The King and Us
To Motcomb Street, Belgravia, the ultimate 15 second neighbourhood in west London. All worldly needs are catered for along this 150 metre stretch of stuccoland. Le Café Nac for a cappuccino. The Alfred Tennyson for a pint. Osborne Studio Gallery for highbrow art. Blink Brow Bar for high brows. Carolina Bucci for jewels. Stewart Palvin for dresses. Mayhew Newsagents for every magazine on the planet. And a triple whammy of restaurants: Amélie (French), Luum (Mexican) and Sachi (Japanese Pan Asian). Jessica Mitford’s hilarious 1960 autobiography Hons and Rebels is always ripe for quotes, from relevant to tenuous to abstract. “The very rich and fashionable lived in Mayfair, Belgravia, Park Lane.”
A short walk away is embassy filled Belgrave Square: Austria, Brunei, Germany, Portugal and Spain all have ambassadors housed on the west side alone. A not quite as short a walk away is The Plumbers Arms where a certain Lady Lucan ran into in 1974 covered in blood. Her husband has been missing ever since. The absent apostrophe begs the question was the pub named after one or multiple plumbers? A single male mask above the top floor window suggests the former.
The southwestern half of Motcomb Street is dominated by an impressive neo Grecian façade. Doric columns attached to the elevation support a matching cornice surmounted by a blind attic with the word Pantechnicon looming large in upper case letters. Not to be mixed up with pantheon or pentagon, and probably not panopticon, although possibly panacea, Pantechnicon is a portmanteau invented by the property developer Seth Smith. Looking to the Continent, he linked the Greek word ‘pan’ (all) to ‘techne’ (art). “Travel makes time stand still, like a dream which takes one through a long series of adventures while actually only lasting a few moments.”
He built Pantechnicon in 1831 as a mixed use development with an art gallery, carriages salesroom, furniture shop and storage all under one roof. The interior was destroyed in a fire 43 years later but the front elevation survived. The furniture storage and an accompanying removal company continued to trade for another century. These days, an archway in the eighth bay leads through to a courtyard garden; an arched entrance in the second bay opens into restaurant spaces over six levels developed by Cubitt House in 2015 on a long lease from Grosvenor Estates.
A lift up to the penthouse level opens into Sachi, a restaurant amidst the rooftops of Belgravia. One side opens onto a long terrace accessed through rows of French doors. The other side has windows framing a Gurskyesque mansion block. A glazed roof floods the interior with natural light. Bouncy piped music adds to a party atmosphere. This slice of paradise is decorated in earthy tones. “Paper napkins would, of course, have been unthinkable, and individual napkin rings too disgusting for words.”
Talking of partying … “I love your fashion – I’m really liking it!” greets the sommelier. He explains, “This season we have partnered with The House of Suntory, Japan’s most iconic whisky house. I’ve mixed special cocktails for you inspired by the colour of your shirts. They are made of Suntory Hibiki, a blended whisky; sparkling wine; French liqueur; cranberry to balance the citric acid of the gin; crème de pêche and rose petals garnish.” The House of Suntory cocktail list starts at £19 and ends at £20. “Blowouts at good restaurants.”
A £60 bottle of Famille Perrin Côtes du Rhône Resérve Blanc 2022 keeps the party going strong. Rehydrating Elra sparkling water is £7. Skipping mains, Head Chef Joonsu Park and Executive Chef Kyung-Soo Moon’s starters are the perfect partying accompaniment priced £11 to £18. Rock Shrimp Tempura (yuzu mayo, lime), Squid Karaage (garlic chilli mayo, lime), Sweetcorn Taco (sweetcorn, avocado, yuzu, red onion, coriander) and Yellowtail Crudo (sesame yuzu dressing, enoki mushroom) put the Pan into Pantechnicon. Matcha Tiramisu (vanilla mascarpone cream, matcha, Savoiardi biscuit) is a £10 box even Pandora would enjoy. “Lunches, teas, the newly imported cocktail parties, dinners, dances.”
Sachi is one of the exclusive London venues discounted for SupperClub Middle East members, the world’s leading personalised concierge service. As winter starts to fade, spring is in the air and so is the allure of travel. SupperClub temptations further afield include lunching in Paak Dang on the Ping Rover in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Dining in Marco Polo, downtown Lahore, Pakistan. Sleeping in Dimore di Mare in the northern Italian seaside town of Arenzano. “The future a great canvas on which anything might appear.”
