cosy booths decked with azure blue

launched Apero at sister hotel The Ampersand before a stint at The

subway tiles, hemmed ottomans and full-length velvet curtains can also

Norman in Tel Aviv. Golding has based the menu on modern British

be sectioned off to create a more intimate setting.

cooking, showcasing sustainably sourced meat and fish from the British

Heralding the street’s merchant history, speciality barrel-aged and

Isles, as well as inventive cocktails made from house-infused spirits and

house cocktails curated by Head Bartender Cosmin Tigroso come in the

displayed in colourful carafes on the bar. Starters include British oysters,

form of The Sulpture, which mixes Bloomsbury peated barley vodka,

spiced beetroot cured trout and hay-smoked beef tartare, while mains

Belsazar dry vermouth and Xeco fino sherry; and Lift Yourself, fusing

showcase the kitchen’s charcoal oven with grilled tomahawk steaks,

Ocho Blanco tequila, asparagus, coconut water and vinegar. A menu

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of small plates, tacos and sliders inspired by The Big Apple includes

pay homage to merchant tailors, and oversized headboards featuring

signature dishes such as monkfish taco with smoked chilli mayo and

bespoke damask and velvet upholstery house room controls, reading

pickled red cabbage, and a beef patty burrata garnished with beetroot

lights and USB plugs. Elsewhere, carriage-style mirrors evoke the golden

mayonnaise and pancetta.

age of train travel, and dressing areas are a play on a deconstructed

Complementing the offer, three meeting and events spaces – The

travel trunk with scraped timber veneer and brass mesh panels.

Music Room, The Library and The Drawing Room – are named after the

While Vintry & Mercer is inspired by historic traditions, the property

entertaining venues found in traditional Georgian houses. In honour of

also has one eye on the future, running on renewable electricity sourced

its roots, The Library features patchwork Persian rugs and trading maps

from wind, solar and biomass generators to ensure the environmental

that decorate the ceiling, while antique mirrors reflect natural daylight

impact is kept to a bare minimum.

from an integrated clerestory. Designed as private dining rooms, the

For Bean-Pearce, the hotel is a true bolthole. “As with any new

spaces range in capacity from 10-35 covers, with The Library and The

project, the hardest thing is to balance the impact of design and the

Drawing Room interconnected to cater for up to 55 guests.

ability for that design to remain timeless,” she concludes. “That’s

Guestrooms range from intimate doubles to suites with glass-

why it is so important to immerse the motif in the neighbourhood

panelled balconies overlooking the South Bank skyline. The materiality

story, and thereby create a hotel unique to its location, which guests

and palette of each room type reflect the colours of items exchanged

can understand and engage with. In this instance, we believe we have

by the guilds, from claret to honey, while their design focuses on the

created something truly special.”

composition and scale of traditional patterns and furniture forms. Palm wallcoverings nod to ancient shipping routes, while herringbone carpets

www.vintryandmercer.com

IN A BITE Covers: 36 (Mercer Roof Terrace), 60 (Vintry Kitchen), 60 (Do Not Disturb), 10 (The Music Room), 25 (The Drawing Room), 35 (The Library) • Owner: Anton Fedun • Architecture and Interior Design: Dexter Moren Associates (DMA) • Executive Chef: Chris Golding • F&B Manager: Thomas Decan • Head Bartender: Cosmin Tigroso • Art Consultant: Hotel Artefacts • Procurement: Blue Moon Procurement

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Fried scallop, cream of celeriac, fried artichoke, bottarga and salmon roe

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Tramonto Hotel Ottilia, Copenhagen

Words: Heleri Rande • Photography: Courtesy of Tramonto

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ocated in the iconic old Carlsberg brewery, Brøchner Hotels’ new 155-room property, Hotel Ottilia, sits in a small area of Vesterbro west of Copenhagen’s central station that has undergone tremendous change over the last few years. Once

regarded as the seedy part of town, the place is now buzzing with characterful cafés and designer shops, while the brewery itself is being turned into an exciting new neighbourhood with its very own postcode. It is easy to see why this ongoing redevelopment, which reflects Denmark’s cultural heritage whilst simultaneously looking to the future, was an instant draw for Søren Brøchner-Mortensen, Brøchner Hotels’ owner and Director of Business Development.

Tramonto occupies the upper floor of the hotel, and boasts 360-degree views over the city. The venue, whose name means sunset in Italian, aims to bring warm southern vibes to the Danish capital. It is a concept that has been brought to life by owners Jerry and Jonna Kadriev, who are already well-known in the local restaurant scene as a result of 18 years running the La Rocca eatery in the city centre, although the Danish-Italian duo’s F&B ventures also include the Pintxos tapas bar and a wine-trading company.

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This 300-seat restaurant, which comprises both an indoor seating

Scandi touch might first suggest. The half-moon-shaped beef carpaccio

Giacomo Russo, a 26-year-old Italian who has long enjoyed working in

drizzled with citronette dressing, truffle and herbs, and the homemade

sizeable à la carte restaurants. He attributes much of his career success

tagliolini pasta served with Norwegian lobster and prawn bisque, could

to his time in the kitchen with friend and mentor Christian Paradisi,

be seen as moving it up into more fine-dining territory. However, the

Executive Chef at the Radisson Collection Royal Hotel in Copenhagen.

young kitchen team is busy at work shaping the identity of the place,

“Working with Chris was a transformative experience for me,” he

whilst collaborating on everything with Jerry Kadriev, who has spent

admits. “I learned so much about hôtellerie and how to operate in big

ample time behind the stove himself. “Jerry gets involved in the kitchen,

restaurant spaces. That is when I grew to love these large dining rooms

which is great for working together, as he has a lot of experience and

and managing during busy hours of the day.”

offers valuable suggestions,” says Russo. “But he is also letting us be

Originally from Rome but with family roots in Sardinia and Naples, Russo’s southern Italian food influences are clearly evident on the menu.

creative to test our own ideas.”

The restaurant’s Italian influences are readily apparent when it comes

Together with his sous chef, who also hails from Sardinia, they have

to sourcing both ingredients and drinks. Key items like cheeses and

been steadily working on improving the menu ever since the restaurant

cured meats come from Italy, while the wine selection is directed by the

first opened its doors. “The identity of Tramonto is not Sardinian,

owners and Sergio Custodio, Tramonto’s F&B Manager. “We collaborate

but it definitely has a more southern style, and we will move in that

with Sergio on the wine pairings and use a lot of wine reduction in the

direction,” he muses. “For example, we are now adding dishes with

sauces,” notes Russo. “Currently, we have a cabernet sauce and a white

bottarga to the menu, as salted and cured fish roe is very typical to that

wine sauce for the tagliolini, but we are working on many more.”

part of the world.”

Some items on the current menu are probably more sophisticated

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than the venue’s aspiration to be a casual Italian joint with a laid-back

area and a 150-cover external terrace, is headed by Executive Chef

The bar programme is still being developed at the time of writing, although the venue is already starting to attract more cocktail

MAIN COURSE

Homemade torchietti, broccoli, stracciatella, chilli and anchovy

aficionados as the weather improves. There are also plans to brew its

Indeed, Tramonto’s kitchen exudes a strong sense of camaraderie and

own beer at a local brewery. “We try to incorporate old history and

shared purpose, with Russo successfully managing to keep his core team

make it interesting again,” explains Ulla Farlov, Event Coordinator at

close, while simultaneously recruiting ambitious new chefs to drive

Tramonto. “From the restaurant terrace, guests can see the Carlsberg

everyone forwards. “It is not easy to find the right people, but my aim

tower with the statues of brewmaster Carl Jacobsen and his wife Ottilia.

is to have people younger than myself here,” he reflects. “It is easier as

She was born in Scotland and her favourite flower was the thistle; inside

they have not been conditioned in any way, and are more open to new

our restaurant, you can see this motif reflected in the design elements.”

ideas. Currently, we have two couples working in the kitchen, we really

As part of Tramonto’s relationship with the wider property, breakfast is served here by the hotel team, who use clearly designated areas and

are like an Italian family.”

All in all, the early signs for Tramonto are very promising. The

fridges, whilst conference catering and room service are executed by the

Danes, and everyone else for that matter, can rest assured that this

restaurant staff. “We manage the restaurant for the hotel, but this is

development was worth the wait, and perhaps raise a glass to the team

not a hotel restaurant,” says Russo. “It has its own identity and feel. We

who managed to keep F&B at the heart of the old Carlsberg brewery.

report to the owners and Lene Larsen, General Manager of the hotel, but we feel we are working in a restaurant.”

www.tramonto.dk

IN A BITE Covers: 150 (indoor), 150 (outdoor) • Owner: Jerry and Jonna Kadriev • Developer: Brøchner Hotels • Investor: Carlsberg Byen, Brøchner Hotels • Architecture: Brøchner Hotels, Arkitema • Interior Design: Brøchner Hotels, Mette Fredskild, Morten Hedegaard • Executive Chef: Giacomo Russo • F&B Manager: Sergio Custodio • Event Coordinator: Ulla Farlov • Dinnerware, Cutlery, Glassware and Barware: Brønnum • Table Linen: DFD • Lighting: Rubn Lighting • Menu Design: Bookvideo

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SWEETS

Trends and insight into the global foodservice sector

“Chefs and cooks are able to boost customer interaction by revitalising the art of serving food, bringing the dining room to the people instead of the people to the dining room�

Yariv Kadosh, co-founder and CEO, Mogogo

Dashi onion at The Forest Side

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SIDES

Pick Your Own Dinner Forward-thinking UK hotels are looking to stand out from the crowd by organising immersive hunter-gatherer events for guests.

Words: Lucy Lovell

R

estaurants around the globe are experiencing a renewed interest in local, artisan products, and the UK is no exception. Farm-to-fork and foraged menus are cropping up thick and fast, but some hotels are taking it to the next level; from picking your own vegetables to

catching your own fish, properties are adding an eclectic range of events to the menu, enabling guests to get closer to their food than ever before.

At The Forest Side, for example, is an establishment perfectly placed to offer immersive experiences to food-lovers. Set in the mountains of the Lake District, the 20-room luxury hotel and restaurant boasts a Michelinstarred menu that’s peppered with foraged and home-grown ingredients.

Collecting wood sorrel, or picking pink purslane flowers, has long been a daily job for the chefs, and they’ve recently started inviting guests to forage alongside them. “People are gobsmacked by it – they’re doing it because they don’t understand it,” says Head Chef Kevin Tickle.

A born and bred Cumbrian, spotting edible plants is second nature to Tickle, who honed his foraging skills during nine years at L’Enclume, Simon Rogan’s iconic restaurant-with-rooms in Cartmel. “Prior to that, I knew what a lot of it was, but I didn’t know what was edible,” remembers Tickle.

It was at L’Enclume that Tickle first saw the price tag on the plants that

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Photography: © White Feather & Co

he’d been surrounded by during his childhood. Even back then, suppliers

from watching them,” he explains. “Guests now like to interact and talk,

were already cottoning onto the foraging trend, offering to deliver wild

and they’re all growing vegetables and cooking at home.”

ingredients to busy chefs, but Tickle had other ideas. “A lot of them were

Payne heads up the kitchen at the Michelin-starred Fischer’s Baslow

quite expensive to buy,” he recalls. “You’re paying £10 for 100g of wood

Hall, which is set in a picturesque corner of the Peak District surrounded by

sorrel, but you’ve got a wood behind the restaurant. Just go and pick it

gardens, lakes and woodland. Here, Payne and his team try to teach guests

yourself and save £100.”

about the flora and fauna of Derbyshire; the luxury hotel and restaurant

Tickle admits that chefs growing and foraging their own produce isn’t a novel concept, but what is new, he says, is guests’ interest in it. For him,

courses in collaboration with Totally Wild UK.

it’s partly due to the rise of the chef as a celebrity – something that he still

Unlike Tickle at The Forest Side – who prefers to take a maximum of

finds a little baffling. “Back in the day, you only ever went into the kitchen

four guests on his trips – Fischer’s works together with a local foraging

to meet chefs like Raymond Blanc and Michel Roux,” he reflects. “Now,

company, which can accommodate up to 18 guests per guide. This takes

every night I’ll have someone up at the pass talking to me, I just don’t get

some of the pressure off the kitchen team, and also gives Payne time to

it. They even want me to sign their menus.” The modest chef might not

prepare a luxurious lunch using wild ingredients when the group returns

completely understand all of the attention from starstruck guests, but he

to the hotel. “The forager will come into the kitchen in the morning, and

is hearing them out, and tweaking his offering to suit a new kind of diner:

he’ll tell us what they expect to find around the area, so that can give us

one that’s engaged, informed, and wants to emulate their idols.

