Duddell’s of Hong Kong, an award-winning restaurant opened in 2013 by Alan Lo, Paulo Pong and Yen Wong, now has a twin in a suitable location in Southwark, London and a setting that matches its ambitions in St Thomas Church. The London studio of Michaelis Boyd has been working to convert this Grade II listed monument, one of the city’s most sophisticated constructions dating from the beginning of the eighteenth century in Queen Ann style, creating for the interiors a contemporary amalgam of the typical elements of a house of worship and the sixties’ atmosphere and decor of Hong Kong’s traditional tea restaurants.
While on one hand, the generous windows, the dark wooden altar and the panelled walls remain in the vast space with great height, the key points of the conversion project, on the other, sophisticated new contents emerge, like the monolithic island structure of the serving counter, clad in emerald colour tiles with a rose terrazzo top, around which the open kitchen is laid out, with reception and guest areas. On a linoleum pavement with a geometric pattern that asymmetrically combines squares in bottle green, lead, petroleum blue and lilac hues, a long upholstered bench is placed with round or square tables in wood or black rattan for the diners. The space for the covers continues, climbing a staircase in dark wood to the mezzanine, enclosed on two sides of the perimeter and by a glass parapet that gives an expansive view below. The large, light circular chandeliers made to the design of Michaelis Boyd, introduce a new touch to the original structure.
Like Duddell’s of Hong Kong, the new London location, in operation since November 2017, presents itself to its guests both as a restaurant of dim sum cuisine, under the guidance of the Chef Daren Liew, and as a contemporary art gallery with Erin Li as the Art Manager, And, until 24 September, the works of Jonathan Baldock, Suki Chan, Gordon Cheung, Aoife Collins, Gayle Chong Kwan and Tang Kwok-hin in the collective “Doubting Thomas” will be on display in an exhibition curated by Ying Kwok.
Client: Duddell’s
Location: St Thomas’ Church SE1, London Bridge
Size: Ground floor, 202 square metres, mezzanine 97 square metres
Wall and Floor finishes: Focus Ceramics, Dulux, Forbo, Johnson Tiles, Solus Ceramics
Furnishings: Dodds & Shute, Normann Copenhagen
Lighting: Nemo, Petite Friture, Rich Brilliant & Willing, Rubn Lighting, Token Lighting
Photo credits: Ed Reeve
