The former Old War Office, The OWO, will be home to the first Raffles hotel in London and promises to bring with it nine restaurants and three bars to create an all-new dining destination in central London. We already know about six of those restaurants - superstar Argentinian chef Mauro Colagreco is due to oversee three restaurants at The OWO, and there are others that have been announced too (scroll down for more on those). Details have been unveiled on number seven: Langosteria at the OWO, which brings Milan’s fashion-famous Langosteria group to London for the first time.
Langosteria
What: This buzzy, atmospheric restaurant has been top of Milan's hot restaurant list for some time, and it's spot in Milan's Design District has tied it into the city's glitzy fashion world, making it a place to see and be seen. It's bringing the exact same sensibilities to London this summer, along with a signature menu that focuses around seafood and fish, particularly langoustines, hence the name. Dishes on the menu include datterini gazpacho with roasted red prawns, and linguine with blue lobster.
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Interiors at Langosteria Milan
Cafe Laperouse
What: Next up, Parisian Cafe Laperouse is due to take up residency, another European hospitality name making its London debut. While the story goes that the Laperouse name traces back to 1766, the first iteration of the cafe opened in 2021 at Hotel de la Marine in the heart of Paris. Occupying a prime spot at The OWO, Cafe Laperouse will be found in the building’s central courtyard, offering guests both indoor and outdoor dining via a modern pavilion which can seat 80 diners (pictured as the lead image).
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Paper Moon
What: With names hailing from across the world, Paper Moon is the first of the food and beverage outlets to be rubber stamped for opening this summer. The Milan brand is well-known for its sleek interiors and menu of contemporary Italian dishes, such as homemade ravioli stuffed with burrata cheese, raw red shrimp, and cherry tomatoes. With restaurants already in Istanbul, Doha, Hong Kong, the Algarve and Bodrum, this isn’t the first time the brand has spread its wings outside Italy’s fashion capital.
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The interiors at Milan's Paper Moon restaurant
Endo Kazutoshi restaurant and bar
The third group joining in at the OWO hotel later this year is the Creative Restaurant Group, which also has Endo at the Rotunda, Sumi, Humo and 20 Berkeley within its portfolio. The latest venture from founders Endo Kazutoshi and Misha Zelman will include a 60 seat restaurant, a chef's table, outside terrace and private dining room within one of the Whitehall buildings turrets. There will also be a 28 seat sake bar on the ground floor for those only after a tipple.
Kazutoshi explained: 'Our new restaurant and sake bar will be an ode to the traditions of Japanese cooking with my personal touch. We look forward to sharing a piece of history with our guests all in the setting of this awe-inspiring building.'
The OWO is due to open this summer, with the building having undergone an extensive multi-million-pound renovation. The OWO will include 85 private residences, nine restaurants and three bars - three of which will be housed in Raffles London at The OWO and overseen by three Michelin-starred, Italian-Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco.
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