The Perkin Reveller: New dining hall offers modern take on medieval London
Melding ancient and modern themes with the historic setting, bespoke interior design and contemporary British menu, the Perkin Reveller features long banqueting-style tables with 80 covers available on the terrace and a further 28 at the bar area.
The concept is the brainchild of Nigel Sutcliffe of Truffle Hunting restaurant consultancy and Mark Wilkie of the Narrative, the boutique creative agency. The restaurant will be managed by Ampersand, the catering partner of the Historic Royal Palaces and part of the CH&Co catering group.
Executive chef Andrew Donovan brings experience from the Aviator Hotel in Farnborough and the Michelin-starred Chapter 1 restaurant in Kent, to devise a contemporary and seasonal menu, using British produce from small-scale, artisan producers and local suppliers.
The bar will serve drinks as seasonal as the food, with lemonade and ginger beer served in summer, mulled cider and spiced mead in winter, alongside traditional fruit cordials including elderflower, rhubarb, damson plum, and a range of gin-based cocktails.
Designed by Tony Fretton Architects, the Perkin Reveller champions the traditional practices of craftspeople, commissioning British handmade furniture, 200 stoneware beer jugs and bespoke cups, mugs and cutlery.
Perkin the Reveller
Inspired by the Middle Ages and Geoffrey Chaucer in particular, the restaurant takes its name from Chaucer’s jovial character, Perkin the Reveller, so named in the Cook’s Tale for his love of food, drink, dance and merriment in London.
The restaurant’s close links with Chaucer extend to its location, as the poet oversaw the construction of Tower Wharf in 1389, within his role as Clerk of the King’s Works. The Perkin Reveller honours these links with the use of the Chaucer’s own coat of arms in the restaurant.
The Perkin Reveller will open on 10 September at the Tower of London Wharf. It is part of the Tower of London estate, managed by Historic Royal Palaces HRP, an independent charity which also looks after Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and Banqueting House.
