London is hot with new hotels, restaurants and culture, but it seems the city can’t decide: comfort or confrontation? Here, our resident correspondent Emily Goldfischer provides her perspective.
Where to Stay
London is in the midst of a “gold rush” of luxury hotel openings, with 13 new properties set to open by 2025, and, certainly, newbies from 2023—The Peninsula, The OWO and The BoTree—deserve consideration for spring. Add to that The Dorchester, which may as well be new, as everything in the hotel has been refreshed—from the lobby, restaurants and bars to all the rooms and suites.
The big buzz for 2024 is The Emory, a new all-suite property by the Maybourne Group, situated next to The Berkeley in Belgravia. When it opens in April, the modern, new-build with a glass and steel facade, will offer 60 suites over nine floors, with each floor showcasing different interior designers, ranging from André Fu and Pierre-Yves Rochon to Rémi Tessier, Patricia Urquiola and Champalimaud Design. There will be a private, guest-only rooftop space and a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant, abc kitchen. But, we hear the coolest part is the new Surrenne wellness club, housed within four floors below ground and complete with a 72-foot swimming pool, cryotherapy and other high-tech wellness treatments for optimal biohacking. Maybourne turned to the experts on well-being and anti-ageing, Dr. Shauna Shapiro, Dr. David Sinclair and Dr. Andrew Huberman, all best-selling authors and top-rated podcasters with millions of followers. For VIP bookings, General Manager Knut Wylde (kwylde@maybourne.com) will helm this property as well as The Berkeley.
For families, we are loving the Pan Pacific, which has partnered with French children’s brand Bonpoint, to create a series of three signature spa treatments using Bonpoint’s skincare products specially formulated for children’s skin using natural and hypoallergenic ingredients. The treatments range from a facial to massage, designed for little ones aged six to 16 years old, giving kids the chance to dip their toes into the world of wellness. And, there’s an indoor pool! Contact Hotel Manager John Kelly (john.kelly@panpacific.com) for spa arrangements or VIP requests.
The Residences at The Athenaeum are also a great multi-gen option. Each residence is around 600 square feet and well-designed with a spacious king bedroom for the adults and pop-up bunk beds for the kids in a separate area, plus a roomy living space with a dining table and kitchenette. Plus, the Piccadilly location is central to three of London’s prettiest parks—Hyde, St. James and Green. For VIP bookings, contact General Manager Joanne Taylor-Stagg (joanne.taylor-stagg@athenaeumhotel.com).
Dining Out
The Grill at The Dorchester, inaugurated five years ago under the leadership of chef Tom Booton, who, at the age of 26, became the hotel’s youngest head chef in history, now carries his name following the biggest renovation of the hotel since the 1980s. The food is better than ever and the menu is more varied than when it first opened in 2018, with more snacks and starters (we loved the crab bite, milk bread and the homemade Scotch egg, a delicate quail egg wrapped in spicy homemade nduja). The Beef Wellington is not to be missed, along with the whole roast chicken or any of the desserts, especially the homemade soft serve.
Speaking of roast chicken, the bird is having a moment in London. Bob Bob Ricard, the restaurant famous for its “push for Champagne” buttons, has opened a spin-off rotisserie chicken restaurant in Soho, Bebé Bob, which offers “any main course the customer wants as long as it is chicken.” The birds come from Gascony, France and serve two. Don’t worry, starters and desserts are plentiful—from egg mayonnaise to caviar, tarte fine to Paris-Brest. Another wunderkind, chef Tom Sellers, who was awarded a Michelin star a mere five months after opening his original Restaurant Story, has added a chicken-centric sibling restaurant, Story Cellar in Covent Garden, which offers a signature Parisian-style rotisserie and an extensive wine cellar.
Theater
Apparently, a city embracing chicken means people want comfort in food, not necessarily in culture. Talked-about shows this season are pushing the boundaries. Matt Smith, best known for playing Doctor Who, is back on stage after 15 years starring in "An Enemy of the People," an English-language premiere of German director Thomas Ostermeier’s bold reimagining of the classic play by Henrik Ibsen, noted for its immersive section in which the audience is invited to debate the ethics of the play.
Other hot tickets: “The Picture of Dorian Gray” with Sarah Snook (hot off her Golden Globe win for “Succession”) and “The Hills of California” by Jez Butterworth (who wrote the award-winning “Jerusalem”) and directed by Sam Mendes. For Shakespeare lovers, David Tennant and Ralph Fiennes are both playing Macbeth this season in different productions. Kenneth Branagh is in “King Lear.” For something lighter, check out Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker in the classic romantic comedy “Plaza Suite” and a theatrical spoof of the recent Gwyneth Paltrow trial, “Gwyneth Goes Skiing,” which just extended its run. Or, for something immersive, the version of “Guys & Dolls” at The Bridge theater is an amazing in-the-round affair; you can even stand within the stage floor, which we loved.
Immersive Art
Immersive is the buzzword for art, too. Confrontational American artist Barbara Kruger, whose combination of bold image and bold text has made her work instantly recognizable and hugely influential, will be featured at the Serpentine starting February 1 through March 17. Her first exhibition in London in 20 years, this new show will reimagine past pieces as video works, combined with soundscapes to create a totally—you guessed it—immersive experience. Another notable female artist coming in February: Yoko Ono at the Tate Modern. For these, or behind-the-scenes tours and private viewings in London’s top galleries, the best bet is to hire expert Maeve Doyle (maeve@maevedoyleart.com).
We checked in with Nicola Butler (nicola@noteworthy.co.uk), owner of NoteWorthy, who specializes in arranging otherwise inaccessible royal and historic experiences. She agrees immersive experiences are on-trend: “People are bored of going to a museum and just looking at the artifacts on show; they want to interact with them.” Her suggestion includes the Churchill War Rooms and Room 58, exclusively available to NoteWorthy clients. It offers a chance to step further behind the scenes, visiting Room 58, steeped in mystery and kept secret from day-to-day visitors. Marked on official maps simply as “special accommodation,” it is speculated this is where Churchill would meet his top advisors and members of the Secret Service. Clients have privileged access to this room, packed with tactile elements to explore, and offers the chance to learn more about Churchill’s life and the bunker’s role during the war.
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