Eat, drink, sleep repeat: From martinis to ceviche – the best London spots past and present
Studying successful luxury brands is a personal passion of mine; At their best, they inspire the people working within them to achieve what they didn’t think possible, whilst creating a huge following of passionate advocates spreading their brand love and purchasing power. If you have success in both of these areas, the profits will follow; When I took the position of chief executive of Gaucho in 2018, morale and Ebitda were both challenging.
Fast forward to 2023, after I re-imagined the brand, driving 27 per cent LFL growth by making the offering attractive to a younger and more diverse demographic whilst simultaneously creating Rare, an engaging employer brand.
This saw us awarded ‘best 100 places to work in the UK’, with ‘business of the year 2023’ in the City AM Awards and our ebitda doubled to £10m. The power of a strong team and a stronger brand
Last weekend’s bank holiday gave me the opportunity to visit some other great brands:
Quaglinos
My first visit to Quaglino’s was in 2015 when it was the gem of Sir Terence Conran’s restaurant empire, cigarette girls strut from table to table, jazz bands and crooners performed on the fabled stage as royalty and celebrities sashayed down the legendary staircase.
On a Valentine’s date with my then-future wife, I remember drinking Laurent Perrier for the first time, and the food was an extraordinary feast, including oysters and lobster from the huge seafood display.
The experience was in no small part responsible for my falling in love with the romance and theatre found in the best hospitality experiences and hopefully my wife falling for me.
Last weekend, I took another romantic to dine at Quags; the footballing legend Peter Reid. The cabaret and Peter’s outfit were equally inspired by the Hollywood glamour of the 1930’s, whilst the food and experience were as wonderful as my first visit.
On this occasion, I chose a particularly sublime Cornish scallop in lobster bisque complete with a Devon crab beignet and Salt Marsh lamb rack, whilst the England and (more importantly) Sunderland legend went for Dover Sole.
For wine, we skilfully avoided Argentine Malbec and associated PTSD memories of Maradona, opting for ‘Le Dome’; Jonathan Maltus’ 99 points Robert Parker recommended Saint Emillion modern classic. I hope Sir T would be proud!
One Club Row
Friday night in Shoreditch isn’t a phrase I’ve uttered much, but following an invitation to this new opening and hotpot, as a bald, capitalist, aging man’s version of Carrie Bradshaw, ‘I couldn’t help but wonder’ what it would be like in the scruffy part of the city, hanging out with the cool kids.
On arrival, we had a fabulous greeting by one of the sector’s greatest maitre d’s, glistening mint and olive oil martinis followed, paired with perfect snacks; Pickled jalapeno gougeres led, Lobster and ham croquettes maintained a ten out of ten taste-sensation start to the experience.
The remainder of the meal was also exceptional. Their website mentions New York taverns in the inspirational blurb, but I’d describe the cuisine as modern French; classics are re-worked and Moroccan influences are expertly represented by Culinary Director Patrick Powell, formerly of Chiltern Firehouse and Allegra.
Rice pudding Crème Brulee, with rhubarb proved irresistible to this Yorkshire man and was again flawless.
An intimate grade two listed dining room, where the ambience is enhanced by a pianist, who very possibly played at Quaglinos in the late nineties, added some bank holiday magic. As did an appropriately perfect Provencal Leoube Collector Blanc 2022 (£180)
Amazonico
This South American, Berkeley Square stalwart has launched an Asado brunch menu aimed at taking diners into a world of Latin splendour. As you arrive an impressive six piece band interspersed by an ‘elec-tro-pical’ soundtrack takes you to the clubs of Cuba, whilst mescal and tequila set the cocktail tone.
The dining experience is very enjoyable, beginning with table-made guacamole, served with Pao de Queijo cheesy balls.
Excellent Peruvian ceviche and sushi follow, and the experience is crowned by a presentation of perfectly grilled meats, generous in portion size but skillfully avoiding becoming an overwhelming feast.
Finally, slow-grilled, caramelised pineapple, also found at Heston’s Dinner- not a bad place to find commonality with – is served with a magnificent pistachio ice cream.
The service is outstanding and makes this great gastronomic brunch a preferable experience for a more discerning diner. Go with a group of great mates and you will have a fiesta.