Platform One
Recently, I got talking to a London-based hospitality business owner and he told me something interesting. For years, he said, he would take staff on trips to New York to identify and research the cutting-edge hospitality trends; now, he stays in London.
Which seems instructive to me: London’s food scene is no longer led by the likes of New York, Paris and Tokyo. In fact, it now leads others.
As such, things change quickly and predicting the next trends to make it big — whether that’s a dish, cuisine or tabletop item — can be a hazardous business. I’m going to give it a go anyway — here are five of the best hospitality trends in London.
Immersive Dining
We have talked a lot before about the importance of taking a holistic approach to hospitality; the significance of ‘gastrophysics’ and maximising the seemingly minor details. Immersive dining, which tends to be interactive and use multi-sensory techniques, seems a natural extension of this and a development that should be welcomed.
Immersive dining tends to fall into one of two varieties: themed and gastrophysical. Themed tends to be less formal and more interactive, perhaps using actors or creating a menu around a certain film or band to evoke a sense of theatre; while gastrophysical immersive events often uses aural and visual aids to accompany dishes, in order to play sensorial tricks.
Chef Jozef Youssuf, a longtime collaborator of gastrophysicist Charles Spence, is a master of the latter and has hosted a few acclaimed pop-ups in 2017. Gingerline specialise in the former, with recent events inviting diners to forage for their own starters and dive for cocktails among mermaids – brilliantly bizarre.
Patterned Plates
Heirloom Restaurant
So long, white plates, you’ve had it all your own way for a few years now but no more! Coloured plates and pastel-shaded plates have been in vogue in London for a couple of years now, but now there is a new contender to threaten the ubiquity of the white variety – the patterned plate.
I’ve noticed these more and more over the last few months and there were a fair few on display at the launch of Goodfellows’ recent Autumn portfolio launch. I like them, especially as they can be themed according to season and branded with the insignia of the restaurant.
Nikkei Cuisine
Speaking of Goodfellows, it was interesting to note that in their recent catalogue they had asked Daniel Watkins to develop dishes with a Nikkei-style twist — with predictably mesmeric results, it must be said.
Nikkei, a fresh, citrusy marriage of Peruvian and Japanese ingredients and cooking styles, is not yet prevalent in London but popular eateries such as Soho’s Chotto Matte and Heron Tower’s Sushisamba have laid the groundwork for more to come over the coming months and years.
‘Testaurants’
Opening a restaurants is a risky business, especially somewhere as competitive as London. Most fail and even those that do survive face the prospect of being eclipsed by a young pretender further down the line.
And I guess this is why “testaurants” have started to emerge; those without a fixed concept or menu. Platform1 in South East London changes chef every month or so; Carousel hosts short-term chef residencies.
Beyond the “permanent pop-ups” we are also seeing Michelin-level chefs open interactive test kitchens in the capital. Aulis, Simon Rogan’s test kitchen, offers diners the chance to sample experimental creations ahead of the upcoming launch of Roganic; while at Test Kitchen, Adam Simmonds’ new Soho spot, guests are invited to give feedback on dishes to help fine-tune them.
Instagrammable Design
Far from merely reflecting London’s culinary culture, Instagram is now shaping it, too. There was a fantastic article recently in the Financial Times which examined this idea further, using Bob Bob Ricard’s “Push for Prosecco” button as an example of how restaurateurs are — instinctively or not — stitching shareable moments into the dining experience. Whether that be through a provocatively-named dish or a witty A-Board sign outside.
I’ve noticed this myself, particularly in celeb-courting hotspots such as Sketch, where the pink lavatories draw in the crowds as much as anything dreamed up by Pierre Gagnaire in the kitchen.
The trend makes sense: why pay for PR when your customers can do it for you?
By Isaac Parham
