Alsace-born, New York-based chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten created waves in London in the Nineties at Belgravia’s Berkeley hotel with Vong, a restaurant which defined the concept of fusion cuisine in the capital. Now he’s back next door at Maybourne’s new property The Emory, London’s first all-suite hotel where life is very sweet indeed. ABC is JGV’s trio of NYC restaurants – ABC Kitchen, ABCV and ABC Cocina – here joined under the same roof for the first time.
The mood: Manhattan transfer with a British accent
Few recent London restaurant launches have arrived with the effortlessly confident swagger of ABC. Which, of course, took a lot of effort to achieve. French designer Rémi Tessier has channelled Transatlantic glamour; a series of Damien Hirst artworks called ‘The Secret Gardens Paintings’ anchors the space in London with vibrant pops of colour, but the emphasis on luxe comfort in everything from the tactile furnishings to a wine cave fashioned from amber glass, suffusing the room with a warm glow, feel very Uptown, as too the nothing-is-too-much-trouble service.
The food: Thrilling combinations of global flavours and textures
Fusion cuisine may have been consigned to the garbage shoot of history but Vongerichten’s cuisine still thrills with its borderless approach to mix and matching ingredients. Stiff prices are justified by careful sourcing: exceptional quality British seafood from Portland Shellfish, and foraged ingredients from The Wild Room, among others. Early hits include tacos filled with crispy Dover sole, aioli, cabbage and apple slaw – a crunch in every mouthful – guacamole made with spring pea to scoop up with warm tortilla chips, and an arroz con pollo involving rice stirred through with chicken skin, lemon zest and black pepper.
ABC Kitchens is located at The Emory, Old Barrack Yard, London
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