The art isn’t up yet and the wine cellar’s empty – but the mood at Labombe is already dialled in when Broadsheet visits. The comfortable, sophisticated space is just awaiting a final injection of dynamism from the open kitchen. “You’ll be sitting in this bucket chair thinking this is comfy – but you’re watching five chefs cook right in front of you. That’s going to bring a lot of energy,” co-owner and chef Jonny Lake tells Broadsheet.
Labombe is the second London restaurant from Lake – formerly executive chef at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck – and master sommelier Isa Bal. Their joint first project, Trivet in Bermondsey, holds two Michelin stars. But this isn’t Trivet 2.0. Based in the Como Metropolitan hotel, it sits where the Met Bar – a private, fashion-adjacent institution in its heyday – once was. “They would never have let me in,” says Bal, laughing.
But this is a new era and Labombe is firmly its own thing. “We can’t do another Trivet,” Bal says. “That’s out of the question.”
The concept started as a weekly pop-up inside Trivet. “It was really tricky to do something for one night a week within an established restaurant space,” says Lake. “It was kind of hard to give it the right feel.” But the exercise helped them refine what Labombe could be: casual yet refined and built around bold flavours. “One of the purposes was to work on a concept that one day would stand in its own place,” says Bal. “And that purpose has been realised.”
Like at Trivet, the food starts with top-quality ingredients. Nevertheless, what hits the table will be looser, more generous, more grill-focused. “You’ve got some kind of snacky bar bits, some smaller things that are starter-ish … and then larger plates, whole fish and bigger pieces of beef and pork coming off the grill for sharing,” says Lake. “I think the one thing that carries through anything we do is really intense flavour – so, with every bite you’re like, ‘What is that?’” After all, “If you just wanted simple flavours you’d stay at home”.
Head chef Evan Moore (ex-Dinner by Heston London and Melbourne) is bringing his own influences. “I’ve been away … in Australia and in Spain,” he tells Broadsheet. “There are a lot of those influences, subtle or otherwise, in the menu.” He calls out the vegan gilda, made with fermented king oyster mushrooms, seaweed and capers. “It hits all the same notes as your normal gilda but it’s totally vegan. It’s something special.”
There’s excitement over the “New York fries”, too. (New York Fries is a Canadian mall chain.) “It’s not going to be on the menu as New York fries,” says Moore. “But we’ve got a Turkish spice mix that emulates the New York fry spice … we think it’s the exact replica.”
The largely Eurocentric wine list will feature a strong by-the-glass selection – both fine and everyday drinking wines – selected by Trivet’s head sommelier Philipp Reinstaller. Prices will start at £7 and go up to “whatever” says Bal. A few new world producers may sneak in – mostly Australian, due to the team’s past ties – but the emphasis is on the old world.
The interiors are by Turkish architect Umay Ceviker, who also designed Trivet. “We like the restaurant to feel comfortable and relaxing, and not too [many] bright colours,” says Bal. “Allow the food to sing.” Still, there are flourishes – like a set of doors Ceviker has pitched for five previous projects. “He finally got to do it,” says Lake.
The name was invented by Lake as a teenager. “I grew up in Canada,” he says. “In French class we had to create a fictional restaurant and write a menu ... and I called this thing Labombe. I found it in my parents’ basement ... I brought it back, put it on the bar and [Bal] took one look at it and he said, ‘That’s it.’”
And are they thinking about stars? “Any chef who says they don’t matter to them is lying,” says Lake. But if not?
“You do what you do as good as you can and if it comes, it would be great,” says Bal. “But it’s not what drives us.”
Labombe opens September 16 on Park Lane.
