‘It is the intangible magic that grows out of a series of intellectual, practical decisions.’ No we’re not describing the perfect plate of steak and chips – this was one of the loftier soundbites on the importance of design excellence that emerged when a group of aesthetes came together in London this week for the inaugural Restaurant and Bar Design awards (click here to see a splendid self-congratulatory round-up of the judges involved). Although the top prize went to out-of-town eaterie the Olde Bell Inn in Hurley, a handful of city establishments won plaudits including Sake No Hana and Bob Bob Ricard.
Le Gavroche picked up a gong for Best Bathroom Design which brings us neatly to its owner Michel Roux Junior who’s also in the headlines this week for his plans to open a new fine-dining establishment in town. According to reports, Roux has signed a 10-year deal with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors whose headquarters at 12 Great George Street (pictured here) are in a splendid location just across from Westminster. The restaurant is scheduled to open in September with 2008 Roux Scholarship winner Daniel Cox as head chef.
Other foodie nuggets we gleaned this week:
- You should never mess with people’s childhood memories as one sweet manufacturer found out
- It is possible to turn a love for eating out into first a foodie blog and then into a great book that the critics enjoy
- That the rise in popularity for cake baking classes is in inverse proportion to how our economy is performing
- You can be an internationally-renowned domestic goddess and still have picky ungrateful children who prefer ready meals
