KIMCHEE’s new bar – Giraffe opens 3 Tesco Extra sites – Guildford Arms for elegance – Steam and Rye opens in The Old Bank Of New York, London – West London Gastropub Princess Victoria re-opens – The Imperial Arms, Chelsea metamorphoses
Overview
KIMCHEE’s new bar
Giraffe opens 3 Tesco Extra sites
Guildford Arms for elegance
Steam and Rye opens in The Old Bank Of New York, London
West London Gastropub Princess Victoria re-opens
The Imperial Arms, Chelsea metamorphoses
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KIMCHEE’s new bar
KIMCHEE owner Dong Hyun Kim, has opened KIMCHEE Bar in the basement of his 165-cover flagship site in Holborn.
The 1,000 sq. ft, 100-cover lounge bar will feature interior design elements from the restaurant such as dark wood paneling and an indoor water garden.
The cocktail list has been created by the Gorgeous Group Consultancy and features lesser-known Korean spirits. KIMCHEE Bar’s Korean education continues with their range of Asian drinks featuring Soju, a clear spirit distilled from grain; Mae Wha Soo, Korean plum wine; Makgeolli, a fermented rice milk and Sake. Cocktails are priced from £7.50.
A range of four Korean teas such as Pear Punch and White Hibiscus have been exclusively developed for KIMCHEE Bar. The bar will also offer a variety of bar snacks and light bites all of which will continue the brand ethos of well-balanced, nutritional food packed with flavour.
Dong Hyun Kim comments: “The opening of KIMCHEE Bar is the next stage in our commitment to bring Korean culture to London. Following the success of KIMCHEE Restaurant and KIMCHEE To Go we are excited about the forthcoming launch of another brand extension.
KIMCHEE, 71 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6EA
020 7430 0956
www.kimchee.uk.com
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Giraffe opens 3 Tesco Extra sites
Family-friendly restaurant group, giraffe, has opened at the flagship Tesco Extra site in Cheshunt and announces a further two new sites within Tesco Extra stores before the end of the year. The next two restaurants will be in Abingdon, opening on 2 December and Twickenham on 9 December.
Russel Joffe, Managing Director and Co-Founder of giraffe said “Our first Tesco site, which opened in Watford this August, has been a huge success, performing above expectations at every level and we hope that these new openings will follow suit.”
Cheshunt
Opening in the flagship Tesco Extra store this 5,258 square ft restaurant has 192-covers across its outside and indoor spaces. Designed by Harrisons, the restaurant is accessible via its own entrance, flanked by a 10ft tall giraffe, as well as via the store.
Abingdon
giraffe Abingdon is situated in a fully renovated corner of the red-brick Tesco Extra. The 3,434 square ft site makes imaginative use of ceiling rafters to create a warm and inviting space. Leather booths, bi-fold opening frontage and a monochrome floor complete the modern look of this 134-cover site, 30 of which are outside.
Twickenham
The smallest of the new sites at 2,599 square ft, the 121-cover restaurant is located at the front of Tesco Extra Twickenham with the main entrance opening to the car park. Mute tones, barewood, glass and planting complete the look.
www.giraffe.net
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Guildford Arms for elegance
Greenwich’s Guildford Arms pub is four years old this month and has been treated to a mini-makeover.
The elegant first floor restaurant and the cosy, more relaxed pub downstairs are now united by a less formal menu devised by Guy himself. A chilled out, welcoming pub feel will now run throughout, including in the sunken garden – described by Time Out as ‘spectacular… a contender for the best in the city’ – which is heated in the colder months so it can be a true London oasis all year round.
Guy’s distinctive modern British style has already won him a reputation in the industry, with local legend Inside, the pub’s sister restaurant round the corner recommended in the Michelin Guide and runner up in Time Outs best neighbourhood restaurant.
The new menus are inspired by the same commitment to always making the most imaginative use of the finest British produce, carefully sourced, and will change regularly to reflect the best of what’s in season. The Guildford Arms team pride themselves on making absolutely everything they serve – from chutneys and oatcakes to pasta and ice cream, using ingredients sourced wherever possible from local suppliers who share their passion for freshness and quality
The Guildford Arms, 55 Guildford Grove, Greenwich, London, SE10 8JY
020 8691 6293
www.theguildfordarms.co.uk
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Steam and Rye opens in The Old Bank Of New York, London
Steam & Rye is a new one-stop destination venue by London entrepreneur Nick House, co-founder of Mahiki, Whisky Mist and Bodo Schloss. Teaming up with British model and national sweetheart Kelly Brook, they have created a spectacular 550 capacity space harking back to a bygone era, encapsulating America’s Gilded Age, a time of glamour, decadence and idealism in the old bank of New York building in Bank, the heart of the City of London.
