Colony (restaurant)
Encyclopedia
Colony, or Colony Bar and Grill is a restaurant, bar and grill located at 7-9 Paddington Street, Marylebone
, Central London
, England
. It opened in early April 2010 and is run by restauranteur Carlo Spetale and the Michelin-starred executive chef Atul Kochhar
.
The cuisine of the restaurant is inspired by that of the British colonies from colonial Asia, East Africa, the Caribbean etc. but is mainly inspired by Indian street food, specifically "the marinades, aromatic flavours and grilling methods" of the street traders of colonial Asia.
The General Manager of the restaurant is John Lacombe, formerly of the The Connaught Hotel, 5th Floor Restaurant at Harvey Nichols
and Notting Hill Brasserie amongst others. Lacombe is also responsible for the winery of the restaurant. It has a reputable cocktail lounge.
of The Daily Telegraph
was highly praising and described the restaurant as "I think this is what heaven will look like – complete with a barman making you feel it would be almost rude not to have a martini. " Williams was content with her meal and remarked that the "pancakes were made of chickpea flour (the chickpeas’ main contribution was a lovely, rich density, with only the whiff of their flavour), packed with spinach, in a tomato and cream sauce".
Tracey MacLeod of the The Independent
was critical about the menu, saying:
She said about the food, "Even though many of the dishes we tried were very good, they weren't quite good enough to earn Colony a rave review", and remarked that the chicken tikka masala
was "authentically inauthentic, in its creamy sweetness and brick-red colour." Both MacLeod and Hugo Rifkind
of The Times
were unconvinced with the authenticity of the cuisine, mentioning that is more a fusion of Eastern and Western cuisines rather than truly Asian.
Matthew Norman of The Guardian
was strongly negative of the restaurant, giving it a scathing review and a score of 0.05/10.
's when he is in London and in September 2010 Liam Gallagher
stormed out of the restaurant after the staff refused to make him a bacon butty
.
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
, Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It opened in early April 2010 and is run by restauranteur Carlo Spetale and the Michelin-starred executive chef Atul Kochhar
Atul Kochhar
Atul Kochhar is an Indian-born British chef. Born in Jamshedpur in northern India, Kochhar was trained and worked at the Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi.-Biography:In 1994, he was appointed head chef at the Tamarind restaurant, in Mayfair, London...
.
The cuisine of the restaurant is inspired by that of the British colonies from colonial Asia, East Africa, the Caribbean etc. but is mainly inspired by Indian street food, specifically "the marinades, aromatic flavours and grilling methods" of the street traders of colonial Asia.
The General Manager of the restaurant is John Lacombe, formerly of the The Connaught Hotel, 5th Floor Restaurant at Harvey Nichols
Harvey Nichols
Harvey Nichols, founded in 1813, is an upmarket department store chain. Its original store is in London. Founded in 1813 as a linen shop, it sells many international brands of clothing for women and men, fashion accessories, beauty products, wine and food...
and Notting Hill Brasserie amongst others. Lacombe is also responsible for the winery of the restaurant. It has a reputable cocktail lounge.
Reception
The restaurant has received mixed reviews. Zoe WilliamsZoe Williams
Zoe Williams is a British columnist and journalist.-Early life:She attended the independent Godolphin and Latymer School girls school and read Modern History at Lincoln College, Oxford.. Her parents separated in 1976 and formally divorced 20 years later.-Writing:Williams writes forThe Guardian and...
of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
was highly praising and described the restaurant as "I think this is what heaven will look like – complete with a barman making you feel it would be almost rude not to have a martini. " Williams was content with her meal and remarked that the "pancakes were made of chickpea flour (the chickpeas’ main contribution was a lovely, rich density, with only the whiff of their flavour), packed with spinach, in a tomato and cream sauce".
Tracey MacLeod of the The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
was critical about the menu, saying:
Colony, in slightly less leafy Marylebone, calls itself a bar and grill, but the menu is far less casual than this implies. Rather than serving a selection of patties, puris and grilled meats, or going down the Anglo-Indian route pioneered by Chutney Mary, the restaurant offers complex, recondite dishes which would have the memsahibs calling for the smelling salts. Roasted mallard marinated in lindi peppers and stone moss? Lamb meat loaf infused with rose petals? Veal vindaloo with coriander chips? Whatever this is, it certainly isn't street food.
She said about the food, "Even though many of the dishes we tried were very good, they weren't quite good enough to earn Colony a rave review", and remarked that the chicken tikka masala
Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken tikka masala is a curry dish of roasted chicken chunks in a spicy sauce. The sauce is usually creamy, spiced and orange-coloured...
was "authentically inauthentic, in its creamy sweetness and brick-red colour." Both MacLeod and Hugo Rifkind
Hugo Rifkind
Hugo Rifkind is a columnist for The Times and The Spectator and the son of MP and former Conservative and Unionist Cabinet Minister, Sir Malcolm Rifkind.-Early life and education:...
of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
were unconvinced with the authenticity of the cuisine, mentioning that is more a fusion of Eastern and Western cuisines rather than truly Asian.
Matthew Norman of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
was strongly negative of the restaurant, giving it a scathing review and a score of 0.05/10.
Notable diners
The restaurant is said to be a favourite of Simon CowellSimon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
's when he is in London and in September 2010 Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
stormed out of the restaurant after the staff refused to make him a bacon butty
Bacon butty
A bacon sandwich is a form of sandwich made from cooked bacon between two slices of bread, usually buttered...
.