Eight years after opening Kerridge’s Bar & Grill at the Corinthia hotel, Tom Kerridge has split the restaurant in two. The result? A more intimate dining experience in the restaurant, and the launch of a brand new bar, Georgie’s.
For the TV-famous chef – who is already firmly embedded in the pub game with the Hand & Flowers pub in Marlow – launching a bar is a natural evolution of what he does. “People will always want great food and great service, but I think there’s now more demand for flexibility,” he tells Broadsheet. “Not every occasion needs to be a full sit-down meal booked weeks in advance. Sometimes you want to pop in for a drink and something brilliant to eat at the bar; other times, you want the full restaurant experience.”
Named for the chef’s beloved late boxer, Georgie’s is all about the former. “We wanted to create somewhere that felt relaxed and easy to drop into,” Kerridge says. “Georgie’s has its own personality, but it comes from the same place as Kerridge’s with a menu with great ingredients and warm, proper hospitality.”
Now shrouded by an amber velvet curtain, the sumptuous green space channels an old-school British smoking room. The room’s sweeping barrel-vaulted ceilings, antique brass accents and red leather banquettes remain the same, as does artwork by the likes of Harland Miller, Chris Levine and Gareth Turk, which complement Steve, a life-sized bronze sculpture of a suited man by Kerridge’s wife, artist Beth Cullen-Kerridge. Leather has become even more of a focus, with squishy black booths and scalloped, inverted-tulip lampshades contrasting with the colourful new chequerboard marble floor. “It feels comfortable and has a real buzz,” Kerridge says.
The drinks list is all about the classics, with a particular focus on Martinis – there’s even a concept called the Georgie’s Martini Club. Four variations – dry, wet, dirty and steak – are served ice cold straight from the freezer. The last is the bar’s take on a Gibson, garnished with a slice of chewy British jerky and a smoked pickled onion.
“A Martini is a proper bar drink,” Kerridge says. “It’s timeless, uncomplicated and, when it’s done well, absolutely brilliant. [We have] options for people who love a really classic Martini, alongside something a bit more playful that feels completely our own.”
Otherwise, there are familiar favourites including French 75s, Cosmopolitans, Hemingway Daiquiris and Tommy’s Margaritas. Draught beers from Marlow’s Rebellion Brewery are a nod to Kerridge’s Buckinghamshire pubs.
DJs are set to take over on Saturday nights, and the bar menu is packed with crowd-pleasers. There are pork scratchings, frickles (fried pickles), gooey scotch eggs and buttermilk fried chicken to snack on, plus more substantial plates such as brioche rolls stuffed with pink shellfish, and a cheeseburger loaded with barbecue brisket. Meanwhile, succulent haddock fritters with Kerridge’s fancy curry-flavoured Matson sauce riff on the chef’s famous fish’n’chips.
Georgie’s Bar at Kerridge’s
10 Whitehall Place, SW1A 2BD
Hours:
Mon to Sat midday–midnight
Sun midday–9pm
