Having witnessed the explosion in five star hotels in London over recent years, with room rates exceeding £1,000 a night now the norm at that level rather than a jaw-dropping exception. As part of this we have witnessed the competition spilling into the sphere of the restaurants housed in these hotels, with places such as Endo at Raffles OWO and Claude Boisi’s Brooklands at The Peninsula using their respective rooftop locations to become true dining destinations in their own right.
Now the latest hotel coming along this luxury conveyor belt is the redevelopment of Admiralty Arch into a Waldorf Astoria, the luxury chain operated by Hilton and named after the eponymous and justly celebrated hotel in Manhattan. Serendipitously, that was the very hotel I holed up in for a few weeks after 9/11 as my Tribeca apartment was off-limits. I have very positive memories of it as a true sanctuary.
Hilton have now announced that Clare Smyth and Daniel Boulud will each open a new restaurant within Waldorf Astoria London when it opens. These are big names indeed and should prove something to look forward to as they hold seven Michelin stars between the two of them.
Clare Smyth is already well known in London, where the Northern Irish chef was for many years head chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay before opening the now-legendary Core in Notting Hill, where she became the first British female head chef to be awarded three Michelin stars at her own restaurant.
Daniel Boulud is certainly more prolific, with the one time Lyonnaise trainee having evolved into not only one of the most famous chefs in New York, but also arguably its most prolifically successful restauranteur, with venues such as Daniel, Le Pavillon, Le Gratin, Café Boulud, Maison Boulud, Joji, and Joji Box, db bistro, Bar Boulud, and Boulud Sud.
Two very different chefs but with two very big reputations. Will be interesting to see what they come up with!
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