Indian hotel group Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts has changed its mind on what it will call its new restaurant on the site of Claude Bosi’s former restaurant Hibiscus in London’s Mayfair.
It was previously reported that the new restaurant on Maddox Street, which Bosi closed in October last year, would be operate under the name Dabbawala, but the new owners have now switched to Bombay Bustle, with an opening set for next month.
Mumbai-based Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts opened its first international outpost - Jamavar - on nearby Mount Street in November last year.
The company secured the former Hibiscus site through Restaurant Property with a rent of £185,000 per year with a premium of £1m.
Samyukta Nair and Rohit Ghai, co-founder and executive chef of the Michelin-starred Jamavar, said the new venture would Inspired by the Dabbawalas, the institution of men who use Mumbai’s famed local railway to deliver home cooked meals across the city.
They said that Bombay Bustle will “pay homage to the culture and people, whose expanse of origins from across India have influenced its culinary history”.
Ghai said: “Mumbai is a city built on traditions, filled by an endless influx of dreamers, working professionals, and those seeking their fame and fortune; a true melting pot. In one moment you can be in old world Bombay and the turn of a street corner will thrust you into an urban amalgamation. In this complex, bustling metropolis, the Dabbawalas are a constant, bridging the distance between work and home, between different cultures and diverse regional cuisines, with their near-clockwork precision, and we hope to bring the same ethos to London.”
Nair said: “Bombay Bustle will capture the essence of Mumbai, our love of home comforts alongside our rapid pace of life, both existing side by side. The restaurant will be a place just as well suited to a leisurely dinner with friends as a quick lunch for one, always inspired by Mumbai’s diverse flavours, and home style cooking.”
