The newly opened Chancery Rosewood hotel occupies an Eero Saarinen-designed midcentury monolith on London's Grosvenor Square that used to be the US Embassy, before the diplomats decamped to Nine Elms. It’s only fitting, then, that the Grade II-listed structure, restored by David Chipperfield, is now home to one of America’s most illustrious restaurants.
The original Carbone in Greenwich Village, named after its co-founder chef Mario Carbone, is as famous for its New York Italian food as a clientele that has included Leonardo DiCaprio, Rihanna, Jay-Z and Barack Obama (to say nothing of a pop-up at the Miami Grand Prix where the price tag was $3,000 per person). This London outpost marks the brand’s first expansion into Europe.
Wallpaper* dines at Carbone, London
The mood: a bite of the big apple
US designer Ken Fulk’s interiors capture the swagger of Frank Sinatra-era glamour and Rat Pack sophistication. ‘When we came to London,’ Fulk told Wallpaper*, ‘it was apparent that what we wanted to convey here is the true DNA of the original Carbone on Thompson Street in New York. The essence of Carbone is the tradition of Italian-American cuisine and its heyday in an era of post-war optimism that led to some of the most legendary dining experiences in the US.’
The space unfolds dramatically across two levels, beginning with signature Carbone blue panelling and marble mosaics at street level. A hand-painted mural guides guests downstairs to the showstopping dining room, where ebonised mahogany marquetry, burgundy billiard cloth ceilings and Campari-red velvet banquettes create an atmosphere of luxurious opulence. Italian Ciambella lighting illuminates red and white marble floors, while damask from the archives of British fabric house Watts 1874 adds to the theatrical ambience.
Then there’s the MoMA-level art – from Ai Weiwei, Julian Schnabel and Francesco Clemente, to name but three – and the entertainment, too, with an old-school band playing on the stage. ‘From the beginning,’ Fulk explains, ‘we drew inspiration from the theatricality of supper clubs from Harlem to Hollywood – places like El Morocco, The Stork and the Copacabana.’
The service is as theatrical as the surroundings: look out for waiters in burgundy tuxedos designed by Zac Posen, preparing Caesar salads tableside on custom-made guéridons.
The food: classics with chutzpah
Pasta table
Carbone’s philosophy is to emphasise the guest, not the chef – each gigantic menu carries the motto ‘a piacere’, or ‘as you like it’ – so expect a crowd-pleasing line-up of everyone’s favourite Italian-American classics, elevated through top-quality ingredients and executed with eye-catching panache.
Caesar salad
Signature dishes include rigatoni vodka, creamy and spicy, and veal chop Parmesan served on the bone, while Caesar salad isn’t the only dish to get the tableside treatment: Dover sole piccata and banana flambé are both finished in front of guests, while waitstaff weave through the dining room with giant trays of desserts balanced on their shoulders.
Italy leads the 10,000-strong wine cellar, though the glitzy Mayfair location is an equal inspiration, with an emphasis on prestigious producers from Tuscany and Piedmont as well as Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Napa. To really get into the NYC spirit, it has to be a cocktail; the martinis and Manhattans are knockout. Don’t get too messy, though: the dress code states ‘any guest who does not appear sufficiently well-presented may be refused entry’. Or presumably shown the exit.
Dessert tray
Carbone London is located at The Chancery Rosewood, 30 Grosvenor Square, London W1K, UK.
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