London & South East Premier Hospitality

A London legend is reborn

Bar, Quaglino’s, London, Mayfair
Written by Roma Publications

Bar, Quaglino’s, London, Mayfair

Quaglino’s, the iconic restaurant and late-night venue in the heart of London’s Mayfair St James’s, has just re-opened its doors, following a full-scale, multi-million pound renovation.

According to Quaglinos “Hollywood and literal royalty have swept down our famous staircase and it soon seemed that everyone had their own Quaglino’s story to tell – be that a pearl in an oyster or a princess sneaking in through the kitchens.”

The transformation is complemented by a contemporary European menu from new Executive Chef Mickael Weiss and a bespoke programme of curated late-night live music performances and events.

The re-launch celebrates 85 years of Quaglino’s iconic heritage; from its opening in 1929 by legendary Giovanni Quaglino – whose love of food and good company created a destination favoured by glamorous society – to Terence Conran’s celebrated remodelling in the 1990s right through to the restaurant’s present day status as one of London’s leading celebratory destinations.

Main Contractors for the project were 3 Interior Contracts; with interior design by Russell Sage Studio.

Bar, Quaglino’s, London, Mayfair

A modern interior redesign saw the restaurant’s signature sweeping staircase, balcony bar, main restaurant and mezzanine private dining rooms elegantly restored, along with the addition of a glamorous central cocktail bar and a stage for intimate live music performances. Art deco touches remain, with furniture and colour palettes alluding to the era Quaglino’s was first established.

The 240-cover restaurant features a contemporary European menu using the highest quality British ingredients. Dishes will fuse traditional European classics with exotic flavours and spices from the extended continent, such as Cheltenham beetroot with goat’s curd, winter leaves, walnuts and dried apricots, Seared hand-dived scallop with sailor’s toast, samphire and Vermouth and Smoked aubergine cannelloni, spices, roast tomato, goat’s curd gratin and shaved truffle. Feature dishes to share include Spiced Romney Marsh lamb shoulder, pousse, apricot, almond, parsley and goat’s curd.

Both bars will serve a variety of drinks referencing Quaglino’s rich 1930’s heritage, giving guests a taste of the restaurant’s iconic past with a focus on classic and champagne cocktails. A 300 bin wine list will focus on renowned European regions carefully chosen additions from the New World to provide balance, including selections from California, Chile and New Zealand.  Wines will be shown by style rather than country of origin, making the list easy to navigate.

Restaurant,  Quaglino’s, London, Mayfair

Late into the evening, the restaurant will transform into an entertainment mecca, showcasing music icons from the past and present day, renowned DJs and lounge-style live bands. Performances will be representative of the venue’s rich history. Once again Quaglino’s will become a place to see and be seen, with free entry open to the public, and late-night Friday and Saturday evenings, letting guests party into the early hours.

Des Gunewardena, CEO D&D London, who together with David Loewi Managing Director, led the buyout of Conran Restaurants in 2006, said:

“It’s remarkable to think that when Quaglino’s first opened, Londoners were dancing the charleston and King George V was on the throne. The place has history, and the re-launch is the beginning of a new chapter of fun, excitement and stories for another generation of Londoners.”

Entrance,  Quaglino’s, London, Mayfair

David Loewi said: “Quaglino’s has always been a hugely high profile and flamboyant restaurant from its inception by Giovanni Quaglino in 1929 to the present day, so this was a very exciting and important project for us. The menu reflects the elegance and glamour of Quaglino’s iconic heritage, with a range of contemporary European dishes to appeal to everyone.”

Russell Sage, owner of Russell Sage Studios, said:

“We were thrilled to have been engaged in this special project, to revisit the rich heritage of London’s Quaglino’s restaurant and breathe new life into it so that the next generation of Quaglino’s devotees can discover it’s special hospitality magic.”

Staircase,  Quaglino’s, London, Mayfair

Quaglino’s therefore continues to provide Londoners with a haven to enjoy first-class dining and unforgettable late-night experiences. The restaurant is also famed for allegedly having seen some 25,000 of its famous Q-shaped ashtrays, designed by Conran, go missing over the years.

