London’s second Mandarin Oriental, in Mayfair, is following the pattern set by the Knightsbridge original: open a flashy kitchen, and fill it with a big-name chef. Whereas back in 2019 the SW1 opening went for Heston Blumenthal, the new Hanover Square offering has bought in Akira Back. Though perhaps not yet widely known in the UK, Korean-born but Colarado-raised Back operates 28 sites internationally — in Las Vegas, Dubai, Paris and hometown Seoul, among other places — and has more cities on his hit list (Rome and Florence among them). A busy man; for now, though, his full attention is on London, where his eponymous, 148-cover restaurant has opened offering fine-dining modern Japanese. Those who know Back from abroad will recongise his signature AB Tuna Pizza on the menu and his Perfect Storm sushi rolls, but we get our own dishes too, with the likes of Dynamite Lobster, where pickled shimeji and micro coriander are added, and “Highland Wagyu” striploin steak (we call it sirloin) with yuzu kosho jus both exclusive to London. ABar Lounge — fond of his initials, this man — and a small Korean chef’s table, Dosa, will follow later in the year, the former with DJs playing on the weekends, and the second rather calmer.
New Restaurants in London this June, from Jackson Boxer to Akira Back
