Batman and his super powered pals are coming to a restaurant in central London (Ollie ... [+]
Movie studio Warner Bros. has revealed that the first-ever restaurant themed to Batman, Superman and other DC Comics characters will premiere in London this spring.
Called Park Row, after the area of Gotham City which is home to the caped crusader's arch enemies, the 18,000 square feet venue will sit inside the basement of an Art Deco building right in the heart of London. It is set offer an experience which is more like a dinner show than a trip to a typical restaurant.
Guests will enter by descending into an area designed to look like Batman's lair, the Batcave. From there three bars and five very different dining environments await with prices starting at an average of $58 (£45) per person.
Expect traditional British dishes in a library-like atmosphere at Pennyworth’s which is named after Batman's butler, Alfred. Old Gotham City is a villainous speakeasy serving cocktails whilst sushi is the order of the day in an area themed to femme fatale Harley Quinn, who is currently starring on the silver screen in Birds of Prey.
The largest of the restaurants is the Penguin’s opulent Iceberg Lounge which promises an international menu and live entertainment. Concept art shows that the room will be in-keeping with the building's Art Deco heritage as the floor will be covered in marble and illuminated columns will surround a circular central bar which will have a giant ice sculpture of a penguin in the middle. Miniature models of the eponymous villain's black umbrella hide the lights on the round marble dining tables which will be encircled by blue velvet banquette seating.
The interiors have been designed by Ab Rogers Design (ARD) which is run by the son of renowned architect Richard Rogers whose work includes London's O2 Dome and 3 World Trade Center. Some of ARD's most spellbinding work is set to be found in the Monarch Theatre, Park Row's most-expensive restaurant. Proection mapping will bring Warner’s DC Comics stories to life on its walls whilst guests enjoy a tasting menu at an average price of $155 (£120) per head.
It is a whole new world for themed restaurants which are famous for their sugar and starch. Park Row has put together an heroic roster of staff to turn this image around.
The restaurant is a partnership between Warner Bros. Consumer Products, DC and Wonderland Restaurants, a private equity-backed business founded by entrepreneur James Bulmer. He has all the ingredients for success after working in senior roles for Disney and three Michelin-starred UK restaurant The Fat Duck where he was chief executive for a year from November 2017.
Bulmer has enlisted the help of his father Derek who is a consultant for Wonderland and edited the Michelin Guide to Great Britain and Ireland for 13 years. His appointment is a bold statement of intent about the quality of Park Row's food and the restaurant is backing it up with some serious muscle in the kitchen. It will be run by Cláudio Cardoso who was global group executive chef of SUSHISAMBA, one of the world’s most successful restaurant groups.
Guests will feel like an extra on the set of the Batman movies at a new restaurant in London
Park Row's innovation director and creative director will ensure that the food is surreal enough to pass muster in Batman's wacky world. Innovation director Mark Garston is another alumni of the Fat Duck which is famous for its molecular gastronomy. This type of cookery uses science to develop food that can be presented in unexpected ways such as solid cocktails, fruit jelly caviar and vegetable foams.
Garston broke new ground in this field at the Fat Duck where he was selected to run its experimental kitchen thanks to his background in chemical engineering. His sidekick will be creative director Mike Bagale who has been executive chef of three Michelin-starred Alinea in Chicago for the past eight years. It gives an indication of how Park Row could mix food and fun as Bagale is famous for inventing edible balloons which are filled with helium and taste of green apples. The dish seems perfectly suited to Batman's clown-like nemesis The Joker and guests at Park Row can expect to see some of his trademark tricks in real life.
Wonderland has employed magician Chris Cox to cast his spell on the restaurant as he did when he developed tricks for the wildly successful Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage show, which is also run by Warner Bros. Its senior vice president of global themed entertainment, Peter van Roden, says that "Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC have been integrally involved in the creative development of the concept, collaborating and contributing to Wonderland’s vision for this unique experience and expression of the DC brand."
The restaurant is riding on the wave of popularity that DC's movies have been enjoying in theaters. Birds of Prey is climbing in the box office whilst Joker won two Academy Awards last weekend, including the Best Actor gong for its star Joaquin Phoenix. A Batman reboot has just begun filming and The Suicide Squad, from acclaimed director James Gunn, is perhaps the most anticipated of all upcoming action movies.
Park Row is the latest part of a plan to make Warner Bros. a force in themed entertainment. As we revealed in UK newspaper The Express it recently bought a film museum just steps away from the DC restaurant and the London outpost of the Cursed Child. Warner Bros. also operates the immensely profitable Harry Potter behind the scenes tour outside London and recently lent its name to one of the world's most innovative theme parks and its adjoining hotel in Abu Dhabi.
London is the most logical location for the restaurant as it has a burgeoning themed eatery scene. Stalwarts such as the Rainforest Café and Planet Hollywood have recently been joined by a dinner show based on Abba movie Mamma Mia! as well as a new flagship venue of the Hard Rock Cafe which is a few minutes from Park Row.
"Trends in our sector are moving towards fun, immersive and experiential dining and our aim is to demonstrate this on a grand scale with exceptional food and drink to match," says Bulmer. "I am still a child at heart, inspired by the greatest stories and storytellers. For me, great food experiences are about unlocking guests’ emotions and creating edible memories." If Park Row manages to do that its guests really will have a happy ending.
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