How the cross-cultural restaurant crossover became London's coolest foodie trend

"The Manhattan-to-Mayfair aesthetics continue inside: custom watercolour stationery merges scenery from both The Big Apple and The Big Smoke, while large black-and-white photographs evoke Lana Del Rey-esque vintage Americana and Sofia Loren-esque dolce vita glamour. A towering floral centrepiece by Dante's florist dominates the room. In the midst of this quintessentially British hotel restaurant, I tuck into quintessentially 'New York' dishes, like a parmesan and chive-dusted tartare, and a juicy, hefty NY strip steak."

"The much-talked-about cross-border partnership is part of a wider movement across London's restaurant scene. The city has seen 'four hands dinners' (where two chefs join forces in one kitchen) and similar concepts over the decades, but collaborations between different culinary brands have been on the rise this year, from multi-week residencies to blink-and-you'll-miss-it, one-night affairs. West African fine dining restaurant Akoko with Cape Town's Salsify,"

Luxury hotels and independent restaurants in London are expanding partnerships with external chefs and overseas venues. Collaborations integrate guest venues' aesthetics and signature dishes into host spaces, combining design elements, floral styling and menus that reflect originating cities. Traditional four-hands dinners continue, while new formats include multi-week residencies and one-night pop-ups. Examples this summer include Claridge's presenting New York's Dante, West African fine dining Akoko pairing with Cape Town's Salsify, Covent Garden's Henri working with Marseille's Café Tuba, and Korean-inspired Sollip joining forces with Mayfair omakase Taku.

Read at CN Traveller