ideas for what to cook,” says Payne. “When they come back, we’ll use those

Across the UK, the rise of the foodie is perhaps demonstrated by the

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organises a range of events including fly-fishing lessons and foraging

ingredients for their three-course meal.”

huge ratings garnered by some of its most popular TV shows, with the

The events at Fischer’s Baslow Hall give the guest something unique

likes of The Great British Bake Off and MasterChef putting amateur cooks

and long-lasting to take away with them: knowledge. Payne adds: “Guests

centre stage. According to chef James Payne, the blurred line between

really like the fact that they could go out for a walk with their dog the

professional and home cooking encourages guests to learn more through

following week, and say, ‘that’s wood sorrel, I can pick that and have that

immersive experiences. “People see all these TV programmes, and learn

with my tea’. You’ve not just come and had a lovely meal, you’ve been out

SIDES

Plating up at Glenapp Castle

in the morning, seen where we get the ingredients, what we do with them,

offers deer-stalking experiences, which are wildly popular. Setting off at

and eaten them. It gives them ideas for when they go home.”

daybreak, the four-hour trip goes either through the forests in the north of

Ayrshire’s dining destination Glenapp Castle has also noticed an increase

the island, or across the Cullin mountains. “We arrange a packed breakfast

in demand for immersive experiences, and has added the likes of eagle

for around 5am – smoked-salmon sandwiches and lots of delicious cakes

fishing, deer stalking and pheasant shooting to its offering. The hotel’s

to keep energy levels high,” says owner Isabella Macdonald.

newest package, the Hebridean Sea Safari, takes guests onto a private boat

The game is then butchered and hung, before being used in the Kinloch

to tour some remote islands. En route, they can enjoy a spot of fishing –

kitchen. This lengthy process means guests won’t eat the exact deer

with the option of being joined by Ripley the sea eagle – before having the

they’ve hunted, but the insight provided can enhance their respect and

catch prepared and cooked by the hotel’s chefs.

enjoyment of the food, says Macdonald. “I think foraging or hunting for

In addition to enhancing guests’ overall experience, Executive Chef

your own food makes it even better; you know exactly where that food

David Alexander says these events are a way of introducing them to more

has come from and you’ve had the thrill of finding it,” she notes. Giving

sustainable produce. “This year, I’m doing a cooking demonstration to

diners the opportunity to learn more about the food on their plate can

promote fish that are less well-known,” explains Alexander. “People now

have a big impact on future buying habits too. Macdonald sums up: “We

have more of an interest in what they’re putting in their bodies, and a

all love educating ourselves, and we never stop learning. If we’re educated

greater understanding of seasonality.”

a little bit in it – be it food, wine or whisky – we begin to notice it more

Working to raise the profile of less familiar ingredients in this way helps

and appreciate it.”

encourage guests to choose them on the menu, which can only be a good

Whether it’s learning about sustainable ingredients, reconnecting with

thing for the local economy and the environment, but there is also an added

the environment, or gaining a better understanding of chefs’ daily lives,

incentive for hoteliers. As Alexander puts it: “From a business point of

one thing is clear: guests want to lift the lid on the traditional restaurant

view, it’s cheaper to use produce that’s in season and on your doorstep.”

set-up. Today’s properties increasingly need to ensure they can cater to

Another hotel showcasing Scotland’s natural larder is Kinloch Lodge

the kind of customer who, rather than being waited on hand and foot, can’t

on the Isle of Skye. As well as foraging and fishing, the family-run retreat

wait to get their hands dirty.

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Cooking on Gas As the experience-led economy grows stronger, hotels across the globe are turning to live cooking stations to add an extra dimension to their F&B offering.

Words: Ben Thomas

I

n an age where Instagrammable décor and experience-

Balancing functionality, durability and mobility, the

led concepts dominate, hotels around the world are

firm’s Modular System enables restaurants to use the same

on the lookout for culinary programmes that add an

components to develop multiple dining configurations

extra dimension to their F&B offering. One of the latest

within a single space. Deployed at the Hilton Americas

developments to come to the fore is live cooking, an eye-

Leadership Conference in Orlando, where over 2,000 of the

catching format that involves chefs preparing dishes right in

hotel chain’s general managers gathered to enrich their

front of the guest.

knowledge in the art of station styling, food presentation

From carveries and barbecues to sushi bars and

and cooking, the Modular Banquet Stations line comprises

teppanyaki grills, live cooking can drive interaction

two ranges: Classic, a series of units and shelves that fit

between chefs and guests across a variety of cuisines; pasta,

together seamlessly, functioning as building blocks with a

noodles and fried rice are just some of the items that lend

sleek linear design that is adaptable to both traditional and

themselves particularly well to the concept. Often, diners

modern interiors; and Creative, a curved design concept that

are also invited to choose from a selection of sauces and

offers bespoke features based on Mogogo’s experience in

garnishes, enabling them to really personalise their plate.

mass foodservice operations.

“Live cooking stations transform back-of-house cooking

Recently, Mogogo entered into a landmark distribution

into a front-of-house spectacle for guests,” says Yariv

agreement with Steelite to distribute its F&B furniture

Kadosh, co-founder and CEO of F&B furniture solutions

solutions to the UK hospitality market; the move couples its

brand Mogogo. “Chefs and cooks are able to boost customer

premium buffet stations with Steelite’s extensive tabletop

interaction by revitalising the art of serving food, bringing

collections, giving hotel F&B venues more flexibility

the dining room to the people instead of the people to the

than ever before when it comes to presenting their F&B

dining room.”

offering to guests. According to Kadosh, creating the right

Working with the likes of Hilton, Marriott and Westin,

environment goes far beyond merely having a talented chef

as well as venturing into the world of aviation with Delta

who can put on a show: “For live food demonstrations to

Airlines, Mogogo aims to bring people together through food

be a success, there needs to be a good cooking induction,

– the name of the brand itself derives from a traditional

a cooling plate, storage space for kitchen utilities, shelves

communal oven used in Ethiopia. “Our stations focus more

for ingredients and finished dishes, but ultimately a

on presentation than technicalities,” Kadosh continues.

comfortable working space for the chef. Our add-ons like the

“They are not a direct replacement of the back-of-house

arch of hanging pots, pans and blackboards, as well as meats

kitchen, but rather a way of putting on a show and driving

and sausages, transform stations into mobile kitchens with

consumer interaction.”

a sense of personality.”

SWEETS

SWEETS

Mogogo’s Modular System

Parallel in its approach, Sico’s Mosaic modular buffet system has been

on the reputation of the brand’s original stone hearth ovens – the

and creates a versatile dining experience for a range of events. The

popularity of which has surged thanks to increasing demand for wood-

intuitive, lightweight design can be set up and transported easily, with its

fired pizza – the new rotisserie features a tempered glass front door and

17 drop-in modules all collapsible to the same cube shape. With minimal

optional rear access glass door that offers guests a sneak-peek at its ten

staff and no tools required thanks to the Transport & Storage Caddy, the

spit locations, where a variety of foods can be cooked simultaneously

system provides chefs with a flexible workspace that suits their needs,

without the risk of cross-contamination.

whilst also giving guests the best view possible.

“From an intimate chef-prepared lunch for a small meeting to hot

Live cooking undoubtedly makes dining more interactive, creating an immersive environment that keeps hungry diners coming back for

appetisers alongside live music in a hotel lobby or a large ballroom

seconds. And though mobile stations require hotels to carefully consider

gathering, live cooking provides F&B venues with the ability to create

how plates are prepared, they also pose an opportunity for F&B venues

flexible, engaging events,” says Heidi Niesen of Sico. “Modular action

to showcase fresh and local ingredients, ensuring guests know exactly

stations create an element of entertainment by allowing guests to

what they are being served – particularly resonant at a time when food

customise their food choices, while encouraging interaction with the

transparency is such a hot topic.

chef. They should complement an interior décor and provide an element

Looking ahead, Niesen believes that creating culinary experiences will

of versatility, using interchangeable modules like induction cookers,

go beyond the menu: “As venues look for unique ways to differentiate

a plancha grill and pasta stations. Most importantly, all action station

and interact with guests, food preparation and presentation will be given

components must transport and store compactly.”

greater consideration. Interactive show cooking will continue to evolve,

Meanwhile, Washington State-based manufacturer Wood Stone recently introduced the Whatcom Gas Vertical Rotisserie, enabling chefs

084

and diners alike to share the cooking process in its entirety. Building

designed in consultation with celebrated chefs from around the world,

and so too will the demand for flexible, modular equipment that is designed to look like furniture and function like a professional kitchen.”

mosaic

Create. Engage. Experience.

Bring the excitement and theatre of the k ­ itchen to the Front of the House using interchangeable chef inspired drop-in modules for maximum flexibility.

modular buffet system

THE AMERICAS

|

EUROPE

|

ASIA

|

AUSTRALIA

|

Optimizing Spaces with Innovative Product Solutions sales@sicoinc.com

|

www.sicoinc.com

|

1.952.941.1700

MIDDLE EAST

SIGNATURE

Crispy Fried Bean Curd Sheet Roll Yun Jin Grand Hyatt Taipei Grand Hyatt Taipei has expanded its range of meat-free options to make

ginger, and sprinkled with white sesame seeds, accompanied by a helping

dining out easier for vegetarian guests. As part of the initiative, many of the

of fresh broccoli. The meat-free meal is presented to diners on plates made

property’s nine restaurants are introducing plant-based pork alternative

by a ceramic shop in Yingge District, featuring a bold pattern of radiating

Omnipork to their menus. The new culinary creations include double-

lines that draw the eye towards the centre.

boiled mushroom soup, steamed black truffle dumplings and crispy shredded vegetarian puffs.

Another notable addition is this Crispy Fried Bean Curd Sheet Roll

Besides Yun Jin, Grand Hyatt Taipei’s extensive F&B offering also includes continental European grill Bel Air, Cantonese restaurant Pearl Liang and Italian eatery Ziga Zaga.

served at Yun Jin, a fine-dining restaurant offering delicacies from Beijing, Sichuan, Hunan, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Taiwan. Created by Chef de Cuisine Ben Hsieh, the dish is made by mixing together Omnipork, mushroom, celery, tapioca starch, salt, pepper, Chinese five-spice powder and black sesame oil; this is wrapped with burdock in a bean curd sheet and steamed for around eight minutes, then fried until golden brown. Next, the roll is dipped in a sauce packed with traditional Taiwanese sweet-and-sour flavours, fashioned from black sesame oil, black rice vinegar, sugar and

www.hyatt.com

Where form and function combine perfectly and quality is paramount. At Elia, innovation is second nature.

Elia. Serving Professionals.

Elia International Ltd. 10 Aintree Road Perivale, Middlesex UB6 7LA United Kingdom Tel +44 (0)20 8998 2100 Fax +44 (0)20 8997 5596 sales@elia.co.uk www.elia.co.uk

SIGNATURE

Tomato Tatin Barristers Restaurant The Courthouse, Cheshire

This Tomato Tatin forms part of the new menu at Barristers

pan with balsamic vinegar of Modena, red wine, garlic and thyme

Restaurant, which enjoys a spectacular setting inside Knutsford’s

until the sauce has reduced to a syrup-like consistency. Black-

Sessions House, a Grade II*-listed building dating back to 1818

garlic purée and basil crisps add further depth of flavour, and the

that now houses The Courthouse, a luxurious boutique by Flat

various components are served with black onion seeds, pumpkin

Cap Hotels. The venue’s design cleverly references its past by

seeds, wild rocket and a balsamic dressing on a white Portland

incorporating courtroom furniture, legal props and framed

Academy plate, accompanied by weighty Chef & Sommelier cutlery.

pictures of figures who famously had run-ins with the law, while

“The concept for the dish was to create something that was both

the menu playfully continues the theme by splitting creations into

light and fresh in flavour and eating,” explains Head Chef Jake

‘Opening Statements’, ‘Proceedings’ and ‘Main Evidence’.

Rossington, who developed the Tomato Tatin with Junior Sous

The dish is made by blistering cherry tomatoes in a smoking-hot

Chef Jack Teasdale. “It uses a variety of different heritage tomatoes

pan, before adding garlic, thyme and Maldon sea salt, then quickly

that all bring their own flavour profile and marry together to create

removing from the heat and spooning alongside buffalo mozzarella

a nice balance.”

onto a puff-pastry case. These vibrant flavours are paired with an umami hit in the form of a halved banana shallot, cooked in a hot

www.thecourthousecheshire.com

New cutlery collection

SITELLO

Filigree hammering for timeless beauty.

