69 Colebrooke Row Bar, Pret a Diner: Italians do it better launch, Mayfair
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Italians do it better: Pret a Diner comes to London

ByQin Xie

69 Colebrooke Row Bar, Pret a Diner: Italians do it better launch, Mayfair

“Italians do it better” by Pret a Diner  (by Kofler & Kompanie) launched in Mayfair on 9th May with a bang. Though the invite did not say so, the dress code was definitely Italian chic: think Dolce  & Gabbana with added stars and sparkles – the likes of Chris Eubank and Zafar Rushdie came along for the bash. And since then it has been booked by Jay-Z and Kanye West to launch their European tour.

With Giorgio Locatelli (of Locanda Locatelli) at the helm sending out plates of delicious Italian in the restaurant, created by him and five other Michelin-starred Italian chefs, the food was positively nourishing. The canapés sent round ran along the lines of mini-burgers, pasta and scallops just to name a few. Fashionistas might worry about the calories but you’ll definitely be in need of some carbs after sipping the potently easy drinking cocktails at the bar run by 69 Colebrooke Row. Cocktails aside, Moët & Chandon flowed alongside Martini Royales making grooving to the beats of the DJs a whole lot smoother.

During the run of the pop up, dinners will be a set menu designed by either Giorgio Locatelli (traditional) or one of the guest chefs (the modern take). Fish burgers, gnocchi and fritto misto are just the sort of things you might find on the menu. The 69 Colebrooke Row pop up will have classics from its Islington namesake such as Death in Venice as well as cocktails with an Italian twist like Sicilian Sour.

Basically, prepare yourself for a night of heady Italian.

Pret a Diner is brought to youand will run at 50 St James’s Street until the end of June. Bookings can be made online. Here are a few snaps from the launch party:

Qin Xie is a London based food, wine and travel journalist and trained chef.

When not infiltrating Michelin restaurants as a kitchen tourist, she writes about food, drink and travel. Her work has appeared on Yahoo, FT, The Times and CNN.

Her first cookbook, co-authored with YS Peng at Hunan Restaurant, is out March 2014.

According to friends, her watch is always set to UTC -- ready for the next big adventure. In reality, she is happiest at the dinner table or by the sea.

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