Soho House teams up with US chef Brendan Sodikoff
Soho House has teamed up with Chicago-based chef-restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff to open two new outlets in London's Notting Hill.
Owner Nick Jones has joined forces with Sodikoff, who runs six restaurants in Chicago, to open the Electric Diner and Electric Donuts on Portobello Road next month.
The site has been developed following a fire and now comprises the Electric House members' club, the Electric Cinema and the Electric Diner in the space of the former Electric Brasserie. The diner will be inspired by Sodikoff's acclaimed Au Cheval restaurant, which offers an all-day French-American menu.
Commenting on the launch Jones said: "Following a severe fire at the Electric in mid-June, we have had the opportunity to rethink what we were doing in the brasserie.
"We're in the process of getting ready to open a Soho House in Chicago, which has recently given me and my team the chance to eat out a lot in the city. Among all the places we tried one stood out was Au Cheval. The food and the atmosphere are fantastic. So, rather than try to copy it, we met the owner and suggested that we collaborated on doing our own version in London."
The interior of the 75-seat Electric Diner will be inspired by the traditional American diner featuring booths and bar seats. The menu will feature some of Au Cheval's signature dishes, including the fried bologna sandwich, honey-fried chicken with chilli and sesame seeds, and roasted bonemarrow with beef cheek marmalade.
Meanwhile alongside the Electric Diner Soho House will also open Electric Donuts, which will be modelled on Sodikoff's Chicago Doughnut Vault. Open from 8am, donuts and coffee will be served from the foyer of the Electric Cinema, with flavours such as maple bourbon; bergamot orange; ginger chew; Mexican chocolate; and berry trifle.
Sodikoff runs six restaurants and bars as well as a doughnut shop in Chicago, including Bavettes Bar & Boeuf, Curio Chicago, Doughnut Vault, Gilt Bar & Maude's Liquor Bar. He previously worked with Thomas Keller at the French Laundry and Per Se; and with Alain Ducasse in New York and Paris.
Sodikoff said: "Notting Hill is a great location for my first site outside of the USA; London is one of my favourite cities and the youthful vibe of the area fits really well with Diner's ethos."
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By Kerstin Kühn
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