With what thought has HOM come to London? It was re-invented in Delhi recently, as it was always an iconic brand for Chinese cuisine in the city. So, what were your thoughts?
With the relaunch of House of Ming in Delhi and the extraordinary success of this iconic restaurant over the years, we saw this great opportunity to bring the HOM brand to the UK. House of Ming is one of the most loved restaurants of ours and has an emotional connect with many Taj guests and diners over decades.
IHCL continues to expand its F&B offerings taking some of its iconic restaurant brands to new geographies. As an example of such brand expansion, you can see that The Bombay Brasserie is in London, in the Taj Hotel in Cape Town, and in Taj Dubai at the same time. House of Ming has also recently launched in Taj Lakefront Bhopal.
How similar or different is it from the Delhi experience?
House of Ming London keeps to 40% of the offerings from its Delhi sister restaurant and the rest of the offerings are based on deep research on the London food scene and Chinese restaurants offering authentic Chinese cuisine. With the speciality on Sichuan and Cantonese food offerings like the flaming duck, Peking tofu, Efu noddle or steamed turbot are specialities that you can find only in HOM London.
As a take-off from the last question, how much have you curated the cuisine, the decor, the overall ambience from Delhi?
House of Ming in London has its own personality and looks, it is a very intimate space with stunning interiors, conceptualised by Atelier Wren, award winning UK interior designers, it has a very sophisticated ambience. The food has an authentic take on Sichuan and Cantonese food.
Why Chinese, I might want to ask? Is that a much sought after cuisine in the city?
Diners in London love food from all over the world and our hotel already has 3 restaurants – the Quilon, South coastal Indian cuisine with a Michelin star, TH@51 which offers an amalgamation of world foods, and Kona which offers the most imaginative afternoon teas. Having a second speciality restaurant such as HOM makes the F&B offering even more attractive and complete.
Where does HOM figure among Chinese outlets in London? London as a city would have a high standard of stand-alone restaurants as well. Where would you position HOM?
The restaurant position is set on the authenticity of its food and the beautiful settings, with very exciting cocktails and exclusive teas and the most desirable foods from Sichuan and Canton and warm and sincere service. We believe we have created a niche in this market in the city.
In the big cities, like London, most often hotel guests do not always eat within the same hotel. In Delhi, they tend to do that. What is your experience at St. James? And are you seeking local clientele as well, apart from the hotel staying guests?
Absolutely, the restaurant is set to welcome an equal number of in-house guests from our two hotels Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences and St James’s Court A Taj Hotel and local residences as well as those coming from further afield to experience this unique restaurant offerings.
Now that you are open, what has been the initial response?
The response has been brilliant, and we are super excited to see the feedback from diners complimenting the food, or choice of wines and all the offerings, while mentioning the friendly service and beautiful ambience.
In terms of price points, what would be a standard meal cost? Is it on par with your other outlets or higher, as an experience?
The price has been set at a very comfortable price point and a la par with similar restaurants of its class. Offering great value set menus for lunch, an extensive vegetarian and non-vegetarian a la carte menu and offering the Imperial Menu for an extraordinary feast to the senses with a set 17 course menu. Diners will find the restaurant to be reasonable at London prices, especially when weighing the overall experience.
Diners in London love food from all over the world and our hotel already has 3 restaurants – the Quilon, South coastal Indian cuisine with a Michelin star, TH@51 which offers an amalgamation of world foods, and Kona which offers the most imaginative afternoon teas. Having a second speciality restaurant such as HOM makes the F&B offering even more attractive and complete.
