A Tale of Two Cities

Heston Blumenthal Says No to NYC Expansion, Says London Restaurants Trump New York’s

Oh no he didn't.
Oh no he didn’t. Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

“London has pipped New York,” the brainy British chef tells Businessweek, and for those unfamiliar with British slang, it means he thinks his city is better than ours. Blumenthal says plans to open a second Dinner by Heston in New York at the Mandarin Hotel were quashed owing to the incompatibility of his cooks’ hours and union rules. Why, exactly, is London better, then? “Because London had the later start,” Blumenthal explains, “now we have the momentum, and geographically we are connected to more countries.” A few weeks back, the chef said he would consider expanding to Australia in “the next three years,” although that place is connected to exactly zero other countries, just because Europe is “all about snobbery,” so this is all getting a little confusing. [Businessweek, Earlier, Earlier]

Heston Blumenthal Says No to NYC Expansion, Says London Restaurants Trump New