London Hotels: Behind The Curtain, Shoreditch

Vivian Vassos | January 2nd, 2018

The Shoreditch suite, complete with clawfoot tub, The Curtain hotel, London

Across the pond, New York hotelier Michael Achenbaum, the brains behind the Gansevoort hotels (you’ll recognize the name from the company’s properties in New York City and Turks and Caicos islands), has opened The Curtain, a hotel/private members club, dining and live music venue in Shoreditch, in London’s east end – his first hotel in Europe.

The now-chic, but once edgy area is known for artists’ lofts, fashion culture and a burgeoning tech community, but its roots lie in Londoners’ traditional weekend pursuits: strolling the Columbia Road flower market, hunting for vintage finds down Brick Lane and noshing at Old Spitalfields Market, all just a walk away.

New York industrial chic meets English eccentricity here. Exposed brick, warehouse-style windows and hardwood floors pair up with green tufted-leather couches and hot pink tartan details. The hotel and its 120 rooms, including five suites, has all the mod cons travellers have come to expect – 24 hour gym, spa treatment rooms, bedside Bluetooth-enabled speakers – but there’s more. The marble bathrooms, for example, come equipped with showers, above, that double as steam rooms. The idea of melting away the day’s stress, in the privacy of your own room, without having to book a massage or cart your bathing suit down to the gym, is most appealing.

Visually, all the public and room spaces are a photography lover’s dream, particularly if you’re a music fan. Iconic images by equally iconic music lensman Mick Rock pepper the walls – along with original works by acclaimed street artist Banksy.

“We spent almost 10 years seeking locations throughout London, with the last seven years specifically focused on the emerging East London area,” says Achenbaum, who has always been a champion of investing in up-and-coming neighbourhoods, such as the then-rough-around-the-edges Meatpacking district in Manhattan, when he first opened The Gansevoort there in 2004. “It’s in our DNA to create hotels in neighbourhoods that are not only ahead of the curve but also in areas that are growing. The Curtain is that vision come to life in Europe.” And, like his Gansevoort property on Park Avenue in NYC, he’s added rooftop/pool/hotspot, he calls Lido (above).

Achenbaum has enlisted some serious global-goes-Big-Apple culinary cool with Ethiopian-born, Swedish-raised super chef Marcus Samuelsson of Harlem’s famed Red Rooster, with his first London outpost, seen above. “To me, Shoreditch has a mystique to it,” Samuelsson tells me, while I’m taking a bite of his famous cornbread. “…and I like that you get to see British high and low here. The food scene is booming, the music scene is great and artists are everywhere. It reminds me of Harlem – that, and how it’s constantly changing.”

Samuelsson is also in charge of the lobby’s Tienda Roosteria, a lively hangout bar, taco and tequila spot where, as a solo traveller, I still felt like part of the local scene. But the best part? Personal, friendly service and nary a whiff of hipster irony in the the whole place.

And, speaking of service, we asked Thomas Ryan, The Curtain’s food and beverage director, to give us his favourite cheap and cheerful things to do in Shoreditch.

Broadway Market on a Saturday – costs nothing to go there, but it’s unmissable on a sunny Saturday – full of good vibes. Hard not to spend money (it’s all so tasty!) but doable.

The bar at The Clove Club. Order a martini and some fried chicken at the bar, rather than going for the swanky set menu. All the atmosphere, without the price tag.

Bad Sports for tequila and tacos – super good value and loads of fun. One of our favourite spots in East London.

www.thecurtain.com

Click through for the recipe for Marcus Samuelsson’s worth travelling to New York or London cornbread, or go to www.everythingzoomer.com/recipe-cornbread

 

 

RED ROOSTER CORNBREAD WITH HONEY BUTTER AND TOMATO JAM

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried aleppo flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Honey butter, for serving

METHOD

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, aleppo flakes, and salt in a large bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, buttermilk, and olive oil.
  4. Combine the two mixtures and stir until a smooth consistency.
  5. Pour the batter into 9 by 5-inch loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray.
  6. Bake in the oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges are golden brown.
  7. Serve warm with honey butter.

 

HONEY BUTTER

YIELD ½ cup

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

METHOD

  • Put the butter in a medium bowl, whisk in the honey, and then stir in the salt.

 

TOMATO JAM

YIELD 3 cup

INGREDIENTS

  • ¼ cup currants
  • ¼ cup cider vinegar
  • ½ cup shallots, very thin slice
  • ¼ cup garlic, very thin slice
  • ¼ cup ginger, peeled and sliced thin
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cups canned tomatoes, pureed
  • 1 cup tomatoes, diced
  • 2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • ½ tablespoon kasoori methi
  • 1 tablespoon curry leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste

METHOD

  1. In a small bowl pour cider vinegar over currants and allow to soak.
  2. Heat oil over medium heat and saute shallots, garlic and ginger for 5-10 minutes, or until soft.
  3. Add tomato paste and cook for approximately one minute.
  4. Add canned tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, and currants. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and add brown sugar. Simmer 20 minutes.
  5. Add herbs and cook until tomatoes are tender, stirring frequently to avoid scorching.

 

www.thecurtain.com