The top line: The team behind two-Michelin-star London Bridge restaurant Trivet have launched a slightly more casual restaurant within Mayfair’s COMO Metropolitan London hotel. Labombe by Trivet occupies the space that was previously home to Richard Turner’s GridIron – which, remarkably, has remained vacant since the beginning of the pandemic. Trivet’s founders, Jonny Lake and Isa Bal, have recruited Evan Moore and Philipp Reinstaller – another chef-sommelier duo – to lead the project.
On the menu: Named after the wine bar pop-ups that take place on Monday nights at Lake and Bal’s flagship, Labombe by Trivet shares some DNA with its older sibling, including a focus on high-quality ingredients and impactful flavours. The offer here, however, is more flexible and informal, with a menu built around the grill and designed for sharing. Signature dishes from Trivet are reimagined rather than replicated, with options including farinata with mortadella, grilled monkfish and coco beans with a vinegar-spiked chicken sauce, and a frankly genius crème caramel flavoured with Campari, which mirrors the bittersweet taste of well-caramelised sugar. The wine programme also takes a different tack. This time around, the list homes in on classic terroirs such as Burgundy, Tuscany, Piedmont and Bordeaux, with a strong emphasis on by-the-glass options. Around 50 wines are available by the glass, supported by a 650-bin list curated by Bal and Reinstaller.
The vibe: The 65-cover space has been designed by Turkish architect Umay Çeviker of Derin Yeşil Architects, who also designed the original Trivet. The sculptural interiors feature a glass-enclosed wine cellar, plaster walls, suede banquettes and an open kitchen to create a modern, glamorous space that recalls the mid-century look of its older sibling.
And another thing: The Labombe name was first dreamt up some 40 years ago by Lake, when he was asked to invent a fictitious restaurant name for a school project.
19 Old Park Lane, London W1K 1LB