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dining Akira Back restaurant, half of which is located under a triple-height, glass-roofed atrium and the rest within a more intimate space, alongside three private dining rooms. Back, a professional snowboarder turned
chef, is also responsible for Dosa, a concept that originated in Seoul, South Korea, which earned a Michelin star. Dosa features just 14 seats in a counter-style setting overlooking an open kitchen and serves contemporary Korean dishes within a theatrical culinary experience. The Seoul outlet is now closed to enable Back to concentrate on the London version. Also on this level is ABar Lounge, a cocktail bar where live DJs perform at night, while the ABar Rooftop on the 10th level overlooking the Mayfair skyline serves a light menu and Asian-inspired cocktails. David Nicholls, group director of food and beverage at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, says Back’s style and culinary vision is “a great new addition” to the London food scene, hav- ing considered a number of other different con- cepts to introduce to the hotel. “Local and global trends and dining hab-
its are constantly changing and we wanted to make sure we are bringing something new and exciting to a crowded market. Chef Akira Back’s Japanese-Korean food style is really popular among locals and tourists, while still being unique, so we felt his concept fitted well with our target audi- ence.”
Dishes at Akira
Back will include AB tuna pizza (umami aioli, shiso and truffle oil), turbot 52 (white asparagus and sake beurre blanc) and Highland wagyu striploin 88 (yuzu kosjo bordelaise). While Back oversees a global portfolio
of restaurants in 18 cities, including six in the US, as well as working toward opening 11 more outlets across a further nine locations, Nicholls is confident Back will take a domi- nant role in the London restaurants. “While it is part of all our third-party agreements that the chef must be an active participant in the running of the restaurant, this is also chef Akira’s UK debut and we know he is passionate in leading and being as present within the restaurants and bars as much as possible,” he says. Besides the food and beverage outlets, the
only other public space in the hotel is the spa. Here, a darker palette intends to invoke relaxation, with the 25m pool – allowing for serious lap swimming – graduating in colour from black to amber. Two treatment room are available for guests and outside users with
16 | The Caterer | July 2024
Akira Back restaurant and the chef himself (inset)
bespoke treatments using essen- tial
oils
from Man- darin Orien-
tal’s own range created by Aro- matherapy Asso- ciates. Meanwhile, a 120 sq m fitness suite, an impressive size for a
50-bedroom hotel, offers, among
other facilities, Normatec, a massage tech- nique used by elite athletes to improve recov- ery and performance. The bedrooms have more of a British vibe, unsurprising given their interior design has been undertaken by home-grown com- pany Studio Indigo, best known for its work for upmarket residences across the UK and luxury yachts. Hence, a great understanding of using space to the best advantage means that every elegantly designed room, from the 33 sq m deluxe room up to the 141 sq m May- fair suite, feels spacious. Artwork has been eschewed in place of
House of Gournay hand-painted silk wallpa- per featuring a flowering magnolia design, with a blue version in the bedrooms and maroon in the suites where, on closer inspec- tion, some of the flowers on the wallpaper in the signature suites have been highlighted in handstitched embroidery. Bathroom ameni-
“Committing to a third hotel clearly shows how much Mandarin Oriental believes in London as a
destination” Susanne Hatje, general manager
ties in both bedrooms and suites by Natura Bissé are provided in full-sized containers to help the hotel achieve its commitment to opening without single-use plastic.
Welcoming the US leisure market Key to the success of the hotel, which is pre- dominately be aimed at the leisure market with more than 40% of guests coming from the US, is the creation of the strong service cul- ture on which Mandarin Oriental prides itself. As a result, in order to ensure a strong foun- dation for the team, a number of the manage- rial positions have been filled by staff from the
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