(Bloomberg) -- The king of New York dining, Danny Meyer, once approvingly compared JKS Restaurants to a record label. The Union Square Hospitality Group founder was especially impressed by the UK-based JKS’s ability to sign emerging talent across multiple dining genres.
The 16-year-old empire from the JKS founders—siblings Jyotin, Karam and Sunaina Sethi —runs the gamut, from the two-Michelin-starred Gymkhana and acclaimed modern British Lyle’s to more informal, beloved ventures, such as the Taiwanese sandwich specialists Bao and Persian hangout Berenjak. One thing ties JKS’s places together: There’s always a line or a waitlist.
The group’s brand-new restaurant, Ambassadors Clubhouse, just opened on a cloistered cul-de-sac off the Mayfair side of Regent Street. The big question: Can it keep JKS’s winning streak intact?
A Party-Oriented Spot
Previously the Heddon Street space was home to the boisterous North African restaurant Momo, and Ambassadors is working to emulate that party-forward formula of great food and late-night high jinks with a menu that champions the Punjabi kitchen and South Asian dance playlist.
The restaurant honors the founders’ maternal grandfather, Raj Tandon, an Indian ambassador to Dublin and the Hague in the 1960s. His portrait hangs front and center, and the decor is inspired by his opulent summer house in Dalhousie, near the Pakistan border. The restaurant’s ground floor is reminiscent of a lavish Indian parlor with wall-to-wall mirrors, a glimmering gold dome and glossy ceiling tiles. The menu reflects the kind of elegant dishes served in lavish mansions of the age but also nods to pre-partition Punjab street food.
The high-octane atmosphere on the ground floor and downstairs, a jewel-box-like space, houses a shimmering bar, a handful of tables and some of London’s most stylish private dining rooms.
What You’re Eating
Chef Shanti Bhushan’s menu is broken into multiple sections, including first-course bitings, chaat and kebabs, through to larger offerings like biryani and matka and karahi, curries cooked in a variety of styles. It’s a notably long, slightly convoluted menu with some dishes partly translated to English and most not. (It could use a glossary, and definitely benefits from an unhurried server to offer explanations.)
To start, Nargisi chicken koftas (£12/$16) feature a deep-fried round of finely ground spiced chicken cradling a runny quail egg with a dollop of masala ketchup. It will remind some diners of a fancy, well-seasoned Scotch egg. The reshmi chicken tikka (£20) is nicely accented by a chunky peanut chutney; the bold option is masala magaz cheela (£14)—flimsy little lentil pancakes filled with mildly spiced lamb brains.
The larger rice-based pilaus, biryanis and karahi selections are the crowd-pleasing dishes most familiar to people who know JKS for its City hangout, the Indian members-club-meets-rowdy-sports-bar Brigadiers. (Editor’s note: Brigadiers is located in the Bloomberg Arcade, part of the company’s London office building.)
Guinea fowl changezi (£28), is a deep crimson, regal-looking curry named in honor of Genghis Khan, the 12th century Mughal ruler that has a rich, brooding velvety sauce flecked with cardamom, Kashmiri chili, fenugreek and cream. But the standout is quail pilau (£28), a harmoniously spiced, gamey, buttery marvel—a near-perfect version of the feasting dish, fit for a maharaja’s banquet table. The star side is the signature black lentil dish, ma ki dal (£11), perhaps even surpassing Dishoom’s acclaimed version. It’s especially good paired with the spiced, mashed-potato stuffed bread, Amritsari kulcha (£5).
Who You’ll See
The prominence of the bar and the energetic, Indian next-generation playlist make the drinks especially important here. The cocktail list, hovering around £12 to £15, focuses on tequila. The spice-infused masala margarita, with a chaat masala salted rim, is particularly good; so is the Patiala Peg, a Punjabi take on an old-fashioned, mixed tableside. For people with bigger plans, the party cocktails come in large crystal decanters for the table: The 1.5-liter (50-ounce) maharaja margarita goes for £200. There’s a mix of old- and new-world bottles on the wine list, plus an exclusive-to-Ambassadors Kingfisher beer, as well as a solid alcohol-free section.
From its prime location on the Mayfair-Soho divide, Ambassadors is already attracting a mix of high rollers and hedge funders, their sleeves rolled up at the bar after the kitchen has closed, as well as good-timers from Soho and luxury shoppers from nearby Bond Street, toting various sizes of logoed bags.
Starting on Sept. 6, Ambassadors will open Ambassy, a late-night spot. From 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., Thursday through Saturday, the basement bar and private rooms will morph into a club with vibrant Punjabi and South Asian beats and notable DJs.
One thing’s for sure: There’s a party starting in Mayfair. The proliferation of local clubs like 5 Hertford Street and Oswald's shows the demand for nights that mix dining and dancing. But those spots require membership. The Sethis, buoyed by the success of club nights at some of their other restaurants, are taking an unrestricted approach with their Clubhouse, and on an early night, with a packed house, it looks like JKS has made a smart bet.
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