Ex-Hibiscus site to become Bombay Bustle

Indian hotel group Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts has changed the name of its upcoming restaurant on the site of Claude Bosi’s former restaurant Hibiscus in London’s Mayfair.

It was previously reported that the new restaurant on Maddox Street, which Bosi closed in October last year, would operate under the name Dabbawala, but the new owners have now switched to Bombay Bustle, with an opening set for next month, according to BigHospitality's sister site MCA.

Mumbai-based Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts opened its first international outpost - Jamavar - on nearby Mount Street in 2016, and the restaurant was awarded a star in the 2018 Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland earlier this month.

The company secured the 60-cover, two-storey Hibiscus site through Restaurant Property with a rent of £185,000 per year with a premium of £1m.

Samyukta Nair and Rohit Ghai, co-founder and executive chef of Jamavar, say the new venture will be inspired by the Dabbawalas, the institution of men who use Mumbai’s famed local railway to deliver home cooked meals across the city.

They say that Bombay Bustle will “pay homage to the culture and people, whose expanse of origins from across India have influenced its culinary history”.

“Bombay Bustle will capture the essence of Mumbai, our love of home comforts alongside our rapid pace of life, both existing side by side," says Nair.

"The restaurant will be a place just as well suited to a leisurely dinner with friends as a quick lunch for one, always inspired by Mumbai’s diverse flavours, and home style cooking."

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