Indian Accent had opened in London in December 2017, following its first international outpost in New York City, in February 2016.
COVID-19 has one more high-profile casualty in the hospitality industry. Indian Accent London, which operated in Mayfair, one of the city’s poshest locations, has shut its doors permanently.
According to a statement put out by IRL, the company which licensed Indian Accent in London, the decision was the direct result of COVID-19. “Social distancing would reduce the restaurant capacity to just 30 covers. This, combined with the significant fixed costs as a result of operating on one of the most expensive streets in the world and the general economic uncertainty in the UK, means that the business is unviable at its current location,” said the statement.
This is the second major fine dining restaurant to announce its exit from London’s highly competitive hospitality scene. The two Michelin-starred restaurant, The Ledbury, located in Notting Hill, announced its closure earlier this month, again due to the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.
Indian Accent had opened in London in December 2017, following its first international outpost in New York City, in February 2016. The menu featuring dishes such as soy keema, quail egg and lime leaf butter pao, Kashmiri morels and walnut powder with parmesan papad and ghee roast lamb with roomali roti, made it one of the best-reviewed Indian fine-dining places in the city.
Manish Mehrotra, Corporate Chef, Indian Accent Restaurants, said, “It is sad to see that so many great restaurants in London and across the world are having to close. We hope that restaurants are able to get through this and return even stronger after this crisis. We will miss being a part of the exciting dining culture in London. We hope to make it back in London, bigger and better, once we put this crisis behind us.”
The official statement also stated that Indian Accent in New Delhi and New York City will not be affected by the decision taken by the London company and “are getting ready to safely reopen in compliance with local guidelines.”