WMF Professional | wmf-professional.com

The ultimate strong, thin, light, dishwasher safe and anti-scratch glassware combining traditional Japanese craftmanship with cutting-edge design

www.toyo.sasaki.co.jp/e @toyo_sasaki_glass

SIPPING

Trends and insight into the global drinks trade

“By offering a comprehensive range of complimentary beverages for our guests, customising specific items to their particular tastes, and placing them in their minibars, we ensure that their every need is met.�

Dave Slater, Cellar Master, Matetsi Victoria Falls

The Port Report Port has long been steeped in tradition, but a new generation of hotel bartenders across Porto are showing how it can also produce characterful cocktails.

Words: Lucy Lovell

W

hen it comes to fashionable drinks, port might not be the first thing that springs to mind. This fortified wine hailing from Portugal’s Douro Valley is better known as an afterdinner nightcap than an afternoon livener, but now its

reputation is changing, and nowhere is this more evident than in Porto. It is here that innovative bartenders are shaking off outdated preconceptions, and serving their local tipple in exciting new ways.

In order to understand where port may be going in future, it helps to understand its past. Records of wine production in the Douro Valley go back as far as the Roman Empire, but it really took off in the 17th century.

The boom was sparked by a trade agreement signed in 1703, which made it cheaper for Portugal to export wine to England; the result was a mad dash for land by many English and Scottish merchants, who set up vineyards on the banks of the River Douro. The story goes that after finding wine barrels were spoilt when they arrived in England, merchants in Portugal were inspired by local monks to add a small amount of brandy to their barrels. This increased the product’s ability to travel long distances, and preserved its natural sweetness.

But it’s not just the addition of spirit that gives port its distinctive flavour, the unique terroir of the Douro Valley plays a vital part too. There’s no irrigation, the schist soil doesn’t hold water, and temperatures can reach a sweltering 50°C. Such a dry environment creates concentrated grapes with a thick skin, which in turn make a robust wine high in tannins.

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SIPPING

The Aurélia de Sousa cocktail at Torel Avantgarde uses rosé port

Photography: © Luís Ferraz

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SIPPING

Port tasting at The Yeatman Hotel

”We always wanted to demystify the traditional concept of port, so we created cocktails with a port base. We keep creating new cocktails that will reach a different, younger target audience; the same consumers who like gin.”

the horizon as a new generation of adventurous bartenders

Roberto Neves, Bar Manager at The Yeatman Hotel

best types of port to use in mixology is a ruby. “It’s a nice

rediscover this most versatile of drinks.

In Porto, this frequently manifests itself in the form of cocktails, which are now at the heart of many drinks menus across the city. PortoBay Hotel Teatro’s bar Plateia is a prime example, with a selection of unusual and complex drinks on offer. According to Plateia Bartender Ana Olivaira, one of the port to make cocktails with, because you have the flavours of red fruits and chocolate,” she explains. “Sweet and intense,

This strong, flavourful wine is perfect for ageing and

094

it brings in some powerful flavours.”

fortifying, and the end results are incredibly varied. In Porto,

Among the hotel’s many creations is Red October, a short

types of port generally fall into four categories. Ruby, tawny

drink which revolves around one measure of Dows Finest

and white are well-established. Ruby is aged for a shorter

Reserve Port – a full-bodied and fruity ruby. To this, Olivaira

time in large barrels to prevent oxidisation; tawny is aged

adds two measures of Beluga Vodka, a dash of sugar syrup,

in small barrels to allow the wine to oxidise; and white port,

and lemon juice, before finishing with a twist of orange peel.

made with white grapes, is usually aged briefly to produce a

The end result is a complex drink, full of dark-fruit flavours

crisp, refreshing drink. The fourth type is rosé – a fairly recent

and a hint of chocolate orange.

phenomenon. Started by Croft in 2005, rosé port has a blush

There’s myriad different serves on offer in Porto currently,

pink colour, and boasts a slightly higher alcohol percentage.

but one particular cocktail is gaining so much traction it

Innovations like Croft Pink might be one of the key factors

threatens to overthrow the mighty G&T. “Port tonic is our

helping to underpin rising international demand for port.

most famous port cocktail,” explains Rúben Nito, Head

According to recent figures by the Portuguese Ministry of

Bartender at one of Porto’s newest luxury hotels, Torel

Agriculture, just over 1 million nine-litre cases of port were

Avantgarde. Here, they make port tonics with white or rosé

exported to the UK alone in 2017, up by nearly 6% since 2010.

versions – Nito prefers to use a Taylors Chip Dry, with a

It’s a promising start, but there could be more growth on

garnish of orange zest.

SIPPING

Vogue Café at Infante Sagres

Photography: © Numo

Despite its growing fanbase, the cocktail is relatively new.

For José Luis, Manager at Infante Sagres’ stylish new Vogue

According to Nito, no-one knows exactly when port tonic was

Café – one of only four around the world – cocktails are the

invented, but it has only taken off in Portugal fairly recently.

perfect way to introduce port to new customers. “Some come

“It has become famous in the last five years, very famous,”

here, look at our menus and think, ‘I don’t really like port, but

he adds. “We have the fashion of gin-and-tonic, which people

maybe we can try port wine cocktails, it could be different’,”

have already seen, and now they want port tonic.”

he says. “From here, people start liking and enjoying port,

When it comes to reinventing drinks, perhaps the biggest

096

and thinking, ‘let’s try it on its own’.”

challenge is educating customers – something that The

And no wonder new customers are drawn in – if there

Yeatman Hotel has ample experience of. Positioned next to

were any lingering misconceptions around port, Vogue Café

the River Douro, the hotel is one of Porto’s most iconic resorts

would easily dispel them. Porto Sour is lip-puckeringly tart,

and renowned for its extensive cellars, but not so well-known

and comes served in a glossy white-and-gold martini glass.

for port cocktails, despite them featuring on the menu since

Inside, ingredients like yuzu and grapefruit zest bring out the

its opening. “We always wanted to demystify the traditional

citrus flavours of the Taylors Chip Dry, while local honey gives

concept of port, so we created cocktails with a port base,”

it a touch of sweetness. The flawless creamy head, created

explains Roberto Neves, Bar Manager at The Yeatman Hotel.

using egg white, makes it look like a monochrome work of art.

“We keep creating new cocktails that will reach a different,

Despite the minimal exterior, there’s depth to Luis’ cocktails;

younger target audience; the same consumers who like gin.”

he uses surprisingly wholesome ingredients like his mother’s

Neves believes that taking an holistic approach can help make

homemade quince jelly. “Our DNA should be the same, but

port more fashionable, and his approach includes providing

with a nice modern twist,” he explains. “Our food has a lot of

port-related information in all of his drinks experiences. He

tradition, and I would like to see it stay that way.”

continues: “For the new generation, it is becoming an all-day

For Luis, and for many bartenders, it’s vital that innovations

drink – it’s not just a classic and traditional Christmas routine

are rooted in history. There will always be a place for serving

anymore. We are elucidating this idea in our wine tastings,

port neat but, for those willing to push the boundaries of

when talking about port, teaching port mixology and giving

cocktail-making, there’s also a whole world of flavour

recipes for port cocktails.”

combinations just waiting to be unlocked.

In-Room Oenology Innovative hotels are developing clever ways to showcase their wine offering to guests who choose to stay in their rooms.

Words: Nina Caplan

M

any hotels pride themselves on providing an excellent wine list for customers in their bars and restaurants, but all too often the standard of their in-room offering simply does not match up. The Hong Kong Hilton, now defunct, claimed

to have invented that mainstay of most in-room wine programmes, the minibar, in 1974 after F&B Director Robert Arnold was offered small bottles of spirits and mixers on a flight, and had an epiphany; the popularity of these self-service fridges led to a 5% rise in profits, and the whole industry took note – and followed suit. Today, however, the minibar’s reputation is under threat, and they are no longer seen as a straightforward symbol of luxury: the indication that a good hotel is like a home-from-home but better, since most homes don’t have an array of snacks and beverages right beside the bed.

To tell the truth, in many places minibars merely became a repository for ill-considered amenities, even as the wider hotels in which they sit

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The wine vault at The Vineyard

SIPPING

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Singita Sasakwa Lodge offers a varied F&B programme

continue to innovate, differentiate and rise in the public’s esteem. Some

the desire to give guests space to enjoy spectacular vistas, wildlife and so

F&B directors are, like Arnold, spotting an opportunity here, not least

on, and the need to ensure they don’t go hungry, or worse still, thirsty,

because minibars present unparalleled scope for personalisation - a chance

at any point.

to impress modern guests who want the very best and want it now.

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Here again, the minibar can help, as demonstrated by properties such

The new Philippe Starck-designed Brach Hotel in Paris’ 16 th

as One&Only in Australia’s Wolgan Valley. At this isolated valley resort

arrondissement has certainly risen to the challenge by offering an extensive

in the Blue Mountains, every villa is freestanding, with its own lap pool

in-room ‘concept store’, containing everything from drinks and snacks to

as well as incredible views out over the landscape, while guests’ distance

headphones and candles, instead of a traditional minibar. Champagne –

from the main restaurant is offset by the provision of a generous minibar,

Bollinger or Billecart-Salmon – comes as standard, while wine can be

which is included in the room price; this minibar features Rowlee Arneis

ordered in from their 140-strong list. The emphasis is on individual choice:

from nearby Orange in New South Wales, Oakridge pinot noir from Victoria,

nobody tries to tell these guests which brands to drink.

and even its own Wolgan Valley gin, made with the valley’s botanicals.

Meanwhile, at Mona Pavilions, the beautiful hotel that’s part of

In Zimbabwe, Matetsi Victoria Falls has similarly turned the distance

Tasmania’s eccentric private Museum of Old and New Art (Mona), the

from the restaurant into an F&B selling point, with guests invited to

team flips convention on its head by treating the minibar as a wine list,

personalise their minibars on arrival. Staff note visitors’ preferences, then

featuring everything from top Australian labels such as Bindi, Clonakilla

offer an individualised menu of wines and cocktails – there are plenty

and Paradigm Hill to the best grower champagnes. There’s also a little

of options given the 3,000-strong cellar, including 15 house wines – all

self-promotion in the form of ales by Moo Beer, whose original brewery

delivered via a private ‘Butler Hatch’. “At Matetsi Victoria Falls, we believe

was located on the Mona site.

that personalisation is pivotal in creating the ultimate guest experience,”

Another major advantage behind providing a quality in-room offering

says Dave Slater, Matetsi’s Cellar Master. “By offering a comprehensive

has to do with distance. As luxury comes more and more to be associated

range of complimentary beverages for our guests, customising specific

with isolation – albeit, isolation in comfort – a tension grows between

items to their particular tastes, and placing them in their minibars, we

SIPPING

Grape-flavoured bath-bombs at Vista Collina Resort

Matetsi Victoria Falls provides a personalised in-room wine experience

Photography: © Joanna Salazar

Photography: © Elsa Young

ensure that their every need is met. Our butlers are also on-hand to make

to choose from. There is also a random selection of bottles from the Short

recommendations and give guidance to those who have never had a chance

List assigned to each guestroom – these are available to buy, so guests

to sample South African wines before.”

wanting more than just a glass to slake their thirst in the privacy of their

Elsewhere, guests of luxury conservation company Singita are encouraged to choose the make-up of their minibars from labels that can

own accommodation are not obliged to wait for room service or, heaven forfend, leave their rooms.

include wines from Stellenbosch or Franschhoek, or from a selection of

And for whimsy, it is hard to beat Vista Collina Resort in Napa Valley,

pinotage, the famed South African grape, that the brand claims is the

which opened in 2018. Here, visitors don’t just drink wine, they bathe

world’s largest. As a result, staff can trumpet the exclusivity and top-end

in it; guests staying in one of the 39 suites can order a flight from one

isolation of the Hillside Suite at Singita Sasakwa Lodge in Tanzania, while

of nine wineries attached to the property, along with a grape-flavoured

also promising an exceptional wine experience.

bath-bomb, so wine-lovers can wallow in sauvignon blanc, chardonnay or

Other properties have devised what might loosely be called a more

pinot noir, while sipping on the same. “We thought this in-bath ‘wine-ing’

whimsical in-room wine offering. The Vineyard in Berkshire is a country

package would give guests the best of both worlds, while also elevating

hotel that, as the name indicates, places a strong emphasis on oenology; as

our in-room amenities,” says General Manager Dave Elcon. He also points

well as a superb cellar, there is a spa with grape-related treatments and an

out that the bath-bomb makers, Napa Soap Company, are local, so this is

excellent restaurant; anything from its impressive list can be summoned

another route to supporting the community, while giving guests a truly

to the room. “Wine is at the heart of what we do,” says General Manager

individualised taste of the destination – although in this case, taste is

Paul Shanahan. “It’s an integral part of the guest’s journey. Ultimately,

probably the wrong word.

we want to help our guests create lasting, fond memories of their time

Clearly, a well-executed in-room wine offering can enhance the cachet

with us.” To do this, it offers a small, curated selection of particularly fine

of a hotel no end, luring luxury-loving oenophiles first to visit, and then to

wines, available by the glass or carafe, that changes monthly. Since its

stay longer. The days of merely providing lacklustre bottles and overpriced

cellar contains around 30,000 labels in total, guests certainly have plenty

miniatures are long gone – today, individualisation is king.

