There’s good news for those of us who remember Quaglino’s. Following a glamorous launch party last Wednesday 7th October, the St James’s institution has reopened its doors following a major restoration by the Evolv Restaurant Group who have now added Quaglino’s to their collection of iconic London restaurants.
Under CEO Martin Williams, Evolv has investing in the restoration and renewal of one of its landmark brands and returning to the ethos Sir Terence Conran championed when he revived Quaglino’s back in 1993.
Created by restaurateur Giovanni Quaglino who was born in Piedmont, Italy, Quaglino’s opened in 1929 and soon became one of London’s most iconic dining and entertainment destinations, renowned for its glamorous atmosphere, royal connections and distinctive combination of dining, cocktails and live entertainment. Throughout the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, Quaglino’s drew in both the aristocracy and royal family.
Today’s restoration honours the room’s Art Deco heritage and its famous staircase with a newly commissioned art collection and reimagined day-to-night experience for diners.
The new menu has been designed to follow Giovanni Quaglino’s own journey from his roots in Piedmont to Cannes via The Savoy, bringing together Italian provenance, French classical technique and the best of British traditional dining.
The famous Q Bar creates innovative cocktails reflecting Quaglinos’ journey including re-imagined Savoy classics. There are also three new bars, including the Champagne bar, offering 24 champagnes by the glass and bottle, a Fruits de Mar seafood counter which I tried last week, serving mollusks and crustacea in a nod to the original Conran feature design, as well as modern ceviche and tiradito small plates. Lastly, there is also a Dessert bar in the form of a Cannes ‘Tabac’ offering smoke-filled edible helium balloons, cannoli cigars and chocolate ashtrays.
Entertainment has made a welcome return to Quaglino’s on a new stage with cabaret and live music. And I particularly like the cosy theatrical raised booths around the perimeter of the dining room to add to the ambience.
Quaglino’s is pairing its celebrated evenings of glamour and spectacle with a generous, accessible daytime offering of ‘Ten Pound Plates’ to make this great London institution accessible to everyone.
Senior Brand Chef Daniel Scott brings his three decades of culinary refinement to the kitchen with a menu created around seasonality and ingredient-led cooking. There’s no unnecessary complexity but rather quality of produce that is sourced directly from farmers, producers and fishermen.
Group Culinary Consultant Miller Prada has collaborated to help create an imaginative menu that reflects the venue’s unique heritage and inspirations with signature dishes such as Vitello Tonato Skewers, Pissaladiere, Turbot Mountbatten and Lamb Cutlet Milanese.
Martin Williams, Chief Executive of The Evolv Collection, said:
“Quaglino’s isn’t simply a restaurant; it’s a part of London’s story. Our job was never to reinvent it, but to return it restored, alive, and every bit as glamorous as the room Giovanni Quaglino opened in 1929. When Sir Terence Conran brought Quaglino’s back in 1993, he understood that real glamour should be open to everyone. Few rooms in London carry the history that Quaglino’s does, the royalty, the music, the feeling that anything might happen after midnight. We haven’t changed what Quaglino’s is; we’ve simply reminded London why it fell for it in the first place.”
Quaglino’s, located at 16 Bury Street in St James’s is now open and taking reservations on its website: www.quaglinos-restaurant.co.uk.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is a UK-based travel and motoring journalist and editor, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photographs courtesy of Quaglino’s
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