In London the effervescence of a city that in recent decades has been able to build its own idiosyncrasy is crowded. And although we cannot deny that both the confinement and the epidemic situation have caused an ostensible pause in that constant boil, its momentum is slowly preparing to return. Especially thanks to restaurant Sucre London , a culinary opening with an Argentine stamp that is consolidated in the heart of soho.
The new restaurant of the renowned Argentine chef Fernando Trocca , Y, Down London , the basement bar of the best bartender in the world of 2020, tato giovannoni , without a doubt, it has been proposed to considerably enliven the scene of the gastronomic novelties for what it's worth go back to london.
Sucre London, restaurant of chef Fernando Trocca.
The culinary history that has brought together these two Argentine feats of gastronomy and of the cocktail bar goes back to the beginning of Sucre , a restaurant emblem in Buenos Aires that Fernando Trocca opened in 2001 —in the neighborhood of Belgrano— under its own interpretation of contemporary Argentine signature cuisine with local seasonal and organic products.
With the passing of the years, Sucre It garnered tremendous recognition from the local public, and also established itself on the Latin American scene by taking the 29th spot in Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants awards in 2013.
It wouldn't be long before he reached the sucre bar who would add a singular hallmark to the cocktail bar. We refer to Renato "Tato" Giovannoni , who a few days after being elected as best bartender in the world immersed Condé Nast Traveler in that four-year experience in Sucre that palpably transformed his leitmotif.
“It was the first place where I realized that in addition to being happy being a bartender, it was easy for me and I loved it. At that moment I said to myself 'I want to be bartender all my life'… and later, I began to understand that my profession was not just to be behind the bar”.
Fernando Trocca and Tato Giovannoni in Down London.
SUCRE LONDON AND BELOW LONDON, BY FERNANDO TROCCA AND TATO GIOVANNONI
In 2021, Fernando Trocca Y tato giovannoni they amalgamated their respective passions in search of the conquest of London. “The project started approximately three years ago. Zeev Godik, with whom I worked for almost nine years in London , bought from my partners Sucre , that is to say, only he and I remain as partners. His plan at that time was to be able to open Sucre in London … Three years later we finally opened it,” he says. Fernando Trocca.
After traveling to London in October 2019 to visit the premises and returning a month later to the start of construction, the start of the pandemic made it impossible for both Fernando and Renato to closely observe how their project came to life , in addition to a delay that led them to momentarily pause their gastronomic longing until February of this year.
The gestation of Sucre London It coexisted with the difficulties of the health situation and the challenge of conceiving elections through a screen, however, that did not prevent the results from being formidable. “When I arrived, I did not expect to be so happy. It was a huge challenge, because England is the capital of the world cocktail , and the industry reception was incredible. You think you have friends, but I didn't think there would be so many, and everyone is willing to help," he adds. tato giovannoni.
Below London, Tato Giovannoni's bar.
The Japanese architect Noriyoshi Muramatsu he was aware that it was necessary to capture in the restaurant and in the bar the idiosyncrasy of the native country of both creators. “Naturally, they knew of the story of Sucre in Argentina , and they tried to give it some Latin American details. They did a very good job”, emphasizes Fernando.
With a notable influence of Argentine dishes, Latin American cuisine and that inspiration from the origins of Sucre in the early 2000s —as well as Italian and Spanish cuisine—, this proposal is conquering the international and London palates that converge in the city.
“Everyone behind the kitchen is a figure, each one in his place and his position, beginning with Steven Wilson, our chef de cuisine . In a restaurant, the team is the most important thing we have, for that reason there is no one person in particular. We try to work that way, ”adds Fernando, while he hints at the virtues of Argentine culture.
Risotto with ossobuco - a plate that Ferdinand kitchen almost 30 years ago, and was inspired by his grandmother Serafina, who prepared it when he was little—, pork butt, grilled sweetbreads, Mexican toast with tatemada sauce and dulce de leche volcano are among the great sucre's favorites , according to the creator of it.
Sucre London, by Fernando Trocca.
On the other hand, and with that hobby that Renato Giovanni owns towards the basements and that he has been able to materialize in the masterful bar in Buenos Aires, Atlantic Florist , on this occasion he has had the opportunity to create a new concept inspired by Argentina , with “many freedoms in creation, aesthetics and furniture”, as Renato expresses.
“The idea was take Buenos Aires as a reference in the late seventies, and early eighties . Through that cultural revolution that was experienced with the return to democracy, being able to interpret that scene in detail in some way in a bar”.
Cocktail bar in Abajo London, by Tato Giovannoni.
An open bar, the wide range of colors in the furniture and formats, in addition to its own idiosyncrasy of a basement , is a journey back in time to those underground places in Buenos Aires where artists gathered in the days before the return to democracy. "That encounter with the colors was what happened in Buenos Aires, inspired through music and the song of freedom."
So, Down London offers eleven colored cocktails that express a connection of cultures between Great Britain and Argentina —when the South American country looked more to Europe than to the United States, unlike other South American countries—, with long drinks , the way it was drunk in Argentina at that time.
The undisputed successes of Down London ? Something red, something bubble –with champagne and vintage liqueurs– and a perfect Fernet cocktail macerated for six days in cherries.
DJ, vinyl music, tango and live music complement the proposal of Down London from Tuesday to Sunday.