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COCKTAILS

Lonely Street The American Bar The Savoy, London

T

he American Bar at The Savoy has launched a creative 20-strong cocktail menu, The Savoy Songbook, in homage to the musicians and songwriters who have entertained its

guests down the years. Each serve is named after a memorable lyric from a song that encapsulates the bar’s unique atmosphere and, in an industry first, the list is accompanied by a live album recorded by the venue’s resident pianist Jon Nickoll, which patrons can stream or buy on Spotify. The menu is the result of months of work by The American Bar team, led by Head Bartender Maxim Schulte and Director of Bars Declan McGurk.

The last entry on the menu, Lonely Street, is conceived as “a whisky sipping drink spiked with some rare mezcal that reflects the mood of the song Heartbreak Hotel”, according to Schulte. Created by Senior Bartender Giannis Sitanos, it features Craigellachie 17 whisky, Pescador mezcal, Discarded Sweet Cascara vermouth, white port infused with Greek baklava, sugar syrup, Peychaud’s bitters, Angostura bitters and homemade coffee oil. The sophisticated drink is poured into an elegant short glass by John Jenkins, whose weight reinforces the overall sense of luxury, and served under a cover that is lifted off at the table to release a cloud of aromatic wood smoke.

Other cocktails on the new menu include the Kings of Leon-inspired Radio Hurricane (Woodford Reserve Double Oaked bourbon, pedro ximénez sherry, salted chestnut liqueur, Vermouth Dry Cocchi-Savoy, toasted oak bitters and a refreshing slice of papeda) and Sun Sun Sun (Bombay Sapphire gin, banana, Tio Pepe fino sherry, Cocchi Americano and Figaro liqueur), a crowd-pleasing nod to The Beatles’ classic Here Comes The Sun. www.thesavoylondon.com

At JING, we believe that single-origin teas deliver the most authentic drinking experience, capturing true craftsmanship, local culture and the individuality of each tea garden.

WWW.JINGTEA.COM

DRINKS

Absolut Elyx

The Absolut Company The Absolut Company, part of Pernod Ricard, has unveiled a striking new bottle design for its luxury vodka Elyx.

Made from over 40% recycled glass, the new concept celebrates the vintage copper credentials central to the spirit’s creation, showcasing a sleeker, lustrous and more elegant form that really stands out on the back bar.

Available in more than 70 markets worldwide, Elyx is made from the finest winter wheat grown on a single estate in the south of Sweden allied to pristine water from the distillery’s own natural aquifer, while the distillation process makes extensive use of copper to remove impurities and shape the vodka’s unique taste. Every part of the production process, from seed to bottle, takes place within a 15-mile radius of the brand’s home, enabling Master Distiller Krister Asplund and his team to keep a close eye on quality throughout.

On the nose, Elyx presents bready aromas with notes of white chocolate and light cereal. On the palate, it displays a full-bodied and silky mouthfeel with waves of rich macadamia nuts and creamed cereal accompanied by buttery overtones, before finishing with a rounded mellow spiciness. The vodka, which comes in at 42.3% ABV, is perfectly suited to serving either on the rocks or in cocktails. www.absolutelyx.com Photography: © Laurence Hudghton Photography

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DRINKS

Photography: © Sofia Gomez Fonzo

15 Years XO

No1 Rosemary Water – Sparkling

Cognac Frapin

No1 Botanicals

Successfully marrying terroir and house spirit, Cognac Frapin’s 15 Years

Made from organic rosemary extract and eucalyptol, No1 Rosemary

XO has emerged from the brand’s 240-hectare Grande Champagne

Water is not only alcohol-free, but also contains no sugar, salt,

vineyard to present connoisseurs with bold notes of wood, vanilla and

preservatives or allergens. The pioneering botanical drink is inspired by

spiced tea. An irresistible golden hue, the new recipe serves as a natural

the age-defying dietary habits of the small Italian village of Acciaroli,

conclusion to the Trésors du Château series, contrasting nostalgia for

where approximately one in ten residents live beyond the age of 100,

traditional distillery practices with a contemporary flavour profile –

with many also managing to steer clear of common illnesses such as

the choice to eschew the cold filtering process resulting in aromatic

dementia in their later years. This gently sparkling variety comes in

richness and a delicately balanced finish. Lively, charming and brilliant,

a range of formats suitable for stocking behind the bar, including a

it passes directly from barrel to bottle at 45.3% without any loss of

200ml soda serve, 330ml single serve and 750ml table serve, while a

potency or flavour.

still version is available too.

www.cognac-frapin.com

www.rosemarywater.com

105

Photography: © Justin Gardner

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Colombian Jazz Speciality Blend

Local Heroes No.3

Iron & Fire

Portobello Road Gin

The crowd-pleasing Colombian Jazz Speciality Blend brings together

Created by Portobello Road Gin in partnership with rock legend Mark

the best coffee from the Eje Cafetero region of the country, an area

Knopfler, Local Heroes No.3 is a bold special-edition gin combining the

known for its volcanic soil, high altitude, ample rainfall and abundant

nine botanicals found in its signature blend with lime zest, cucumber

rainforest, where farmers still use traditional methods to produce their

peel and olive oil. The label design is inspired by Knopfler’s love of

exceptional harvests. Iron & Fire carefully roasts the beans to deliver a

guitars, while each bottle features a miniature version of his iconic

full-bodied mouthfeel on the palate, with rich chocolate and caramel

sweatband in a playful reference to the star’s legendary live shows.

undertones allied to a bright cherry acidity. A complex roast that

The Local Heroes collection celebrates individuals who embody the

rewards careful extraction, it is also a highly versatile coffee that helps

spirit of London’s Portobello Road, with the former Dire Straits frontman

baristas achieve excellent results across a range of serves, from punchy

following in the footsteps of The Ledbury’s Chef-Patron Brett Graham

espresso to milky latte.

and MasterChef Italia judge Carlo Cracco.

www.ironandfire.co.uk

www.portobelloroadgin.com

DRINKS

Photography: © Kris Piotrowski Photography

Organic Darjeeling Tea First Flush

Jing Tea

Hailing from the renowned Seeyok Tea Estate in the Mirik Valley area of Darjeeling, this exceptional loose-leaf tea is supremely fragrant, combining complex floral aromas with fruity and honeyed notes. On the palate, it is pleasingly crisp and light upfront, before giving way to a rounded and quenching finish.

This best-in-class beverage is the 2019 winner of the Excellence at Origin Competition, launched by Jing founder Ed Eisler to celebrate the quality of Darjeeling tea, promote authentic craftmanship and encourage the retention of skills locally. Darjeeling’s climate is unlike any other tea-producing region; its relatively cool and dry atmosphere affects how plants grow, resulting in

a delicate flavour that is highly prized overseas.

No fewer than 17 teas entered the contest, which set out to find the first-flush tea that best expresses the region’s unique characteristics, and each submission was subjected to rigorous judging by a panel of experts.

Established in 2004, Jing now supplies tea to various Michelin-starred restaurants and fivestar hotels around the world. Underlining its gastronomic credentials, the brand has also partnered with a host of top chefs down the years, including Heston Blumenthal, Joël Robuchon, Richard Ekkebus and Pierre Gagnaire. www.jingtea.com

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EVENTS Key events in the global hotel F&B calendar

Imbibe Live

Bar Convent Berlin

HX

1-2 July 2019

7-9 October 2019

10-11 November 2019

London

Berlin

New York

Tales of the Cocktail

The Annual Hotel Conference

AHEAD MEA

16-21 July 2019

9-10 October 2019

13 November 2019

New Orleans

Manchester

Dubai

Maison & Objet

Host

AHEAD Europe

6-10 September 2019

18-22 October 2019

18 November 2019

Paris

Milan

London

The Hotel Show

Forty One Madison

Sleep + Eat

17-19 September 2019

29 October-1 November 2019

19-20 November 2019

Dubai

New York

London

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To The Table Europe 9-11 April 2019 Monaco

Words: Heleri Rande • Photography: © Richard Pereira

To The Table Europe took place at Monaco’s Le Méridien

To The Table’s organisers certainly managed to achieve that

Beach Plaza in April, with 120 suppliers and buyers from the

vital sense of freshness, with more than two-thirds of buyers

F&B industry mingling and conducting business over the

and nearly half of suppliers attending for the first time. From

course of two productive days in the Mediterranean. A positive

the buyer side, the newcomer list was impressive and included

atmosphere of collaboration and camaraderie was evident

companies such as Radisson Hotel Group, Belmond, Pestana

throughout the packed programme of one-to-one business

Group and Silversea Cruises, while manufacturers like AACo

meetings, seminars, networking sessions and meals, although

from Australia, Fredman Perfect Kitchen Oy from Finland and

the culinary and scenic highlight undoubtedly came at the

MEC2 from Germany were all inaugural participants at the

end of the first day, as attendees headed to the rooftop of the

supplier tables.

Monaco Yacht Club to snap photos of the sunset and sip rosé by the beautiful coastline.

110

The four one-hour seminar sessions that broke up the programme of pre-arranged meetings were chaired and

For many delegates, the success of any event series is

moderated by Supper’s Consulting Editor Heleri Rande. The

directly related to its ability to attract newcomers while

first panel included Ben Webb, co-founder of 3Stories, and

simultaneously keeping veterans engaged year after year, and

Craig Milne, Vice President of Global Design for Europe at

EVENTS

Marriott International, who debated where hotel restaurant

Chef-Patron of Kitchen Theory, kept participants’ attention

design is heading in the future. Webb was keen to highlight

with his confident delivery and research-based exploration

the importance of brand-building from the start, a process

of this oft-overlooked aspect of eating out. Working on

that he believes should run simultaneously with the design

gastrophysics alongside Professor Charles Spence from the

element. “Define who you are and why you do it before

University of Oxford, Youssef has been able to use the data

jumping into the physical appearance of the identity and

gathered to help create curated dining concepts. He also

space,” he said. “The brand should drive all aspects of the

looked at how F&B professionals must meet the expectations

design from your website through to the knives and forks you

of diners seeking out fresh experiences, saying: “If you don’t

use on the tables.”

produce meaningful content as part of the experience then all

The afternoon discussion, meanwhile, explored how

the effort will be worthless for the end user.”

operators such as AccorHotels and Marriott International

The seminar part of the conference closed by discussing

are responding to the changes in consumer behaviour; the

a topic that is more pressing than ever in the hospitality

session began with a top-trends overview, drawing the

sector, how to attract, retain and develop talent, with

audience’s attention to topics like the rise of the healthy-

insightful contributions from three distinguished panellists.

eating and free-from movements, the impact that food

“In training, we teach staff the what and the how, but in

delivery and dark kitchens are having on hotel restaurants,

educating, we teach them the why – this must be understood

and how competitive socialising is becoming the new norm

by the industry,” advised Marc Stierand, Associate Professor

in entertainment. Panellists Gustaf Pilebjer, Director of Food

of Service Management and Director of the Institute of

& Beverage for Europe at Marriott International, and Martin

Business Creativity at École Hôtelière de Lausanne in

Jones, Vice President of Food & Beverage for Luxury Hotels

Switzerland. And Ramjan Bhugeloo, Regional Vice President

Europe at AccorHotels, both agreed that the shift in customer

of Human Resources at Hyatt International EAME, and

expectations is putting additional pressure on brands to think

David Singleton, Area Vice President of Franchise Operations

more strategically about their food and drink efforts. “The

and Development for AMEA and South Asia at Hard Rock

F&B offers at our hotels need to stay true to branding, we

International, concluded that whilst recruiting for personality

focus a lot more on behavioural trends than ever before,”

is key, the geographical differences in properties play a huge

explained Pilebjer.

role in how this approach manifests itself on the ground.

