Premier Hospitality

Alchemist Gunwharf Quays Canary Wharf

Alchemist
Written by Roma Publications

The Alchemist

PREMIER HOSPITALITY MAGAZINE spoke to Ollie Dalton of Interiors UK about their recent work on two new venues for The Alchemist; one at Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth and one at Canary Wharf, London. He said:“We are the Principal Contractor for The Alchemist, and we have been fortunate enough to be involved with their expansion over the past few years. The client and Designer have a keen eye for detail and focus on quality, as do we, so the relationship has grown from strength to strength. As with any Job, we receive designers’ drawings, from which we price the job, programme it, produce manufacture drawings and finally, fit out the unit. With these two projects running concurrently, it was great to see our team pull together to ensure both Restaurants opened on time to the standards required.”

 

Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth

Steeped in maritime history and legend, Gunwharf Quays has transformed into one of Portsmouth’s most exciting destinations for retail therapy, drinks and dining. As such, it’s the ideal home for the theatrical flourish and magical flavours of the Alchemist. Perfectly located overlooking Canalside and within strolling distance of the magnificent Spinnaker Tower, The Alchemist Gunwharf Quays offers two storeys of their unique world of theatre served delights, plus an expansive outdoor terrace right by the waterside.

Ollie commented: “When we came to Gunwharf Quays, it was an existing unit that had been stripped back to shell. We gave it two new bars; one on the ground floor and one on the first floor. With it being in a shopping centre, the difficulties here were the logistics and safety of the general public. Working together with the centre management we managed to complete this job very smoothly.”

Alchemist

Canary Wharf

“There’s thousands upon thousands of people around Canary Wharf all the time, and we were smack bang in the middle of that with The Alchemist being housed in a standalone unit,” Ollie said. “There’s a bar upstairs and a massive bar downstairs – as a whole, this one is huge with a lot of new elements that differ from other Alchemists.

“Although there are similarities between each Alchemist when it comes to materiality, there is always Brass and Copper. Each new site is completely different when it comes to design and detail, and with that comes new challenges. Canary Wharf introduced Marble Bar tops to the Scheme, which was a new one for the Alchemist and turned out great.”

Ollie Finished: “I love working for the Alchemist, I love everyone’s enthusiasm, and when it comes to handovers, they’re thankful and appreciative of the work we have put in to building their new restaurant.” Served with a dash of theatre, The Alchemist cocktails in these new venues will include the Colour Changing One made with Grey Goose Vodka, Briottet Apple, soda, citrus and The Legal One, which is a concoction of Tanqueray cardamom gin, tropical vermouth, citrus, tonic, pineapple and smoke. Alongside cocktails, The Alchemist will offer a selection of food, including tempura prawn lollipops to whipped feta with beetroot & orange wedges with dukkah nuts and spices. To follow, guests can indulge on main courses from braised beef ragu with sesame noodles, spicy kimchi & toasted coconut to a vegan cauliflower katsu curry.

Alchemist

Foundry London

Foundry London is a lighting design consultancy and bespoke product design specialist, providing lighting schemes for a range of sectors including the hospitality, residential, retail and corporate industries.

Established in 2008 as an online retailer, Foundry has grown into a specialist lighting consultancy working on projects worldwide. The company was recently involved with The Alchemist – Gunwharf Quays, providing lighting design consultancy to the project as well as bespoke product design.

Previous projects for the business include Glovers Alley in Dublin, the Prince Akatoki Hotel in London, Hakasan in Mayfair, the Rosewood Hotel in London and Andaz Liverpool Street, London.

Neale Smith, Director, commented:

“To be able to showcase the diverse lighting schemes of our talented team means everything to us – it brings us a huge sense of pride in our work and we are humbled by the reputable client base we work alongside.

“As a company we take great pride in our technical ability, creativity and keen eye for detail. These are the cornerstones required for any lighting design consultancy to be able to produce stand out lighting schemes time and time again, and something we are fortunate enough have in abundance.”

To find out more, please visit www.foundry.london.

About the author

Roma Publications