Inspired by the United States of the 1920s, the decadent bar and restaurant will offer live music and dancing with a classic Americana theme open Monday-Saturday from 4pm-3am. The grand living of the Great Gatsby era will be met by the old ways of the Wild West and travelling shows will be fused with the stirrings of the new, young sound of rock ’n’ roll.
To fully ensure visitors are transported to another world, House has enlisted upon the help of production designer Jonathan Lee, who won the Milan Film Festival Production Design Award for Head in the Clouds starring Penelope Cruz and Charlize Theron and has a wide array of film and TV credentials.
Steam & Rye contains four main elements. The Main Hall and Station Gardens are modelled on New York’s Grand Central Station and offer an over-whelming assault on the senses. The room features a beautiful sculpted bar, a stage, living clock, and its very own Eastern Pacific Steam Train Dining Carriage.
Explorers will find a winding stairwell leading to the mezzanine level and the Cargo Hold; an impossibly crammed collection of ephemera, taxidermy, flotsam and jetsam with a glass fronted wall offering a bird’s eye view over Grand Central Station. Dimly lit, it takes time to explore the treasures accumulated over a lifetime of travel to extraordinary destinations.
Finally the basement 1st Class Cocktail Carriage is a luxurious retreat whilst crossing continents. Rich sumptuous velvet and intimate leather-lined booths create an opulent den to savour extraordinary and exotic cocktails from the richly-laden bar. Ideal for private parties and outlaws hideouts.
Steam & Rye, 147 Leadenhall Street EC3V 4QT
www.steamandrye.com
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West London Gastropub Princess Victoria re-opens
Originally the Shepherd’s Bush tram stop, later an imposing Victorian gin palace, West London’s Princess Victoria is now enjoying a new lease of life as a dining room, bar, wine shop and private events space in the hands of Truffle Hunting, the young and dynamic restaurant group behind Newman Street Tavern and The Henry Root.
Overseeing the menus at Princess Victoria is head chef Matt Reuther, formerly of No 1 Lombard St, Foliage at the Mandarin Oriental and the three Michelin-starred Oak Room where he started as a commis chef for Marco Pierre White. Princess Victoria offers a menu of pub classics, all impeccably executed and with a touch of real culinary flair, and supported by state of the art equipment such as a newly installed dehydrator, an ageing room and a Josper charcoal grill.
Princess Victoria has a strong following among London’s serious wine lovers, and Truffle Hunting has expanded the pub’s offering with a new wine shop on the premises that allows guests to purchase some rare and exceptional wines at retail prices. The pub’s commitment to both wine and its local community is reflected in a programme of regular events including Monday Wine Shop Nights inviting guest to BYOB from the ‘PV Wine Shop’, Thursday night supper clubs and Blind Tasting Wine Dinners.
Princess Victoria has been sensitively refurbished to show off the space with its stunning Victorian architecture and double-height ceilings while creating an inviting space in which to eat, drink and relax. Comfortable banquette seating, the roaring fireplace, the palette of deep reds and the beautiful reclaimed furniture lend the pub warmth and charm.
Princess Victoria, 217 Uxbridge Rd, London W12 9DH
www.princessvictoria.co.uk
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The Imperial Arms, Chelsea metamorphoses
The Imperial Arms in Chelsea has long been a popular venue, with locals and visitors alike flocking to enjoy its charms. Now this King’s Road landmark, with its stunning Victorian façade, has undergone an exciting metamorphosis.
Launched by hospitality industry supremos Kate MacWhirter (Quince) and Alan Turtill (L’Odeon), The Imperial offers a comprehensive array of quirky, nutritious dishes with international influences, all made using seasonal and responsibly sourced British ingredients.
In charge of the kitchen is prodigiously talented young head chef Tom Hope who has already established an impressive résumé since he first entered the profession a decade ago.
Along with a focus on good eating, The Imperial is also committed to being as environmentally friendly as possible. The team are passionate about sustainability, so much so that Kate MacWhirter runs a consultancy designed to help make businesses more environmentally aware.
Accordingly ingredients at The Imperial are seasonal and responsibly sourced, while dishes are accompanied by an eclectic wine list, many organic and British. The restaurant has also adopted an array of ways in which to reduce its environmental impact, such as composting all of its food waste.
The Imperial’s interior is equally arresting; using the high ceilings to their full advantage, it offers a sleek and modern feel with fresh, clean lines and a light airy feel. Period features have been retained throughout, with the overall look very much in keeping with its stylish, design-led neighbours.
577 Kings Road, London, SW6 2EH
020 7736 6081
www.the-imperial.com