The morning keynote of day two had the audience participate in multisensory experiments as Jozef Youssef, founder and

www.tothetableeurope.com

111

Photography: © Richard Pereira

To The Table MEA 29 April-1 May 2019 Abu Dhabi

Rosewood Abu Dhabi welcomed 120 senior F&B buyers and suppliers for

of Food & Beverage for AccorHotel’s Luxury Brands in the Middle East.

the 2019 edition of To The Table MEA, with attendees enjoying three

They argued that it was time to re-focus following the over-supply of

days of meetings, seminars and networking sessions. This year, 50% of

large-cover restaurants. The next morning saw Samer Hamadeh, founder

suppliers were new, including William Edwards, Rational and J.J. Darboven,

of Aegis Hospitality; Colin Clague, Executive Chef of Rüya; and Parolio,

while the buyer side – of which 75% were first-time attendees – featured

Creative Director and founder of Parolio and Euphoria Lab, discuss the

AccorHotels, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Kempinski,

need to buck trends. Everyone present agreed that the main factor standing

Marriott International and Rotana Hotels.

in the way of success was fear – whether on the part of restaurateurs or

The seminar programme, hosted by Devina Divecha, opened by focusing

landlords. The final session focused on talent retention, with Sunjeh Rajah,

on the power of a brand; Gorgeous Group founder Robbie Bargh and Candice

CEO of the International Centre for Culinary Arts in Dubai; Mahmoud

D’Cruz, Vice President of Luxury Brand Marketing and Management in the

Abulwafa, Area Director of Human Resources, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain hotels,

MEA at Marriott International, agreed that good storytelling was of utmost

Marriott International; and Richard Vivian, Head of Centre of Excellence,

importance while Bargh concluded: “It’s not what the restaurant looks

Transguard Group on the panel. Rajah noted: “The industry is growing, it

like, it’s what it makes the audience feel like.”

is more discerning and looking for ‘plug-and-play’ candidates.”

There was also an overview of the Middle East’s F&B landscape courtesy of Christian Abell, Vice President Food & Beverage MEA, Marriott

The next To The Table MEA will take place at The St. Regis Abu Dhabi from 30 March-1 April 2020.

International; Christian Gradnitzer, Senior Director of Food & Beverage Operations MEA, Hilton Worldwide; and Russell Scott, Vice President

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www.tothetablemea.com

EVENTS

NRA Show 18-21 May 2019 Chicago

The National Restaurant Association Show celebrated its 100th anniversary

by the Technomic Ask The Expert sessions, exploring common business

at Chicago’s McCormick Place in May 2019. For the fifth year running,

challenges and opportunities, and the Digital Media Slam, examining how

organisers achieved record exhibit space sales, while the registration

innovative brands are using digital tools to achieve their goals.

figure also exceeded last year’s total, coming in at more than 65,500.

Meanwhile, the show’s centenary was celebrated in style, with Eli’s

“The centennial show was a success by every measure,” says Mary Pat

Cheesecake creating a spectacular birthday cake rising 23ft-high, which

Heftman, President of the Restaurant Show Group at Winsight. “Besides

was then shared out among attendees. Tao Chicago also hosted a special

the record exhibit sales and strong attendance growth, the energy on the

100th anniversary party on the Monday, held in conjunction with the Star

floor was palpable.”

of the Bar mixology competition finals.

For many, the highlight of the show’s lively education programme was

More than 100 countries were represented at the event, along with all

the annual Signature session, bringing together senior leaders from across

50 US states; among those attending were Marriott International, Hilton

the foodservice sector to discuss the future of dining. Moderated by Dawn

Worldwide and Hyatt Hotels Corporation; contract management specialists

Sweeney, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, a

Compass Group, Sodexo and Aramak; and dealer-distributors US Foods,

panel boasting Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants founder and CEO

TriMark and Edward Don & Company. In response to strong demand,

Tim McEnery, and Applebee’s Bar & Grill President John Cywinski, shared

organisers are planning to expand into a fourth exhibit hall for the next

their insight into how consumer habits are rapidly evolving. The event also

instalment, which will run from 16-19 May 2020.

welcomed a host of new features; the Sysco Culinary Experience Center, where delegates learnt the latest applied trends and techniques, was joined

www.nationalrestaurantshow.com

113

114

EVENTs

The Future of All-Day Dining Supper in Partnership with Tiger

Words: Heleri Rande • Photography: © Picture One Studio

The Vision

About Tiger

For this special event, Supper teamed up with Tiger to discuss the future of all-day dining,

Tiger is a leading manufacturer of high-

and consider how changing guest expectations are influencing product and spatial design

quality buffetware and multipurpose trolleys.

in hotel F&B venues worldwide. A panel of experts shared their insights with an invited

Headquartered in South Korea, it has production

audience of leading figures from Asia’s hospitality scene at the new Rosewood Hong Kong.

sites in Seoul and Tianjin.

The Speakers

The Menu

The Co-Hosts

Heleri Rande

Cold Canapés

MY Chang

Consulting Editor, Supper

Prime Beef Tartar, Wonton Shell

Chairman, Tiger

Tuna Tartare, Spicy Mayonnaise Tartlet Anurag Bali

Brie Cheese Tortilla

Assistant Vice President of F&B

SJ She President, Tiger

(North Asia, Philippines and

Hot Canapés

Pacific), Shangri-La Hotels &

Barbecued Goose with Pancake

Miyoun Chang

Resorts

Roast Tandoori Salmon Fillet with Lime

Executive Director, Tiger

Onion and Leek Quiche Karen Hay

Black Truffle & Mushroom Vol-au-Vent

INdulge Eelco Bohtlingk

Tyler Chang Director, Tiger

Founder & Creative Director Cocktail ‘40 Sq Feet’ Plantation Original Dark rum, Campari,

Jiyoun Chang

Mancino Rosso, plum, bitter chocolate

Co-ordinator, Tiger

Mocktail ‘Silver of Sun’

David Dong

Strawberry vinegar, jasmine kombucha,

China Sales Manager, Tiger

Director, Design Development Operations, Marriott International

pepper tinctures

115

The Guests Gregory Philippe Executive Assistant Manager Island Shangri-La Hong Kong Limi Chan Senior Group Director of Chinese Cuisine, Langham Hospitality Group Paul Lenz Executive Chef Kowloon Shangri-La Hong Kong Ed Ng Co-Founder, AB Concept Mariana Foley Senior Designer, Joyce Wang Design Dirk Dalichau Managing Director, Eaton HK Federico Masin Partner, HBA Gloria Lui Founding Partner & Director In Situ & Partners Julian Darisse Resident Manager \Island ShangriLa Hong Kong Ella Bridgland Interior Designer Joyce Wang Design Gavin Au Design Manager, INdulge Yvonne Cheung Director of Restaurants & Bars The Upper House ClĂŠment Larre Manager, Design Development Operations, Asia-Pacific Marriott International Jenayne Chua Assistant General Manager Cornerstone International Philippines Raymond Chan General Manager, Anglo Swiss Trading Company (Hong Kong) Amy Cheong Operations Manager, Anglo Swiss Trading Company (Hong Kong) Ryuichiro Saji General Manager, DAC Corp Kayuza Takesaw Manager, DAC Corp Julius Simon Aritonang General Manager Arsi Labora Utama Colin Yin General Manager Shenzhen Maizi Hotel Supplies Co. Ben Lin General Manager Shanghai MinDao Hotel Equipment and Accessories Co.

116

EVENTS

The Chat

Anurag Bali: When developing a hotel’s F&B offering, it is possible to

don’t look like chafing dishes come to market for example – I applaud

service every mealtime throughout the day from one venue, as long as

Tiger for making a big step in that direction.

you always have a clear concept in mind. The secret is to look at an outlet from two angles – functionality and, more importantly, core purpose.

AB: Tiger is doing a great job by focusing so much on the design of their

First, design the space by taking into account the market, local client and

products. At Shangri-La, I have a wish-list when it comes to the design of

demographics, and only then work backwards to see how you can make it

any products used in our restaurants. Wireless devices, like toasters and

functional for breakfast.

induction units, are great, as is the ability to work with vendors to retail items such as plates and glassware, because you never know when guests

Karen Hay: Start out by thinking what the values of the concept are –

might see something they like as part of their dining experience. On the

whether you are focusing on the sustainability, provenance or health

technology front, meanwhile, I am really looking forward to automated

aspects, make sure that this becomes the centre of your concept. Do not

email reports to facilitate easier processes for management.

design the restaurant for a mealtime, but with a proper concept in mind, and then make mealtimes work around that. For breakfast, you can always

EB: With buffet design, flexibility is key, and customisation is increasing in

use another venue to increase seat count.

importance. However, sustainability and environmental impact also need to be taken into consideration.

Eelco Bohtlingk: Marriott International is such a big company now, so we have to work with many concepts. The key is to get the right partners; for a

AB: Hotels need to be smart about what they include on buffets too – we

Thai concept, we get a Thai chef, and so on. We only think about breakfast

are moving to what I call ‘one-dish wonders’. This means we produce one

afterwards, and whatever route we choose has to be convenient because

dish that is world-class for our buffet stations, and make this the anchor,

that is what travellers want.

rather than trying to create a variety of items catering to different tastes.

KH: There are lots of clever ways to make F&B spaces modular. For

KH: One of my favourite all-day dining spaces is Prego in Fairmont

example, a barista counter in the morning can easily be transformed into

Singapore, which might be old and under renovation, but always had a

a back bar in the evening – switching the focus from cups to bottles. And

fantastic breakfast buffet with amazing homemade pastries, pressed juices

lighting is the biggest game-changer in any transformation, it is your

and coffee. When breakfast finished, it then seamlessly became an Italian

number one trump card.

restaurant for lunch and dinner guests.

AB: Shangri-La has 25-year-old restaurants in our portfolio, and not all

AB: We completely changed the fundamentals at the Kerry Hotel in Hong

can be refreshed, but what we are able to do is organise collaborations

Kong, building the first all-day food hall with a big focus on technology.

and pop-ups. That really lifts the existing offering, and gives you an

We have eight different brands in there and host live music nights – it has

opportunity to create moments that are new for guests and exciting for

been a huge success across a range of demographics.

your team.

EB: I’d recommend La Mercerie, an independent restaurant in New York, EB: When it comes to perfecting a hotel’s F&B offering, renovations are

as a great learning experience – chef Marie-Aude Rose has extended her

always more complex than newbuilds as you have less control over the

concept to breakfast, creating a truly all-day dining experience. If guests

decision-making process, but the way we convince owners to change is by

are presented with the right concept, they’ll be just as adventurous at

sharing case studies. The Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park is a great

breakfast as they are at lunch and dinner. We just need to trust them more.

example – its all-day dining space Goji Kitchen + Bar was a real gamechanger for the property because it transformed into different concepts

The event concluded with attendees networking over a mouth-watering

throughout the day.

selection of cocktails and canapés. Each guest also received a special gift from Tiger in the form of a traditional Korean gift box containing stylish

KH: Tableware and buffetware need to complement the food and tabletop

chopsticks and cutlery.

as well, you must have eye candy. These days, all aspects of an F&B venue can be photographed, so everything you touch and feel has to sit within

If you’d like to find out more about Tiger’s extensive range of products,

the story of the entire place. I am very glad to see new chafing dishes that

please visit www.tigerhotel.co.kr

117

Vector H Series ÂŽ

Multi-Cook Oven

Ovens unlike any other.

Unmatched food production and quality.

With up to four ovens in one, countertop models are ideal where space is at a premium and you need the flexibility to cook what you want, when you want it. They feature a compact footprint and ventless operation. The perfect solution for high-volume food production in a small space.

ALTO-SHAAM MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA, Dubai, UAE Phone +971 4 321 9712 | gabriele@alto-shaam.com www.alto-shaam.ae

SIDES

Showcasing the products and services bringing F&B venues to life

“The development of a multipart collection places very special demands on design and construction because, after all, each part should work alone but also together.�

Susanne Schmidt, Head of Marketing and Product Management, proHeq

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SIDES

Elemental Force Hepp famously invented ‘hotel silver’ in the 19th century but its latest range, Elements, shows how innovation remains the company’s guiding principle to this day.

