Congratulations!

JJ and James have now opened for business. We had a terrific party at The London Cocktail Club on Goodge Street. (To find it, look for Alan D hairdressers, and descend the metal staircase.) Many Bellinis (garnished with a fragrant sprig of thyme) were consumed, and I think even more Mojitos (with an even more fragrant sprig of mint). There were delicious Scotch eggs, with a still soft yolk, and a hit of pickle, and incredible, juicy lamb koftas with a cucumber and yoghurt dip; trays of other canapés, both hot and cold; freshly popped, buttery popcorn, and huge olives. My chefs Adam and Kush were helping out in the kitchen, my partners David and Sarah were there too, while James and JJ received congratulations from the ever-changing swarms of guests, who filled the place. Nearly all of them commented (favourably) on the décor, on the cocktails and on the excellent food. A huge thank you to everyone from my team who was there to help out and celebrate the great evening.

And congratulations to another alumnus of LMQS: Heston Blumenthal, who has opened his most ambitious project yet: Dinner is the name of his restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. The splendid room by Adam Tihany takes full advantage of its Hyde Park location, with long windows looking over the park, and the glassed-in kitchen is the best of its kind­ and the most revealing, as you can see nearly the entire large area. Also there is an enormous clockwork feature: it is turning the spits on which pineapples roast in front of a fire, to make Heston¹s Tipsy Pudding with Grilled Pineapple. Fantastic. I¹m looking forward to actually eating there on Monday!