Global hospitality collective Experimental Group is partnering with acclaimed chef Ollie Dabbous to open a new destination restaurant in the much-anticipated Henrietta Hotel in early 2017 – Henrietta. Located in the heart of Covent Garden, the intimate 18-room hotel will open its doors as the sister hotel to the group’s Grand Pigalle in Paris and has been expertly designed by Dorothée Meilichzon.
Henrietta is a product of a collaboration between the founders of the Experimental Group, who are behind the renowned Experimental Cocktail Club and Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels, and Michelin star chef Ollie Dabbous.
With 17 cocktail bars, restaurants, wine bars and now hotels across Paris, New York, Ibiza and London, Experimental Group – founded by childhood friends Romée de Goriainoff, Pierre-Charles Cros and Olivier Bon, and joined by Xavier Padovani in 2010 – has changed the face of Parisian hospitality and they are now setting their sights further afield.
On the collaboration Xavier Padovani of the Experimental Group claims: ‘We are thrilled to be partnering with Ollie on the restaurant for our first London hotel. He is leading the way in London gastronomy, and we have come to know him well, so this is a perfect fit for us’.
Ollie is regarded as one of the UK’s most in-demand chefs and was propelled into thelimelight alongside the success of his first solo venture, the Michelin-starred Dabbous in London’s Fitzrovia. He has since opened a second restaurant in the capital, Barnyard, and is the author of Dabbous: The Cookbook.
The new 80-cover restaurant will be situated across the ground and first floors of the hotel, and will feature a simple and seasonal, ingredient-led menu, with a subtle nod to France. Alongside the food offering, drinks historians and cocktail specialists Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller will be curating the drinks menu, featuring freshly sourced ingredients from around the UK.
Dabbous’ perfection in simplicity combined with the unique flair from the Experimental Group is sure to set this new establishment apart in the ever-changing London food scene.