Words: Richard Frost

T

he hospitality world is full of companies that boast an impressive

For Schmidt, the launch of Elements represents the culmination of

track record of supplying hotels down the years, but few can claim

untold hours of hard work behind the scenes. “We started the project in

to have truly transformed the sector in that time, blazing a trail

2016 with a comprehensive market research campaign,” she recalls. “The

that countless others would ultimately follow. Hepp, founded by

development of a multi-part collection places very special demands on

brothers Carl and Otto Hepp in 1863, is one such business.

design and construction because, after all, each part should work alone but

In 1871, Carl developed a process to apply a thick layer of silver to a

also together.” Fortunately, the team already had experience of bringing

base metal, an innovation that paved the way for Hepp to create a host

challenging ideas to market, having previously created the award-

of attractive products capable of withstanding the rigours of the catering

winning Sequence modular buffet range. Elements effectively translates

industry. Gebrüder Hepp 90, also known as ‘hotel silver’, quickly gained

the Sequence concept to the laid table, and the two series have even been

a loyal following as luxury properties around the world seized on the

designed so that they can be deployed together as well as separately.

opportunity to diversify away from products made from ‘pure silver’;

Like Sequence, Elements showcases a futuristic design aesthetic, while

business boomed, and the success of this pioneering German company

tapping into the trend for hotel procurement teams to try and emulate the

spawned a host of imitators.

ambience of private homes in their F&B spaces, rather than the overtly

Fast-forward to the present and Hepp, which now forms part of proHeq,

corporate look popular in years gone by. Buyers can also tailor the collection

a subsidiary of the WMF Group, remains at the forefront of innovation,

to their surroundings by requesting surface treatments like stone washing,

as demonstrated by the successful launch at foodservice and hospitality

glass bead blasting or PVD colour coating, as well as adding customised

trade fair Internorga of its bold new tabletop range. Elements is a modular

features on individual items, such as engraving a company logo onto the

27-piece collection made from 18/10 stainless steel, concrete, porcelain,

bottle coolers; a full repair service is provided, moreover, to fix any dents

glass and melamine; two elegant stands provide the base elements, each

or polish items whose lustre has faded over time. “Hepp Elements is aimed

of which can be combined with three clips to extend the available surface

at hoteliers with the courage to try something extraordinary, who want to

area onto different levels. Users can then add a plethora of accessories

set themselves apart from the crowd,” says Schmidt.

like dishes, bowls, trays, salt-and-pepper mills, toothpick stands, oil-

Hepp has clearly come a long way since that fateful moment 150 years

and-vinegar bottles, pastry stands, sauce jugs and bottle coolers as

ago when its founders invented ‘hotel silver’, yet the company is clearly

circumstances require.

not resting on its laurels. Instead, the business has managed to walk the

This flexibility is what sets the collection apart from the competition,

fine line between tradition and modernity, maintaining its longstanding

since it can be easily adapted to cater for a variety of hotel F&B settings, from

commitment towards producing quality products, while also responding

coffee in the lounge to lunch or dinner in the signature restaurant. “Hepp

to the fact that hotels are increasingly looking for ways to cut costs across

Elements offers an extremely high degree of modularity and versatility,”

their F&B operations. One wonders what the Hepp brothers would make of

explains Susanne Schmidt, Head of Marketing and Product Management

it all if they were around today. Schmidt concludes: “We strongly believe

at proHeq, “so our customers have almost unlimited possibilities when it

that the founders of the brand would be proud of what we have achieved

comes to both design and function.” A perfect case in point is the flower

– and that the basic DNA of Hepp is still alive and well.”

vase, which can be quickly converted into a candlestick holder by means of a special nozzle adapter.

www.hepp.de

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A DEDICATED HOTEL & RESTAURANT ITINERARY

MAISON&OBJET 06 — 10 SEPT. 2019 PARIS

TRENDS AND NEW SOURCES OF INSPIRATION

THE BEST IN DESIGN, DECORATION AND LIFESTYLE

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PETITS FOURS

I Meravigliosi Artis

Translating as marvellous in Italian, the I Meravigliosi collection by Artis features ten subtly different shapes of bowl, each designed by Luigi Bormioli to capture the intense aroma of numerous grape varieties, bringing out the best in different wine types. Light and balanced in the hand, while at once robust and flexible thanks to a titanium reinforced Sonhyx manufacturing process, the range is completed by a coupe and a stemless model. www.artis-uk.com

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Aether Libbey

Libbey’s Aether range interprets the textures found in raw materials such as rock, wood and water, as well as the natural phenomenon of cracked dry soil in an arid terrain. The collection’s bold and distinctive design builds on a simple plunger pattern to create a sense of tranquillity, while the cut-glass and exterior rings pay homage to Libbey’s heritage. The glasses are also available in a clear version. www.libbey.com

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PETITS FOURS

Muffin & More

Pro Bar Station

The Muffin & More stand from Tiger is a swivel display unit on which chefs can place cupcakes and other sweets. Manufactured in stainless steel, the stand features a series of rings as well as double-walled borosilicated cups, allowing for several desserts to be presented at once. The display joins the Korean supplier’s range of modular buffet systems, carving stations and heating lamps, induction chafing dishes, urns and dispensers, trolleys and hollowware.

Mogogo’s Pro Bar Station is highly adaptable for a wide range of events, from classic wine tastings to curated mixology programmes and cocktail receptions. Combining a sleek design with functional elements, the stainless-steel working space features an ice bin, speed rail and shelf space for storing equipment. As the flagship product in Mogogo’s barware collection, the unit comes in multiple finishes, including black marble, grey slate and mango wood.

www.tigerhotel.co.kr

www.mogogo-buffet.com

LaCimbali M100 Attiva

Redefining Modern Uniforms

The new M100 Attiva model features improvements in its design, thermal system, ergonomics and interface – the latter featuring electromechanical keys and an OLED display. The integrated system is intended to make coffee-making operations more user-friendly; the buttons enable users to instantly give commands, while the OLED display allows for the control of various parameters, such as the number of seconds to dispense the drink, the water temperature in the boiler and the desired pressure.

Translating the architecture and interior design of properties into modern, sophisticated vestments for hospitality staff, Lady and Butler is dedicated to bridging the gap between form and function. Founded by Barcelonaborn fashion designer Eli Caner, the company crafts uniforms to complement the creative direction of restaurants and hotels, with recent projects including The Standard in Miami, The Hollywood Roosevelt in LA and a collaboration with Pierre Hermé Paris.

www.cimbali.com

www.ladyandbutler.com

Tiger

Gruppo Cimbali

Mogogo

Lady and Butler

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PETITS FOURS

Rocket

Studio 1765 Designed by Amilios Grohmann in collaboration with Martin A Koebke, Studio 1765’s Rocket collection comprises wine and champagne coolers in a range of finishes including copper, stainless steel and black. Combining cutting-edge design with functionality, practicality and style, the stackable coolers are available in floor-standing and tabletop versions with removable drip tray, and cater to a variety of different hospitality environments. www.studio1765.com

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Asianera

Bonna

Product Categories: Tableware, living accesories, giftware • Projects: Raffles Hotel Singapore, The PuLi Hotel & Spa Shanghai, Jumeirah Nanjing • Trade Shows: Maison & Objet, Ambiente, To The Table • Contact: Grace Liu, Managing Director, graceliu@asianera.biz www.asianera.biz

Product Categories: Tableware • Projects: The Ritz-Carlton, Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi, Sheraton New Delhi • Trade Shows: Ambiente, Host Milano • Contact: Reha Tavil, Commercial Director, Reha.tavil@bonna.com.tr www.bonna.com.tr

Founded in 1995 with the belief that distinctive fine bone porcelain could be designed and produced in China – the place that originally invented and defined it centuries ago – Asianera is renowned for its east-meets-west style, with the brand’s constantly evolving collections acting as unique interpretations of influences from different cultures and nature. Rather than emulating traditional forms, the Shanghai-based company set its mind on developing a specific design style and product lines that reflect an Asian vernacular within a contemporary context, and as a result its hand-painted designs are characterised by artistry and elegance.

Asianera’s products can be found throughout luxury hotels and restaurants around the world, while the manufacturer also partners with hoteliers, restaurateurs and F&B managers to custom-design both patterns and shapes to meet the requirements of specific projects.

Based at Kocaeli in Turkey, where Europe meets Asia, Bonna Premium Porcelain is a specialist in providing porcelain products to the Horeca market. Established in 1981, the hospitality supplier believes that gastronomy is a total experience and the value of presentation and ambience is as important as the food and service. With a team of 400 employees, Bonna’s aim is to craft striking table settings for busy dining environments, using its strategic location to deliver collections quickly across the globe. Joining a family of ten designs in the Envisio series, the brand’s organic Vago tableware eschews traditional round and square dining sets to embrace elements of casual dining. Created specifically for the contract sector, the porcelain range forms part of Bonna’s wider ivory white collection and is offered with various personalisation details, while its free form yet stackable plates marry amicably with vibrant interior decors.

Chef & Sommelier

David Mellor

Product Categories: Glassware, dinnerware, flatware • Projects: Andaz Vienna Am Belvedere, Hôtel de Berri Paris, Trump Turnberry • Trade Shows: Ambiente, EquipHotel, NRA Show • Contact: Chris Ward, EMEA Hotel Business Director, chris.ward@arc-intl.com www.chefsommelier.com

Collections: Pride, Chelsea, Provençal • Projects: Claridge’s, Ace Hotel, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills • Trade Shows: Ambiente • Contact: James Lawless, Cutlery Accounts Manager, trade@davidmellordesign.co.uk www.davidmellordesign.co.uk

Chef & Sommelier is part of the Arc group, a tableware manufacturer with a history dating back more than 190 years. With production facilities on every continent, including in France, Russia, the US, UAE and China, the company engineers over five million pieces per day. Chef & Sommelier is an upscale and fine dining brand that reflects France’s gastronomic heritage, focusing on cutting-edge design and material performance with a blemish-free finish. The firm uses Krysta Extra Strong Crystal – a new glass material that is 30% stronger than sodalime glass – to guarantee increased scratch resistance, zero degrading after up to 2,000 industrial wash cycles and perfect clarity.

The innovative material also promises up to 60% less breakages when compared with standard crystalline. Targeted at luxury restaurants and bars, the firm’s barware and flatware helps hotels express their creativity and awaken guests’ senses.

Over 60 years, David Mellor has become a byword for elegant modern design. Established in 1953 by British designer David Mellor, the eponymous manufacturer supplies modern cutlery to luxury hotels and restaurants across the globe, and is well-known for the purity of its design, attention to detail and high quality of manufacture. Each of David Mellor’s cutlery ranges is clearly defined, allowing them to cater for a whole variety of hospitality clients, from global hotel chains to smaller design-led restaurants. Producing its goods from a factory near Sheffield – the historic centre for cutlery manufacture – the company believes its duty is to build on this inheritance of traditional craftsmanship while utilising evolving new technologies. Produced in stainless steel, silver plate or sterling silver to special order, the brand’s unique cutlery designs can be supplied with special finishes and markings or tailored to client’s specifications.

HEAD OF THE TABLE

Elia International

Furstenberg

Product Categories: Cutlery, chinaware, barware • Trade Shows: Ambiente, Hotel, Restaurant & Catering Show, Exclusively Housewares • Contact: Adam Walker, Sales Manager, adam@elia.co.uk www.elia.co.uk

Product Categories: Tableware • Projects: The St. Regis Amman, Hôtel & Restaurant Lalique, Mandarin Oriental Paris • Trade Shows: Maison & Objet, Salone del Mobile • Contact: Florian Marquardt, Director International Sales, f.marquardt@fuerstenberg-porzellan.com www.fuerstenberg-porzellan.com

With a principal focus on product development, Elia offers innovative yet highly functional products from striking cutlery and bone china to lead-free crystal glassware, stylish barware and beverageware items – each luxurious piece is crafted without compromising on durability.

Based in London, the manufacturer works in-house and in collaboration with internationally renowned designers to generate original ideas that help evolve its product collections. Elia supplies boutique hotels around the world, equipping a broad variety of venues including all-day dining spaces and high-end brasseries, while for domestic clients in the hotel, restaurant and hospitality industry, the brand’s portfolio is available through a national network of catering wholesalers.

Its new 18-piece Glacier range is classical yet contemporary, the cutlery’s generously curved simple design making it suitable for any modern table setting.

Founded in 1747, Porzellanmanufaktur Fürstenberg is Germany’s second oldest porcelain manufacturer. The company has produced fine porcelain in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, for almost 270 years, with the majority of its manufacturing done by hand, meaning every cup passes through 100 hands. The use of traditional craftsmanship enables Fürstenberg to create small intricacies such as double-walled vessels and paper-thin inner and outer walls, while the porcelain it designs also reflects the time in which it is created – the spirit, attitude of life and aesthetics, as well as the manual and technical possibilities.

Amongst its tableware, giftware and individual designer pieces is Fleun, a collection developed in collaboration with Swiss designer Alfredo Häberli that combines deeply rooted traditions with a contemporary innovative spirit, enabling it to adapt to a variety of modern dining environments.

