London & South East

Hutong at The Shard

Hutong at the Shard

Benefiting from panoramic views over London’s skyline and designed by hugely successful restaurateur David Yeo, Hutong is a brand new restaurant situated in The Shard.

The 130-cover restaurant is located on level 33 of the iconic building and serves up the diverse cuisine of Northern China.

Based upon the well received and much loved Hong Kong restaurant of the same name, London’s Hutong is the first overseas restaurant for the aqua Restaurant Group. The restaurant includes an innovative menu that has been developed by Yuan Shihai – aqua Restaurant Group’s head chef for Chinese cuisine – and takes its inspiration from the Lu School which has its roots in the province of Shandong.

The menu at Hutong includes a fantastic array of dishes, from Crispy deboned Lamb and Red Lantern crispy soft shell crab with Sichuan dried peppers, to Kung Po wok fried prawns with cashew nuts and chilli. Hutong is open for lunch and dinner and is also available for guests wanting late night drinks.

Hutong includes private dining rooms which are available for parties and events, whilst a spectacular three-storey high atrium bar links to the aqua shard on level 31 of The Shard. The aqua shard is a 220-cover restaurant and includes a menu devised by David Yeo and executive chef Anthony Garlando.

WFC Contractors was the main contractor on Hutong, whilst S&Y Architects provided architectural services on the project. As one of Britain’s most successful fit-out specialists, WFC has over 30 years’ experience in providing high quality services delivered for clients within the UK leisure industry.

Commenting on their involvement with Hutong, WFC Contractors Managing Director, Steve Howle, said:

“We were delighted to be involved with Hutong. The Shard is a very prominent building in London and the aqua Restaurant Group is a great client to work with. We look forward to working with the group as their contractor of choice on future projects, building a long term working relationship that sees both companies continue to grow.

“We conducted a £4.5 million fit-out within 12 weeks. Everyone told us that it would be impossible to do, but the WFC team worked day and night to prove everyone that it could be done. The delivery team was headed up by Nick Moffat and run on site by Jim Swain.”

Steve added:

“The project ran smoothly, however due to the site’s location within The Shard we did encounter a number of challenges.

“Access was the most obvious issue, so to work around this we employed a full-time logistics manager who, on a daily basis, would organise a team of labourers to bring all the materials to the 33rd floor. Meanwhile, deliveries to the site were pre-arranged and booked into 30 minute slots. Whatever we could not unload within this 30 minute timeframe had to be held off until the next delivery. Good communication was critical.”

Hutong takes design inspiration from the fast-disappearing hutongs (narrow lanes) of Beijing, which criss-cross the city. The restaurant is decked out in billowing silk curtains and traditional Chinese red lanterns, whilst hand-carved panels cover the dining area.

A noticeable design element within Hutong’s is a feature wall made of vintage tea canisters and tea brick tiles. The tea canisters date back to the 1940s and celebrate the link between China and London’s tea warehouses, whilst the tea brick tiles were created by compressing dried Chinese tea into bricks.

Bespoke china plates and tableware were made exclusively for Hutong, whilst all the furniture within the restaurant was shipped directly from China and installed on site.

To make a booking at Hutong, please visit: www.aquahutong.co.uk.

In the spotlight: David Yeo

David Yeo is one of Hong Kong’s most successful restaurateurs. Having trained and practiced as a successful lawyer, David opened a simple 60-cover restaurant in 2000, launching his second career and he’s never looked back.

As the founder and managing director of aqua Restaurant Group, David has successfully launched more than 17 high-end restaurants in Hong Kong, including Aqua and Hutong. In 2009, David made is first foray into the UK restaurant scene, opening two restaurants and a bar.

David’s philosophy is shaped by his precise attention to detail and it’s this aspect of his character which allows him to focus on creating a dining experience which fuses fantastic interior design with a high standard of cuisine. Working with his chefs, a respect for quality ingredients and provenance lies at the heart of any menu that David designs.

David said:

“You cannot cook good food without decent produce and ingredients. If we respect the produce and the ingredients, then why not let their natural texture, taste and flavours speak for themselves? Our job is to tease out the best from them, not make them into something they are not.”

This multi-faceted approach to creating restaurants has led to the success of Aqua Restaurant Group’s ventures, such as aqua in Hong Kong, Bejing and London, as well as Hutong in Hong Kong. Both Aqua and Hutong were named as one of the world’s 100 hottest tables by Condé Nast Traveller. Hutong was awarded a Michelin-star in 2008, as was the St George restaurant at Hullet House in 2011 (Hong Kong’s only heritage hotel, which launched in 2009).

PA Schofield Ltd

PA Schofield Ltd has provided high end decorating services to the leisure, retail, restaurant & licensed industries for over 20 years and is still going strong, completing all projects on time to its clients’ satisfaction.

PA Schofield Ltd work with many high profile clients, including Gala Group Bingo-Casino, Pizza Express, Wagamama, Byron Hamburgers, Zizzi Restaurants and Virgin Kensington Rooftop Gardens, plus many, many more.

PAS Ltd has an excellent working relationship with all its clients, either working direct or through principle main contractors. Decorating works at Hutong at the Shard, were completed yet again on time and to the client’s satisfaction.

PA Schofield Ltd Managing Director, Paul Schofield said:

“It’s very important for PA Schofield Ltd to be involved with such high profile sites as Hutong, working on the restaurants on the 31st and 33rd floors of The Shard. I wish them every success in the future.”

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Roma Publications