Café Eighty One: Michael O'Hare's Jaguar café opens in Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge's newest café is inside a car showroom, and the chef is one of the most distinctive cooks in British dining. Café Eighty One opens today, 8 October, at 91 Knightsbridge, within Jaguar's new flagship, with a menu created by Michael O'Hare. It is an unusual pairing, and it is likely to draw curious diners as much as car buyers. It also shows how far brand hospitality has come: a showroom that wants you to linger over lunch, not just look at the cars.
Who is cooking
Michael O'Hare made his name with The Man Behind the Curtain in Leeds, one of the more theatrical Michelin-starred restaurants in the country, and now runs Inlamentation in Boston Spa. Television viewers will know him from Great British Menu. His cooking has always leaned towards the sculptural and the surprising, which makes a design-led brand partnership less of a stretch than it first sounds.
What is on the menu
According to Hot Dinners' preview, the menu runs from breakfast-style plates to a full afternoon tea:
- An afternoon tea with curated teas, savoury courses and a reinterpreted scone.
- A petit gâteau inspired by the oloid, the geometric form that also influenced Jaguar's forthcoming Type 01.
- A bacon sandwich made with cured Iberico pork secreto, spiced ketchup, dashi-infused mayonnaise, mint and basil.
- A lobster roll with Amalfi lemon mayonnaise.
- French onion soup.
- Eggs with brioche soldiers, served with truffle or caviar.
Prices and opening hours had not been published at the time of writing, so check before you go.
The setting
The showroom spreads over two floors and is designed as a destination that mixes car retail with design, culture and hospitality. Visitors will find an immersive installation tracing the history of Jaguar's Leaper emblem and a Design Vault for commissioning cars, with digital personalisation. The café itself is sleek and pared back, with many elements drawn from the shapes, materials and colours of the cars.
Jaguar plans to use the space for more than coffee. As Restaurant Online reports, the café will host culinary collaborations, seasonal experiences, curated tastings and a Jaguar Taste Series.
Is it worth a detour?
Brand cafés can be an afterthought, but putting a chef of O'Hare's reputation in charge suggests something more ambitious. The afternoon tea is the obvious first booking, especially for anyone curious to see what a chef known for avant-garde tasting menus does with scones and sandwiches. The lobster roll and the truffle eggs sound like a strong case for a shopping-day lunch, and the Taste Series could become one of the more interesting supper-club style calendars in the area if Jaguar follows through.
Getting there
Café Eighty One is at 91 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7RB, a short walk from Knightsbridge station and convenient for a break between the shops and Hyde Park. Follow Jaguar's channels for booking details as the café settles in. For more new tables nearby, see our Knightsbridge restaurant guide.
Lead image: ell brown via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
