The Middle East’s restaurant and lounge group Caramel is opening its first site in the UK, featuring cocktails created by drinks specialist Bryan Pietersen.
The 120-cover contemporary American restaurant and lounge, called Caramel, is due to be launched in Brompton Road in Knightsbridge on April 9 in the former site of La Brasserie.
It is the first location outside of the Middle East for the group which operates Caramel in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in UAE and in Muscat in Oman.
The signature cocktails and an extensive spirit list have been put together by Bryan Pietersen who is one of the owners of leading London cocktail bar Purl and a former co-founder of consultancy Fluid Movement.
His cocktails include the Brompton Garden made with Bombay Sapphire gin infused with orange, British aperitif Kamm & Sons, lime juice and The London Essence Co Bitter Orange & Elderflower Tonic, while his Sweet Habibi uses Bacardí Carta Blanca rum infused with basil plus maraschino liqueur, lime juice and elderflower.
A wide-ranging wine list has been designed by Caramel’s general manager Edgar Lagassi and wine expert Christopher Cooper, with a list ranging from the New World to Europe.
The food, available from breakfast through to lunch and dinner, has been created by chef Sunil Vaz, with dishes such as TNT shrimp, petite beef sliders and lobster tempura.
Its sophisticated and stylish interior, described as a “natural evolution of the existing brand”, has been designed by Dubai-based Bishop Design, featuring internationally sourced backlit onyx trims, marbled surfaces and sleek Italian ceramic tiles.
Inspired by the Art Deco era with dynamic finishes of natural metals such as copper and brass, Caramel London features plush upholstery and bold styling.
Mohammed Al Hashimi, founder and owner of Caramel Group, said:
The Caramel restaurant and lounge concept has proved overwhelmingly popular internationally and I’m confident that the stylish and upmarket brand will fit in very well in Knightsbridge.
Each individual site is unique and we tailor them to the locations that each of the restaurant lounges is situated in. At the London site, for example, we’ve added in an afternoon tea to our offering, providing Londoners and tourists alike with an unrivalled all-day food and drink offering in a stunning setting.
Source: www.barmagazine.co.uk
3 April 2018
