Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has made his return to London, opening a new restaurant at The Connaught.
The restaurant, Jean-Georges at The Connaught, overlooks Mount Street in the heart of the Mayfair neighborhood and offers informal dining in a relaxed, contemporary setting. This move marks Vongerichten’s return to the Maybourne Hotel Group, as he previously operated Vong at The Berkeley, which closed at the end of 2002.
We hear the menu at the new restaurant is inspired by Vongerichten’s training in French cuisine with a mélange of Asian flavors, though he also offers his personal take on British classics such as fish and chips and traditional afternoon tea. The menu also reflects his farm-to-table approach, which is similar to that at his New York restaurants, including The Mark Restaurant & Bar at The Mark Hotel, ABC Kitchen, The Mercer Kitchen in SoHo and, most recently, abcV, a vegan eatery.
The breakfast menu at Jean-Georges at The Connaught comprises healthy morning shakes, acai bowls and dosa, a type of pancake typically eaten in India. He also serves truffle scrambled eggs, French brioche toast and the full English breakfast. Lunch and dinner offerings include egg toast and caviar, crispy salmon sushi and the chef’s legendary black truffle and fontina pizza.
Top Tip: The pizza can be ordered for takeout — a first for the restaurant.
Design-wise, French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel has enhanced the restaurant’s windows with stained glass so that the space will be bathed in rich hues of orange and gold as sunlight streams into the restaurant. Nice touch!
Jean-Georges at The Connaught will serve breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner throughout the day, seven days a week. Hélène Darroze will also continue to operate her two-Michelin star restaurant on the other side of the hotel.
In other London news, the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London is undergoing a multimillion-dollar makeover, which is scheduled to be completed next Spring. Rooms and suites as well as the lobby are already finished. Next up are the restaurants and bar, the spa and two new luxury penthouses. Can’t wait.
More Buzz: Corinthia Hotel London’s Managing Director Thomas Kochs (whom we spoke with last month) has found his new head chef: Ewan Simpson, who was previously the sous chef at Claridge’s. Simpson’s menu at the Northall restaurant will offer modern seasonal British fare “with a twist.”
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