Set to open on May 1, 2013, One Leicester Street is the latest project from Singaporean hotelier Peng Loh and Chef Patron Tom Harris.
Part of the Unlisted Collection: a brand known for their fresh, dynamic and unconventional approach to boutique hotels and restaurants, One Leicester Street will be located at the former St John Hotel site in the heart of Chinatown.
The new hotel will join six boutique hotels and six restaurants located in Singapore, Shanghai, London and soon to be launched in 2014, Sydney.
Loh’s 60-room Sydney hotel will be located at the AUD$2 billion Central Park development being undertaken by Frasers Hospitality.
The lawyer-turned-hotelier said he was looking forward unveiling One Leicester Street in less than two months.
“I’m pleased to be bringing the Unlisted Collection: to Soho and Chinatown,” he said. “One Leicester Street will offer guests exceptional quality within a relaxed environment.
“We want the bar and restaurant to become a local hub for the neighbourhood as well as our guests, and look forward to welcoming everyone down to see the new space.”
With branding by A Practice for Everyday Life and interiors by Universal Design Studio, One Leicester Street will offer guests an intimate 15 room hotel with a bar and restaurant.
The lobby, with its warm timber desk and soft grey walls, is the transition from the bright lights and buzz of Chinatown outside, to the oasis that is One Leicester Street within.
“Our aim was to create a brand identity for One Leicester Street whose reach extends beyond a name or logo and permeates through every part of the hotel and restaurant – from details such as the luggage labels and specially-commissioned menu illustrations, to handmade staff uniforms and painted typographic signage on the walls and doors,” A Practice for Everyday Life said in a statement.
“It has been a pleasure working with Tom Harris and Unlisted Collection: to identify the right collaborators and realise their vision for One Leicester Street, and we have developed the brand through working with talented experts from other disciplines, including interior and spatial designers Universal Design Studio, illustrator Sister Arrow, and clothing brand Comradettes.”
The Restaurant at One Leicester Street will be headed by Tom Harris, who was previously Head Chef of St John Chinatown, where in 2012 he gained a Michelin star. One Leicester Street will serve breakfast and brunch every day. Offering the very best of British produce, Harris’ daily changing lunch and dinner menu will be presented in such a way as to allow guests to share smaller and larger dishes and step outside the more traditional starter, main course and dessert format.
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to build on our achievements of the last two years with St. JOHN. We have a fantastic team here and I am only thrilled to continue this with Peng through the development of One Leicester Street,” Harris said.
The design of the space will reflect that of the bar with muted grey walls set against characterful oak parquet flooring. A generous leather banquette flanks one long wall, offering views to the terrace and street beyond. Black ash timber dining chairs are paired with sharp white tablecloths and bespoke designed copper pendant lights that provide sparkle and bathe the space in a soft warm light. A Victorian awning will overhang the terrace extending the restaurant dining room outdoors and offering passers by a place to stop for coffee and ice cream.
Rooms will be soft and warmly lit whilst the intimate bar will have a deep colour palate with deep blues and greys. Offering an extensive cocktail list and bar food menu from noon until midnight. The Bar at One Leicester Street is perfect for relaxing or holding meetings by day, and a softly lit hideaway destination by night. An oak bar dominates one end of the space and banquette seating wraps the other end, creating an inviting corner. The room is filled with bespoke, generously soft seating and is available for private hire.