Evoke Polished Plaster Interiors

Evoke Polished Plaster Interiors specialise in all aspects of polished plaster work, also known as Venetian plaster. The company has been in the building industry for more than 15 years; specialising in polished plaster for the last 5 years.

Evoke Polished Plaster Interiors has completed polished plaster projects for an array of high profile sites, including the Audi Mayfair Show Room, West One Bathrooms’ Mayfair Show Room, the Kazakhstan Embassy Pall Mall, Sahara Grill and Oxford University. In addition, the company has worked with many leading names, such as Bam Construction, Mount Anvil, Kingerlee Ltd and 8Build and is currently involved with Gordon Ramsay’s new restaurant in Fulham.

Working on Quaglino’s, Evoke Polished Plaster Interiors assisted in the colour selection and advised and applied polished plaster works to columns and feature walls, using the finest Italian Venetian plaster.

Private Dining Room, Quaglino’s, London, Mayfair

James Maxwell of Evoke Polished Plastering, said:

“It was important for Evoke to be involved in this project as Quaglino’s is regarded as one of the most iconic restaurants in London. Working with 3 Interior Contracts we wanted to help put the wow factor back into Quaglino’s. We used polished plaster to transform tired old columns, making them look like lumps of solid carved marble, with a stunning black feature wall as you walk down the stairs into the restaurant – you know you have walked into something very special.

“I’m very sure this restaurant is going to turn some heads. Working alongside professional contractors like 3 Interior Contracts helps to insure the job runs well and safely.”

James added:

“At evoke we pride ourselves on providing a highly professional and discreet service. Our extensive catalogue of finishes ensures that we are able to cater for all tastes from residential to commercial clients. We pay great attention to detail whilst applying these innovative surface finishes.”

Reception Fireplace,  Quaglino’s, London, Mayfair

Superior Stone Ltd

Superior Stone Ltd specialises in high end marble work for the construction industry. The company works on residential, office and commercial projects, including hotels and restaurants and has been in operation for 14 years.

Superior Stone Ltd has both the experience and equipment to produce very complex moulds and shapes in natural stone and most, if not all, the company’s business comes from recommendations or from repeat customers. Past projects include, the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane, various Pizza Expresses and the Berners Hotel.

At present Superior Stone Ltd is working on the Marriott Hotel on Park Lane, whilst recently it provided services on Quaglino’s.

Andy Thomas, Superior Stone Ltd, said:

“Quaglino’s is a long and well established name and just like with any of our customers, we are proud to be associated with this venue. Russell Sage and 3 Interiors have given us the opportunity to work on this project and we have to respect that.”

When asked what Superior Stone Ltd prides itself on, Andy commented:

“The word superior is an easy word to write, but it is a word to live up to. We try as best as we can to live up to it in service, advice and performance and we let our work do the talking.”

Restaurant,  Quaglino’s, London, Mayfair

Adept Flooring

Adept Flooring specialise in the production and installation of seamless acrylic floors and has been in operation for six years. Since their inception the firm have worked for a range of well known clients including Kings College Hospital, D & D London, St Michael’s Manor Hotel, De Vere Hotels and Grange Hotels to name a few.

Premier Hospitality caught up with Michael Faulkner, the firm’s Director, to find out more about the company’s involvement in the Quaglino’s project. He said:

“We reinstalled a brand new acrylic seamless kitchen product for the project and were on site for six days. We initially laid the floor ten years ago and so for us it was a refurbishment of an existing product. The acrylic system we use is very fast curing; curing within three hours, and so it was a quick turnaround for us on site.”

Michael commented:

“It is important for us to be involved with Quaglino’s, which is a D & D London owned venue, as D & D are a very important part of our working business. They wanted us to install the product as we install most of their floors on a lot of their other sites as well.”

Adept Flooring pride themselves on reliability and a good standard of workmanship.

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