Town Hall Hotel‘s eagerly awaited new restaurant by Chef Lee Westcott, Typing Room, will officially open its doors on the 16th May 2014. The 40-cover restaurant, taking over from the former site of Nuno Mendes’ Viajante, is Lee’s first solo venture and will offer a refined European menu showcasing and focusing on the British seasons and produce.
Lee’s creative menu of five snacks, five starters & five mains will demonstrate his signature style of innovate yet unpretentious dishes. Sample dishes include Mackerel, passion fruit, burnt cucumber & dill; Pigeon smoked in pine, salt baked celeriac, lovage & hazelnut; and Green tea, yoghurt & sesame. Six-course and eight-course tastings menus will also be available for those wishing to sample the full experience.
Lee returns to London having joined Jason Atherton’s team of executive chefs by running his two Hong Kong restaurants 22 Ships and Ham & Sherry. Previously, he spent four years working alongside Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens, heading up the kitchen at his eponymous Chelsea restaurant. Prior to that, Lee’s vast experience has seen him complete stints at 3 Michelin star Per Se in New York, alongside Rene Redzepi at Noma, and with Gordon Ramsey at Claridges.
The restaurant is so named after Town Hall’s original typing room where all communications from the mayor, council and judicial system were put to ink. Designers Ariana Rees Roberts and Lucinda Johnson have taken inspiration from the natural landscape to create a relaxed and inviting environment for diners, whilst respecting the original historic features of the building dating back to 1910.
Natural materials including oak, marble and ceramic adorn the restaurant, with touches of brushed brass providing warmth. The open kitchen has been designed as a focal point of the space, injecting energy into the room. The artwork nods to the restaurant’s East London setting and hotel history.
Marie Baxter, General Manager of Town Hall Hotel, commented: ‘We are extremely excited to introduce this new restaurant venture to the area and to our guests. Lee has been focusing on an elegant yet casual dining experience, with a relaxed service. The creative menu, together with the newly decorated room and a brilliant team brings it all together’.
Lee will oversee the menu in Corner Room, the hotel’s intimate brasserie, and the new Peg + Patriot bar, as well as the conference and banqueting menus for the hotel.
The imposing Town Hall building, which has stood in the heart of London’s vibrant East End since Edwardian times, reopened its doors in April 2010 as Town Hall Hotel. After a visionary extension and a sensitive restoration under the direction of Rare Architecture, Town Hall Hotel, offers a new concept for London’s culturally diverse and energetic East End.
Typing Room will be open for lunch Wednesday – Sunday and dinner Wednesday – Saturday. Bookings will be available from 28th April 2014.
