Chef Magazine for Thailand December/January | Page 42

Hudson Yards is the Rockefeller Center of the 21st century. It’s a
one-off. It will never happen in my lifetime again. So, to be able
to be part of a project like that is extremely compelling.’
Although news of the two projects emerged at around the
same time and are due to open within a year of each other (The
Surf Club is scheduled for later this month with the TAK Room
following in spring 2019) in typical Keller style, the ‘continental’
concept has been gestating for quite some time and has a
surprising history behind it.
‘I started working on developing the menu for this with the lead
chef for our restaurants in 2008-2010. It was a slow process
because we weren’t really rushed with it,’ says Keller who was
first approached about Hudson Yards by Related Companies,
who he partnered with for Per Se, in 2006. ‘By 2014 we had
realized the opportunity to do our first beta test of the concept.
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When we closed the French Laundry for a remodel we opened a
pop-up restaurant Ad Lib at a country club near us. We coined
the acronym ELF for energy, loud and fun. It was just that kind
of restaurant. Good music, quick paced service, food that was
recognizable, and one that people really enjoyed. There was
nothing new, it was just about quality products and quality
execution.
‘Right around that same time I entered an agreement with
Seabourn to open restaurants on their three ships at the time. They
were 40 seat restaurants and we called it The Grill by Thomas
Keller. It’s funny, because ten or 11 years ago Heston Blumenthal
and I were negotiating with Seabourn to do that same space as the
restaurant by Thomas Keller and Heston but we could never come
to an agreement. The Grill on Seabourn is that restaurant that
we did at Ad Lib and a precursor to what we’re doing at Surf Club