The vaunted Chancery Rosewood hotel in the former US Embassy in Mayfair is now on a soft opening ahead of its formal launch on September 1st – without the promised revival of Richard Caring’s flagship restaurant Le Caprice.
Following a seven-year conversion that reputedly cost £1 billion, the 144-suite hotel has unveiled its initial eating and drinking offer of three restaurants, a deli/cafe and rooftop bar. They are:
Tobi Masa from New York-based Japanese sushi maestro Masa Takayama, whose short-lived Harrods outlet closed earlier this month.
Serra, billed as ‘a lively celebration of Southern Mediterranean cuisine’ under Alex Povall, formerly executive chef at Berenjak in Soho and of Angela Hartnett’s Murano.
Jacqueline, a ‘refined tearoom’ open from morning to evening for indulgent treats from pâtissier Marius Dufay.
GSQ, a ‘stopping off’ place for coffee, light lunch or the aperativo hour, with an outdoor terrace.
The Eagle Bar, is an indoor and outdoor rooftop lair in the shadow of the 11-metre wingspan of the gilded eagle that overlooks Grosvenor Square.
Another three venues will follow, including a branch of NYC’s celeb-magnet Carbone, which offers an upscale take on classic Italian-American dishes. Expected to open in mid-September, it has a spacious dining room in the basement as well as a bar and terrace at ground level.
A revival of Le Caprice was billed for the starting line-up as recently as June, but has apparently been dropped over the summer without explanation from either the hotel or Richard Caring. The original restaurant closed down at its former address behind The Ritz five years ago, but Caring retained the name and his main restaurant group is called Caprice Holdings. Former owner Jeremy King took over the lease on the original site and relaunched it as Arlington Street last year.
