Quo Vadis (restaurant)
Encyclopedia
Quo Vadis is a restaurant and private club in Soho
, London
. It primarily serves modern British food. It was founded in 1926 by an Italian named Pepino Leoni and has passed through numerous owners since then, including celebrity chef Marco Pierre White
, and is currently owned by Sam and Eddie Hart, also the owners of Fino and Barrafina. The restaurant is named after the Latin
phrase Quo vadis?, meaning "Where are you going?"
, and the location in which he wrote Das Kapital
.
In 1996, the restaurant was bought by Marco Pierre White and Damien Hirst
, and featured paintings by the artist as well as a bar designed by him. The pair later parted company after a public falling out, following which White replaced Hirst's paintings with some of his own.
In November 2007, head chef and owner Marco Pierre White sold the restaurant, along with two others, to restaurant group Conduit Street. Quo Vadis was then sold on again to Sam and Eddie Hart, who immediately closed it down. Both White and the Hart brothers endured criticism as Christmas bookings were cancelled. The Hart brothers re-opened the restaurant in 2008 following extensive restoration work and, in 2009, it won Tatler
magazine's Restaurant of the Year award.
In July 2008, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay
named Quo Vadis as his favourite restaurant, describing the Hart brothers as "restaurateurs in the fullest sense of the word". The Evening Standard
characterised this praise as a "thinly veiled attack" on Marco Pierre White, with whom Ramsay has an antipathetic relationship.
On the front-right of the restaurant is curious sight of a human nose. Whether this references to ancient Rome legend where traitors had their nose cut off and fed to animals is uncertain.
reviewer Giles Coren
gave the restaurant a score of 9 out of 10, describing the food as "all done beautifully" and The Telegraph
' s reviewer, Jasper Gerard, gave it 8 out of 10 and said that visitors would "adore the cooking".
Tracey MacLeod of The Independent
was less positive, giving the restaurant 2 out of 5 for ambience and service, although 4 out of 5 for food. She described the waiters as "skittish" and said that the Hart brothers were "not natural hosts".
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It primarily serves modern British food. It was founded in 1926 by an Italian named Pepino Leoni and has passed through numerous owners since then, including celebrity chef Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White
Marco Pierre White is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is noted for his contributions to contemporary international cuisine, and his exceptional culinary skills....
, and is currently owned by Sam and Eddie Hart, also the owners of Fino and Barrafina. The restaurant is named after the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
phrase Quo vadis?, meaning "Where are you going?"
History
The restaurant was founded in 1926 by Pepino Leoni. Prior to this, the building is notable for being the workplace of Karl MarxKarl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, and the location in which he wrote Das Kapital
Das Kapital
Das Kapital, Kritik der politischen Ökonomie , by Karl Marx, is a critical analysis of capitalism as political economy, meant to reveal the economic laws of the capitalist mode of production, and how it was the precursor of the socialist mode of production.- Themes :In Capital: Critique of...
.
In 1996, the restaurant was bought by Marco Pierre White and Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst
Damien Steven Hirst is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists , who dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s. He is internationally renowned, and is reportedly Britain's richest living artist,...
, and featured paintings by the artist as well as a bar designed by him. The pair later parted company after a public falling out, following which White replaced Hirst's paintings with some of his own.
In November 2007, head chef and owner Marco Pierre White sold the restaurant, along with two others, to restaurant group Conduit Street. Quo Vadis was then sold on again to Sam and Eddie Hart, who immediately closed it down. Both White and the Hart brothers endured criticism as Christmas bookings were cancelled. The Hart brothers re-opened the restaurant in 2008 following extensive restoration work and, in 2009, it won Tatler
Tatler
Tatler has been the name of several British journals and magazines, each of which has viewed itself as the successor of the original literary and society journal founded by Richard Steele in 1709. The current incarnation, founded in 1901, is a glossy magazine published by Condé Nast Publications...
magazine's Restaurant of the Year award.
In July 2008, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
named Quo Vadis as his favourite restaurant, describing the Hart brothers as "restaurateurs in the fullest sense of the word". The Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
characterised this praise as a "thinly veiled attack" on Marco Pierre White, with whom Ramsay has an antipathetic relationship.
On the front-right of the restaurant is curious sight of a human nose. Whether this references to ancient Rome legend where traitors had their nose cut off and fed to animals is uncertain.
Critical reception
Quo Vadis under its current ownership has received generally positive reviews. Tatler has listed it as one of its top 20 restaurants, The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
reviewer Giles Coren
Giles Coren
Giles Coren is a British food critic, television presenter and novelist. He is known for expressing controversial opinions, and for his television appearances with the comedian Sue Perkins.-Personal:...
gave the restaurant a score of 9 out of 10, describing the food as "all done beautifully" and The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
Tracey MacLeod of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
was less positive, giving the restaurant 2 out of 5 for ambience and service, although 4 out of 5 for food. She described the waiters as "skittish" and said that the Hart brothers were "not natural hosts".