Goodfellow & Goodfellow

John Jenkins

Product Categories: Tableware, buffetware, chef equipment • Projects: The Goring Hotel, Gleneagles, The Grove Hotel • Contact: Valda Goodfellow, Managing Director, Valda.Goodfellow@goodf.co.uk www.goodf.co.uk

Product Categories: Glassware, barware • Projects: Rosewood London, Hôtel de Crillon Paris, Firmdale Hotels • Trade Shows: Forty One Madison, NY Now, AmericasMart Atlanta • Contact: Harry Jenkins, General Manager, harry.jenkins@johnjenkins.co.uk www.johnjenkins.co.uk

The brainchild of husband-and-wife duo Paul and Valda Goodfellow, this creative design and distribution company provides innovative, stylish and functional solutions for hotels, restaurants and contract caterers around the world. The distributor’s website gives those working in the industry a variety of ideas, advice and guidance, while its Concept Design team in London – which offers a hands-on service for both newbuild and refurbishment projects – collaborates with chefs, designers, restaurant owners and F&B managers to supply branded tableware, kitchen equipment and chef’s clothing to establishments across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Goodfellow & Goodfellow works with all sizes of venue or catering project, delivering anything from an individual plate to a complete restaurant concept, while the British firm also collaborates with a variety of craft producers to commission bespoke tableware products.

John Jenkins specialises in supplying the hospitality industry with handmade glassware for the table and bar. Founded in London in 1901, the company is now based in a rural setting to the south west of the capital, where its in-house design department is able to develop exclusive solutions for clients around the world. John Jenkins also has a showroom at Forty One Madison in New York, and the US market is served by its distribution centre in New Jersey. Its glassware can be found at luxury hotels and restaurants in the UK, as well as China, Hong Kong and Singapore in Asia, Saudi Arabia and Dubai in the Middle East, and the US and the Caribbean in the Americas. Responding to a demand for more specialised glasses, the group’s William Yeoward Crystal brand supplies to the likes of Rosewood, Mandarin Oriental, RitzCarlton and Four Seasons, with the Atlantic and Bella collections proving particularly popular.

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LSA International

Nikko

Collections: Serve, Ivalo, Gio • Projects: Raffles Europejski Warsaw, Párisi Udvar Hotel Budapest, Bulgari Resort Dubai • Trade Shows: Host Milano, Ambiente, Hotelex • Contact: Claudia Caldarola, Head of Horeca, claudia.caldarola@lsa-international.com www.lsa-international.com

Product Categories: Tableware, buffetware, chef equipment • Projects: Bellagio Las Vegas, Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab • Trade Shows: Host Milano, Hofex, NRA Show • Contact: Hiroto Nitta, General Manager, table@nikko-company.co.jp www.nikkoceramics.com

LSA International is a contemporary design brand specialising in handmade glass. Established in London in the 1960s, the company collaborates with interior designers, stylists, restaurateurs, sommeliers and mixologists to supply decorative accessories, tableware and barware.

Combining a deep understanding of the qualities of raw materials and a unique affinity with artisan dexterity, LSA transforms designs into finished products that capture the essence of simplicity in their form and function.

Over 50 years’ experience in the hospitality market has earned the brand recognition with many of the world’s luxury hotels, restaurants and resorts, including the likes of Raffles Hotels and Bulgari Resorts, where it has delivered statement pieces alongside original, contemporary lines including Rum – a collection comprising mouth-blown glasses featuring thick, conical stems and rounded bowls that enhance the aroma of the spirit.

Committed to innovation, Japanese firm Nikko is continuously introducing new materials, techniques and concepts to its collections. The Kanazawabased manufacturer, founded in 1908, utilises around 50% bone ash when producing its fine bone china, creating strong and luminous dinnerware with a unique whiteness. Nikko’s designs are all made under one roof in Japan, where everything from mixing ingredients to firing and shipping is controlled meticulously. The factory also delivers high-quality decal techniques and boasts a number of highly skilled painters for handpainted products. Currently exporting to 30 countries, where its tableware is distributed to luxury clients throughout the hospitality sector, Nikko’s aim is for its fine bone china ranges to continue to be valued for its whiteness, unique shapes and durability; attributes that enhance the presentation of food to create more immersive dining experiences.

Nude

Peetal New York

Product Categories: Glassware • Projects: Maze by Gordon Ramsay, Soho House, The Ritz London • Trade Shows: Ambiente, Host Milano, Maison & Objet • Contact: Doğan Dündar, Global Horeca Sales Manager, DDUNDAR@sisecam.com www.nudeglass.com

Product Categories: Serveware, tabletop accessories • Projects: Marriott Dubai Hotels, The Venetian Las Vegas • Trade Shows: NY Now, High Point Market • Contact: Reema Kohli, Owner, reema@peetalnewyork.com www.peetalnewyork.com

Established in 1935 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk – former President of Turkey – the Şişecam Group has since created its own contemporary design brand, Nude, dedicated to producing glassware for modern living.

With an ethos of ‘Simple is Beautiful’, the Istanbul-based firm benefits from more than 85 years of tradition and expertise, marrying form with function through crafted decorative objects, statement tableware and softly shaped lighting. Designed by a worldwide selection of artists and designers, Nude’s portfolio of handmade glassware is formed entirely from pure crystalline glass, be the pieces blown, pressed or press-blown. The key feature of lead-free crystal glass is that the minerals it contains strengthen the material, making it possible to produce highly durable yet refined and gossamerthin glassware that delivers clarity and resonance to bring out the full colours and textures of wine, champagne and liquors.

Founded by Reema Kohli, a British-born Wall Street banker-turnedproduct designer based in New York, Peetal is inspired by skilled craftsmen in India, who handmake brass bowls and other décor accents using ancient techniques of sand casting, etching and hammering. The name Peetal itself, translating to brass in Hindi, is an ancient alloy made from a combination of copper and zinc, which the manufacturer fuses together with a variety of materials such as aluminium, stainless steel and semi-precious stones to create a collection of decorative yet utilitarian tableware, with part of the profits given back to the artisans who produce each piece. Taking cues from the elegance of the Lotus Flower, the Lotus collection features a sparkling gold flower cast out of brass, as well as faceted brass stems that illustrate the stem of the plant and real lotus leaves, which were hand-picked to create the fine textures on the metal.

HEAD OF THE TABLE

Pordamsa

Raynaud

Product Categories: Tableware, cutlery • Projects: Rosewood Hong Kong, Four Seasons Philadelphia, W Ibiza • Trade Shows: Host Milano, Ambiente, Sirha • Contact: Gerard Crous, Sales Manager, gcrous@pordamsa.org www.pordamsa.com

Product Categories: Dinnerware • Projects: Four Seasons Hotel George V, The St. Regis Hong Kong, Pierre Gagnaire Paris • Trade Shows: Salone Del Mobile, Maison & Objet, Sirha • Contact: Isabelle Ferrer, Sales Director Hospitality and Business Gifts, i.ferrer@ercuis-raynaud.com www.raynaud.fr

Combining inspiration, creativity and technique, Pordamsa aims to enrich the dining experience at the table. Founded in 1975 in La Bisbal d’Empordà, close to the Catalan city of Girona, the family-run business has a history of reinvention, which has allowed it to keep up with changing trends in the global market. With a main focus of adding value to the presentation of food, the porcelain manufacturer has evolved its pieces over the last forty years, introducing new techniques and materials such as glass and wood. One of its latest organic tableware collections, Atica, combines style and functionality while offering chefs the possibility of exploring playful food presentations on its concave surfaces. Taking inspiration from Ancient Greece, the series is handcrafted in coloured glass paste and features a smooth feel with high scratch resistance, making it suitable for professional kitchens and high-flow environments where durability is key.

For over a century, French manufacturer Raynaud has created porcelain with poetic charm, elegance and generosity as governing principles.

Since 1911, the firm has followed the ethos of ‘poetry as a guide, colour as a signature’, drawing inspiration from art, gastronomy, travel and history to create expressive pieces with narrative richness. Poetic vision guides are present at every stage of production, and coupled with meticulous quality standards. One of the latest additions to the Raynaud dinnerware family is Jean Cocteau, a series of plates, bowls and saucers that take cues from the work of the eponymous French poet, illustrator, playwright and film-maker. Offered in shades of blue, green, rose and noir, the Limoges porcelain range combines matte pastel backgrounds with subtle hues, while the plates depict mythological characters such as Orpheus, Eurydice, Proteus and Antinous – emblematic of Cocteau’s work.

Revol

Robert Welch Designs

Collections: Caractere, Pekoë, Swell • Projects: InterContinental Lyon Hotel Dieu, Hyatt Regency Algiers, Swissôtel Jakarta PIK Avenue • Trade Shows: Host Milano, Ambiente, Food & Hotel Asia • Contact: Louis Ribet, Sales Manager, louis.ribet@revol-porcelaine.fr www.revol1768.com

Collections: Radford, Drift, Kingham • Projects: Shangri-La Hotels, Jumeirah Beach, Raffles Europejski Warsaw • Trade Shows: Ambiente, Host Milano, NRA Show • Contact: Sarah Egan, Head of Hospitality, segan@robertwelch.com www.robertwelch.com

Revol has been a manufacturer of professional kitchenware, tabletop and buffetware solutions since 1768. Based in the south of France, the ninth-generation family business challenges the trends of the industry with innovatively designed and high-performance porcelain collections dedicated to chefs and foodservice professionals. From its Basalt black ceramic clayware, finishes of Solstice and wood grains of Arborescence to the monobloc handles of Belle Cuisine, black cast-iron finish of Eclipse, and tones of the Equinoxe range – and not forgetting the Revolution Induction – the brand’s exclusive creations are all handmade by over 250 porcelain workers in a factory in Saint-Uze at the heart of Drôme. Revol is motivated by a single ambition – to provide luxury hotels and restaurants with unmatched quality and originality, helping chefs transform dining tables and elevate signature dishes for the pleasure of their guests.

Robert Welch Designs was founded in 1955 by Robert Welch, a graduate of the Royal College of Art, who pioneered the introduction of stainless steel and tableware to the UK. From his studio and workshop, Welch was driven to design highly functional, affordable products that possessed a timeless yet elegant beauty. He steadily gained a reputation for both his design and manufacture, leading to a stream of commissions from five-star hotels and luxury restaurants worldwide. Today, still based in Chipping Campden in the Cotswold Hills, the company is jointly run by Welch’s children, Alice and Rupert. For the last twenty years, the business has expanded to supply a host of retailers, hotels, restaurants, cruise lines and airlines with dining, kitchen and living collections, including the recently launched Drift Coffee series, the latest addition to its Drift hollowware range comprising bar and afternoon tea pieces.

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Rona

Safran Paris

Product Categories: Glassware • Projects: Marriott International, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Hilton International • Trade Shows: Ambiente, Host Milano, NRA Show • Contact: Stepan Konicek, Sales Manager, konicek@rona.cz www.rona.sk

Product Categories: Tableware, buffetware, amenities • Projects: Cheval Blanc, Le Bristol Paris, Raffles Hotel Singapore • Trade Shows: Sirha • Contact: Denis Reichrath, CEO, dr@safranparis.com www.safranparis.com

Slovakian glassware manufacturer Rona was established by the Schreiber family in Lednické Rovne, a region where the production of glass traditionally flourished thanks to a combination of a forested landscape and the availability of silica sand and firewood clay. With a history dating back to 1892, the company is known for introducing technological improvements that have aided the development of the glassware industry.

Rona was the first to launch the production of pressed glass back in 1893, while it also implemented pantograph decoration technology three years later. In 1956, the firm also became the first factory worldwide to implement the commercial production of handmade stemware using the pulled stem process, and in 2001 furthered this with the development of machine-made ‘blowblow technology’ pulled stemware, which together with laser treatment on the rims of glasses has taken production to a new level.

Born from a desire to deliver exclusive tableware and unique products to luxury hotels, Safran Paris focuses on creativity and the pursuit of aesthetic harmony. Founded in 1999, the brand manufactures its product lines in France, where its workshops champion high-quality craftsmanship and innovative design. Combining shapes, colours and materials, Safran Paris has one primary objective: to guarantee a strong visual effect and to create emotion across all areas of a hotel, from tableware to the buffet, suites and bar. The company supplies buffet solutions to luxury hotel brands such as Peninsula, Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Sofitel, Groupe Lucien Barrière, Fairmont and Raffles, while it also develops tailor-made solutions for the biggest names in French gastronomy including Yannick Alleno, Eric Frechon, Emmanuel Renaut, Christian Le Squer, Sylvestre Wahid, Gaël Orieux, Eric Guerin, Fabrice Vulin and Jérôme Banctel.

