Right here’s what to order (and admire) at Carbone London

The newly opened Chancery Rosewood resort occupies an Eero Saarinen-designed midcentury monolith on London’s Grosvenor Sq. that was the US Embassy, earlier than the diplomats decamped to 9 Elms. It’s solely becoming, then, that the Grade II-listed construction, restored by David Chipperfield, is now dwelling to one in all America’s most illustrious eating places.

The unique Carbone in Greenwich Village, named after its co-founder chef Mario Carbone, is as well-known for its New York Italian meals as a clientele that has included Leonardo DiCaprio, Rihanna, Jay-Z and Barack Obama (to say nothing of a pop-up on the Miami Grand Prix the place the worth tag was $3,000 per particular person). This London outpost marks the model’s first enlargement into Europe.

Wallpaper* dines at Carbone, London

The temper: a chunk of the large apple

US designer Ken Fulk’s interiors seize the swagger of Frank Sinatra-era glamour and Rat Pack sophistication. ‘Once we got here to London,’ Fulk advised Wallpaper*, ‘it was obvious that what we needed to convey right here is the true DNA of the unique Carbone on Thompson Avenue in New York. The essence of Carbone is the custom of Italian-American delicacies and its heyday in an period of post-war optimism that led to among the most legendary eating experiences within the US.’

The area unfolds dramatically throughout two ranges, starting with signature Carbone blue panelling and marble mosaics at road degree. A hand-painted mural guides friends downstairs to the showstopping eating room, the place ebonised mahogany marquetry, burgundy billiard fabric ceilings and Campari-red velvet banquettes create an environment of luxurious opulence. Italian Ciambella lighting illuminates crimson and white marble flooring, whereas damask from the archives of British cloth home Watts 1874 provides to the theatrical atmosphere.

Then there’s the MoMA-level artwork – from Ai Weiwei, Julian Schnabel and Francesco Clemente, to call however three – and the leisure, too, with an old-school band enjoying on the stage. ‘From the start,’ Fulk explains, ‘we drew inspiration from the theatricality of supper golf equipment from Harlem to Hollywood – locations like El Morocco, The Stork and the Copacabana.’

The service is as theatrical as the environment: look out for waiters in burgundy tuxedos designed by Zac Posen, getting ready Caesar salads tableside on custom-made guéridons.

The meals: classics with chutzpah

Carbone’s philosophy is to stress the visitor, not the chef – every gigantic menu carries the motto ‘a piacere’, or ‘as you prefer it’ – so anticipate a crowd-pleasing line-up of everybody’s favorite Italian-American classics, elevated by way of top-quality substances and executed with eye-catching panache.

Signature dishes embody rigatoni vodka, creamy and spicy, and veal chop Parmesan served on the bone, whereas Caesar salad isn’t the one dish to get the tableside therapy: Dover sole piccata and banana flambé are each completed in entrance of friends, whereas waitstaff weave by way of the eating room with big trays of desserts balanced on their shoulders.

Italy leads the ten,000-strong wine cellar, although the glitzy Mayfair location is an equal inspiration, with an emphasis on prestigious producers from Tuscany and Piedmont in addition to Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Napa. To actually get into the NYC spirit, it must be a cocktail; the martinis and Manhattans are knockout. Don’t get too messy, although: the gown code states ‘any visitor who doesn’t seem sufficiently well-presented could also be refused entry’. Or presumably proven the exit.

Carbone London is situated at The Chancery Rosewood, 30 Grosvenor Sq., London W1K, UK.