Rumors

Heston Blumenthal May Be Opening in the U.S., Probably in New York

What's he working on now?
What’s he working on now? Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Earlier today, Food and Travel editor Guy Woodward tweeted, “Rumour is that Heston Blumenthal will open a restaurant in one of Mandarin Oriental’s US hotels - maybe next year. My money’s on New York.” The brainy English chef, who currently holds three Michelin stars and first garnered attention with his modernist food at the Fat Duck in Bray, already operates a restaurant called Dinner by Heston in London’s Mandarin Oriental, which ranked No. 9 on this year’s World’s 50 Best list.

The rumor that Blumenthal would open in New York, specifically, was first mentioned in January, when the Telegraph reported, “[Heston] is off to New York soon to discuss a new joint at a Mandarin hotel, the chain for which he opened Dinner in Knightsbridge a year ago.”

The restaurant’s menu is all about updates of meticulously researched English food and foodways. That may be more scalable than it seems, however, and Blumenthal, who hosts all kinds of TV programs in the U.K., is known for working tirelessly on new concepts — everything from edible wafers scented like newborn babies to terrines that look like fruit — so the chef’s U.S. debut, if it’s happening, could really take any form. Maybe it’ll be the world’s first artificial burger bar.

We’ve reached out the Mandarin Oriental group and will let you know what we hear back. In the meantime, the chef’s PR was quick to respond. “There is no news,” they wrote in an e-mail. “If the time ever comes when there is news, we will tell you.”

[
guyawoodward/Twitter
via Eater National]
Earlier: Heston Blumenthal Will Cook a $330,000 Lab-Grown Burger

Heston Blumenthal May Be Opening in the U.S., Probably in New York