Harlem comes to London

Marcus Samuelson may not be a name you instantly gravitate too but you will be hearing all about him soon enough. His wildly popular NYC restaurant Red Rooster has catapulted him to the upper reaches of celeb chef, having cooked for the Obama’s and John Legend to name but a few. Last week he was in town to open the sister to his Harlem based restaurant, as one of the dining options for the newly opened, members only Curtain Hotel.  Quite a grandiose affair, we were treated to an open bar flowing with cocktails as well as live music from Brassroots; a brass collective that treated us to hiphop brass covers for most of the evening.

The drinks were on point and the staff did well to cope with the hustle and bustle. I’m quite sure they wont have to deal with those types of numbers again any time soon. The Webb Fizz (above) had a nice balance to it with the piece of fennel providing an interesting component. My favourite was the Boulevardier which was very drinkable, with just the right amount of Campari and Martini.

One of the signature dishes is the fried chicken and we were not disappointed. A literal mountain of chicken was bought out and Marcus himself started dipping it into the fiery sauce that has become his signature and dishing it out. I snagged a couple pieces and it was as good as I remember from my trips to the NY restaurant. The menu will have quite a few of his classics from NY (Helga’s meatballs are great) but this should be your starting point.

There is great artwork adorning the walls with pics covering the Black experience in Britain over the past 60+ years. Its like being in a mini art gallery. With Gospel brunches and live music promised on a regular basis, this place is definitely worth a visit.