Siom Orfèvres

Steelite International

Product Categories: Flatware, hollowware • Projects: Rosewood Hong Kong, Caesars Bluewaters Dubai, Bulgari Resort Dubai • Trade Shows: The Hotel Show Dubai, To The Table Europe, To The Table MEA • Contact: Antoine Baroud, Managing Partner, antoine.baroud@siomorfevres.com www.siomorfevres.com

Collections: Craft, Willow, Potters • Projects: Gaylord Rockies Resort Colorado, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel London • Trade Shows: Ambiente, Host Milano, NRA Show • Contact: Joshua Aitken, Marketing Co-ordinator, jaitken@steelite.com www.steelite.com

Established in the Hamra district of Beirut over 50 years ago, Siom Orfèvres is one of the largest producers of silverware in the Middle East.

The manufacturer supplies high-quality stainless steel and silverware to five-star hotels and restaurants throughout the international hospitality sector – with clients including major industry players such as Marriott International, Kempinski, AccorHotels, Hilton, Jumeirah and Rosewood Hotels – as well as to the luxury retail market. Working closely with its clients to provide tailor-made solutions, Siom’s design department has the advantage of choosing from a product range made up of nearly 4,000 ISO 9001-certified items from flatware, hollowware and chafing dishes to trolleys, banqueting items and tableware. Siom Orfèvres also develops bespoke collections and concepts to meet the precise needs and specifications of hotels, restaurants and catering venues around the world.

Steelite International has a history of over a century on its current site, where it produces more than 500,000 tabletop and buffet pieces per week – 140,000 of which are cups. Founded in Stoke-on-Trent in 1983, the company has over 1,000 employees worldwide and distributes to 140 countries, supplying to luxury hotels and restaurants throughout the hospitality industry. Responding to its consumer feedback over the years, Steelite has developed a vast array of innovative collections in ceramic, metal, wood, glass and melamine, providing complete tabletop solutions for all dining environments.

Continued reinvestment in the company is at the forefront of its growth strategy, helping to create an innovative approach to business, while it is as committed to UK manufacturing as it is to developing partnerships worldwide, mirroring its values while developing a deeper brand story and global position.

HEAD OF THE TABLE

Stölzle Lausitz

Tafelstern

Collections: Quatrophil, Experience, Power • Projects: Marriott International, AccorHotels, Starwood • Trade Shows: Ambiente, NRA Show, The Hotel Show Dubai • Contact: Jan Zschiesche, Export Manager, zschiesche@stoelzle-lausitz.de www.stoelzle-lausitz.com

Collections: Delight, Coffee Tasting, Playground • Trade Shows: Ambiente, Host Milano, NRA Show • Contact: Taner Selcik, Director International Sales, selcik.t@tafelstern.de www.tafelstern.com

The availability and quality of glass sand, wood, limestone and clay spearheaded the development of the first local glassworks in Lausitz over 570 years ago. Today, Stölzle Lausitz continues to export around 40 million glasses every year, with 400 employees producing, decorating and packing a comprehensive range of stem glasses, tumblers, decanters, carafes and gift items such as vases. Stölzle stands for innovation and quality, championing lead-free crystalline glass, high breakage and dishwasher resistance, as well as a positive price-to-quality ratio.

The manufacturer is also one of a handful to have mastered the production of a one-piece stem and bowl, resulting in more durable pieces that mimic the features and elegance of mouth-blown glassware.

The design of the Stölzle collections guarantees optimum performance, meaning consumers can appreciate each beverage in the right glass.

The creative porcelain collections from Tafelstern provide culinary directors with an eclectic foundation for the refined presentation of their gastronomic dishes. The elegant design of each piece ensures that the display of fine foods takes centre stage, while the innovative brand’s flexible modular system solution allows for a pick-and-mix approach across its collections. The Playground series, for example, comprises bowls in a selection of shades, shapes and patterns, including the Black Amber model; a piece of stoneware that features a sprinkling of gold metallic hints. Crafted from fine noble china, the coupe plates, pourers and bowls create subtle accents against dark backgrounds and can be coupled with the Eatery series – a minimalist range featuring Gaiwan and Ramen bowls that provide alternatives to classic plates – as well as the new industrial-style Delight cups and black clay Stella plates.

Toyo-Sasaki

William Edwards

Product Categories: Tableware, glassware, tabletop • Projects: Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Grand Lisboa, Wynn Palace • Trade Shows: Ambiente, Hofex, The Hotel Show Dubai • Contact: Fumiya Ueno, Sales, fumiya_ueno@toyo.sasaki.co.jp www.toyo.sasaki.co.jp

Product Categories: Tableware, chinaware • Projects: Atlantis The Palm, Caprice Holdings, British Airways • Trade Shows: To The Table • Contact: William Edwards, Managing Director, william@williamedwards.co.uk www.williamedwards.co.uk

Toyo-Sasaki is one of the oldest glassware manufacturers in Japan, with more than 110 years’ history to its name. Amongst its 470-strong workforce, hundreds of craftsmen produce the brand’s collections in a factory just outside of Tokyo, combining handmade techniques with machine production under one roof. The result is glassware defined by simplicity and technical refinement; Toyo-Sasaki’s designs are featherweight yet functional and durable, bringing subtle elegance to modern tabletop settings. One of its latest additions, Fino, is a stackable collection that uses platinum Hard Strong tempered glass across its surface to achieve maximum durability. Intended for use across a whole variety of dining scenes, the elegant and light-in-the-hand glass features a thin and smooth top, as well as a large but simple mouth design, allowing users to arrange and pour drinks comfortably, as well as wash it with ease.

Based in Stoke-on-Trent, William Edwards supplies fine bone china to the hospitality sector worldwide. With an in-house design department and printing facilities, as well as factory in Korea, the British manufacturer produces collections for all areas of hotel establishments from royal suites to banqueting venues, highlighting the whiteness and durability of china throughout signature collections like Snipe Frost, Burnished Platinum and Sultan’s Garden. The firm’s recent hotel projects include Atlantis The Palm in Dubai, where it designed a bespoke all-day dining range for the refurbished Plato’s coffee and tea lounge. Led by newly appointed Global Design Manager Tracy Hollins, the studio took inspiration from the vaulted ceilings and geometric patterning within of the space, incorporating gold mica decorations into the china’s elegant shapes to enhance the overall aesthetic while retaining a focus on function.

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HEAD OF THE TABLE

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WMF Professional

WNK

Product Categories: Cutlery, hollowware, glassware • Projects: Swissôtel Jakarta PIK Avenue, Mövenpick Hotel Stuttgart, The St. Regis Amman • Trade Shows: Internorga, NRA Show, Host Milano • Contact: Felix M. Brunet, Export Manager, felix.brunet@wmf-professional.de www.wmf-professional.com

Collections: Cutlery, buffetware, tabletop • Projects: Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island Okinawa, Rosewood Hong Kong, InterContinental Jakarta Pondok Indah • Trade Shows: Ambiente, Hotelex Shanghai, Hofex Hong Kong • Contact: info@wnk-hk.com www.wnk-hk.com

Part of the proHeq group based in southern Germany’s Birkenfeld region, WMF Professional is a supplier of professional catering and hotel equipment.

The main focus of the brand is its innovative, high-quality craftsmanship and stylish solutions for preparing and serving food and beverages. From a diverse range of cutlery, glassware, serving utensils and table decorations to flexible modular systems for buffets, WMF’s product range covers the complete tabletop requirements of all dining environments, and has been supplied to luxury hotel brands such as Mövenpick and St. Regis. Joining French consortium Groupe SEB in 2016, the company has expanded to offer a range of services in the furnishing of living areas, kitchens and bathrooms, from cutlery to glassware.

In addition, it has recently launched the integrated One-Stop-Shop concept, in which all processes relating to planning, procurement, ordering and service come from a single source.

Founded in 1955, WNK has over 60 years of manufacturing experience in silverware and tableware. Having grown to become an international supplier in the foodservice industry, distributing products worldwide via an extensive support network, the Hong Kong-headquartered company marries a unique blend of family business traditions with use of the latest production methods at its two modern factories – spanning 20,000m2 of production space and employing 800 dedicated staff. Promising both caterers and end users a better experience in buffet service, WNK’s induction chafing dishes range is compatible with burners, electric heaters and induction cookers. With reliability at their core, the dishes feature a stable and durable hinge design that allows the lid to be placed in different stationary positions to minimise heat loss, while its innovative water-return system – built into the edge of the lid – prevents any drips on food.

Zieher

Zwiesel Kristallglass

Product Categories: Tableware, buffet systems, glassware • Projects: Rosewood Hong Kong, InterContinental Singapore, W Dubai – The Palm • Trade Shows: Ambiente, Equiphotel, Food & Hotel Asia • Contact: Steven Röppnack, Head of Sales, s.roeppnack@zieher.com www.zieher.com

Product Categories: Glassware • Projects: InterContinental London Park Lane, Galvin at Windows - Hilton Park Lane, The Ritz London • Trade Shows: Ambiente, EquipHotel, Host Milano • Contact: Ian Bailey, Director, sales@aditrading.com www.zwiesel-kristallglas.com

Starting life as an international trading firm in 1986, the company has since become a manufacturer and creator of luxury design products, with founders Christa and Manfred Zieher releasing the first collection of items designed by Zieher in 2006. Fast forward to 2010 and the brand developed Skyline, the first buffet system with an extremely high grade of flexibility, which initiated the trend towards such equipment. Today, Zieher is active in 90 countries and stands for innovative design in both the tabletop and buffet markets, with worldwide clients including fivestar hotels and restaurants, as well as the luxury retail market and professional chefs looking to create innovative concepts.

The firm’s products are crafted using a number of materials such as glass, stainless steel, slate and porcelain; the combination of these forge high-quality modern tableware and buffet systems that marry functionality and style.

Zwiesel Kristallglas has championed high-quality crystal products, innovation and sustainability in equal measure for over 145 years. Founded in 1872, the German company offers exclusive ranges for tabletop and bar spaces, as well as decorative accessories for interiors. The group is also home to two design-led brands: Zwiesel 1872, heralding craftsmanship through handmade glassware collections that draw on the knowledge of the company’s skilled workforce; and Schott Zwiesel, a driver of timeless yet modern design that partners with luxury hotels and restaurants worldwide, delivering an extensive range of wine and drinking glasses.

Developed in collaboration with bartender and author Charles Schumann, Zwiesel 1872’s latest collection, the nine-piece Marlène – Hommage aux Femmes series, combines refinement with high functionality, expressing an appreciation for femininity by balancing lightness and elegance.

ADVERTISING INDEX

Alto Shaam

Raynaud Ercuis

033

Asianera 012

Robert Welch

140

Bonna 031

Rona 024

Cognac Frapin

118

97

Dometic 051

Rosemary Water

095

Safran Paris

049

Elia

087

Sico 085

Gemini 1765

021

Siom 043

Goodfellows 128

Steelite 004-005

Gruppo Cimbali

067

Stรถlzle 057

Iron & Fire

023

Tafelstern 065

Jing Tea

103

Tiger 045

John Jenkins

047

To The Table - Europe

076

Lady & Butler

040

To The Table - MEA

127

LSA 010-011 Maison Objet

122

Toyo Sasaki

090

William Edwards

139

008-009

WMF 089

015

WNK 108

Nude 019

Zieher 039

Mogogo Nikko Company

Perrier Jouet

006-007

Zwiesel Kristallglas

002

Pordamsa 016

137

THE WASHING UP

Photography: © Philippe Fitte

Keys to the Cellar

Back to its best after a four-year renovations, the iconic Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo is rightly lauded for its outstanding F&B offering, with the Michelin-starred delights of Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse and Le Grill pairing nicely with new Mediterranean brasserie Ômer and glamorous cocktail den Le Bar Américain. But the property’s secret weapon actually lies far beneath

These labyrinthine wine cellars play a key role underpinning the revamped F&B offering at Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo.

guests’ feet: Les Caves de l’Hôtel de Paris.

Reputedly the world’s largest hotel wine cellar, this remarkable maze of galleries was laboriously hewn out of the rock by a 100-strong team in the 1870s; it spans 1.5km2 and holds around 450,000 bottles, including countless sought-after rarities from Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne. Today, the sprawling underground complex supplies an array of establishments overseen by Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mers, the casino and hotel operator owned by the state of Monaco.

Alas, the cellars are not generally open to the public, although they can be hired out for special events, and connoisseurs can still partake in a piece of oneological history by treating themselves to a bottle or two in the hotel’s restaurants and bars. Amid all the excitement about Hotel de Paris’ recent transformation, it is a sobering thought to reflect that these well-stocked cellars, which date back to the late 19th century, remain key to its success.

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DESIGNED TO LAST A LIFETIME

For more information or samples contact us.

Email: hospitality@robertwelch.com Telephone: +44 (0) 1386 840880

robertwelch.com/hospitality

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