The acclaimed New York restaurant Atomix is coming to London next month, teaming up with Kol for one night only.
Atomix, led by the duo Ellia and Junghyun Park, sits at number 12 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and has been one of the foremost proponents of “K-wave”, an experimental, contemporary take on Korean dining that’s evolved over the last decade.
The Manhattan venue also happens to be the highest ranking restaurant in North America. Needless to say, getting a table isn’t easy.
Junghyun is to cook alongside Kol chef-founder Santiago Lastra, whose Fitzrovia restaurant is now at number 49 on the 50 Best list and who has helped drive a far keener interest in real Mexican food in London.
Lastra is best known today for reimagining Mexican cuisine “through the prism of British ingredients”. Kol is one of many new restaurants redefining the country’s food in London : a decade ago, even decent tacos were rare.
Junghyun and Lastra will prepare an eight-course menu over two sittings on Tuesday August 19, with drinks from Kol’s bartending team.
Neither chef has shared any information on what they’ll be cooking, but Londoners should be at least aware of Kol, where dishes include langoustine and chilli tacos and barbecued lamb neck with pico di gallo and arbol salsa.
As for Atomix, the menu has included dishes such as cherry blossom trout with Korean mustard and rhubarb, sea cucumber, shrimp and egg over rice, and rare wagyu beef with cold noodles.
Though the Park duo aren’t bringing his fine dining concept to London permanently, they are planning to open a more casual concept in Mayfair next year.
Kiji, a Korean BBQ restaurant, “will take diners on an unmatched culinary journey”, and will be housed within a site on Curzon Street where Mirabelle used to be.
Tickets to the Atomix x Kol collaboration are £250 per head, so not cheap, though they’ll probably sell out quickly. Those interested: your best bet will be the Kol newsletter, which arrives at 4pm on a Sunday.
Sittings: lunch, midday to 6pm; Dinner, 5.45pm until midnight. 9 Seymour Street, Marylebone, W1H 7BA, kolrestaurant.com
