We’ve spotted some of the world’s most prestigious chefs, restaurateurs and mixologists switching their high pressure environments for life on the fun side, and we’re ready to follow in hot pursuit.
For Albert Adrià, it’s long been a risk he was willing to take. After making a name for himself alongside his brother Ferran with the three Michelin-starred El Bulli in Catalonia, Albert launched Barcelona’s Tickets with a Willy Wonka approach to impeccable tapas. Now London is in his sights with Cakes & Bubbles, opening early November and focusing on desserts, Champagne, cava and sparkling wines. The menu will feature waffles, doughnuts, ice creams and handmade chocolates that have all given a ‘wow factor’, with Albert keen to focus on decadent food that’s decidedly not for the everyday.
You’ll have heard of RedFarm’s Pac Man dumplings, but this wasn’t always what founder and restaurateur Ed Schoenfeld intended for himself to be known for. With an extensive history in the Chinese restaurant business and after years spent at the helm (Decoy and Chinatown Brasserie in New York and Tein Li Chow in Chicago), Ed chose something more laid back and fun for RedFarm. Try the Instagram-friendly dimsum and vegetable spring rolls (in the shape of a flower pot) – even the approach here is infectious.
Once known as a molecular mixologist for Taylor Restaurant in Manhattan, Eben Freeman may have just departed the Genuine Liquorette operation but his legacy for frivolity lives on. If you’re in NYC, try out Eben’s canned Cha-Chunkers – served with inverted mini-bottles of alcohol, they’re a simple twist on the spirit-and-mixer format that we haven’t seen before.
Swapping the high stakes for fun times? Now that’s a message UJ approves of.
