London & South East

Cocoa creation

 Rabot 1745- Borough Market in London

Overlooking Borough Market in London, Rabot 1745 is a unique three storey, one-stop eatery from Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris, the founders of Hotel Chocolat.

Rabot 1745 opened in November 2013 and with a café, chocolate shop and fine dining restaurant, the venue offers up the ultimate chocolate experience!

As a truly exciting destination for curious chocoholics and food lovers alike, Rabot 1745 presents an innovative menu from Chef Jon Bentham, with dishes influenced by both the West Indies and Britain. Signature dishes include, Carpaccio Rabot, a rare seared beef fillet infused with Borough-roasted cacao; and Magnificent Piton, a soft meringue peak surrounded by a sea of Borough Market-made chocolate, banana and flaked almonds.

Rabot 1745- Borough Market in London

Angus Thirlwell, CEO and Co-founder of Rabot Estate and Hotel Chocolat, commented:

“As London’s most renowned and oldest food market, Borough Market was the natural choice for Rabot 1745 as it champions the grower and sustainable food. We want to reconnect the world of cocoa growing with that of fine chocolate, and now, cocoa cuisine.

“Cocoa is incredibly versatile with deep, rich notes. It creates striking flavour harmonies with all sorts of other ingredients you just wouldn’t expect. We want to encourage people to be adventurous and try cocoa with a different twist.

Rabot 1745- Borough Market in London

“Our working cocoa plantation dates back to 1745. We’re immensely proud that over 250 years later we are able to bring some of the world’s rarest, most sought after cocoa beans from plantation to plate.”

Design work on Rabot 1745 began in summer 2013, with construction work taking place in September. QSF was the main contractor on the project, whilst Terry Moore Design was the interior design consultant. Terry Moore Design specialise in creating contemporary, crafted environments for retail, hospitality and residential clients, and have a longstanding working relationship with Hotel Chocolat.

Speaking to Premier Hospitality, Terry Moore Design Company Owner, Terry Moore, said:

“We have worked with our client since 2004, so to be involved with this project is very exciting. We have completed a lot of projects with Hotel Chocolat, including their hotel in Saint Lucia. This project has enabled us to work on a very unique venture and it was a learning curve for everyone.”

Rabot 1745- Borough Market in London

Terry added:

“Rabot 1745 was installed into an empty office space, so when work began on the project we were effectively given a blank shell with which to work from. We had a good contractor on the project in QSF and there was a very good co-operative spirit amongst the team.”

Rabot 1745 is split across three levels, with a central kitchen located within the basement level, a café and shop on the ground floor, and a 60-cover fine dining restaurant located on the first floor. To enhance the experience, a 60-cover terrace is due to open in 2014.

The ground floor of the site is very much influenced by the production of cocoa beans, so the design has a slight rustic, agricultural feel to it. The design incorporates a lot of stainless steel, for the more theatrical elements of the site, whilst furniture has been made from iron wood, sourced from hurricane-felled trees, transported from Hotel Chocolat’s cocoa estate in Saint Lucia. Specially commissioned sculptures, including a window screen influenced by cocoa pods, are also present.

Rabot 1745- Borough Market in London

Terry commented:

“Rabot 1745 is as much an educational experience as it is about the cuisine. Some people do not understand how cocoa is made, so at Rabot 1745 they will be able to understand the whole process, from bean to bar!”

As well as a tempting array of dishes, Rabot 1745 also presents a vast array of cocktails and rums, including the Cocoa Gin Martini, a rather refreshing beverage made from gin, orange, spicy cocoa, macadamia nut and orange zest.

Rabot 1745’s restaurant is open Monday to Friday for breakfast, lunch and dinner and on weekends for brunch and dinner. The café is open every day between 7:30am and 5:30pm.

For more information about Rabot 1745, please visit: www.hotelchocolat.com.

Rabot 1745- Borough Market in London

Leech Group Services

Leech Group Services is a multi-disciplined company specialising in ventilation and air conditioning, alongside electrical and gas works. The company focuses on the hospitality and leisure sector, completing works for restaurants, hotels, pubs and clubs.

For more than 20 years Leech Group Services has been working on many prestigious projects, with clients including Pizza Express, Zizzi, ASK, Coya, Wagamama and West Ham United, amongst others. Leech Group Services is currently working on a new project called Spice Bazaar and most recently completed works on Rabot 1745.

For Rabot 1745, Leech Group Services provided kitchen ventilation, air conditioning, internal restaurant ventilation and all wiring on the project.

Rabot 1745- Borough Market in London

Leech Group Services Projects Manager, Richard Russell, said:

“Rabot 1745 is a very different type of concept and we were pleased to be a part of this project.”

Richard added:

“It is important for us to be working on a variety of projects; we have a good list of clients that we work with but we are always looking to expand and move forward with the business. At Leech Group Services we are most proud of our ability to deliver on budget, with little fuss, and on time.”

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Roma Publications