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Cycene in London: Blue Mountain School’s Latest Restaurant Is a Multi-Room Experience

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Restaurant VisitIssue 48 — Scandi Winter

Cycene in London: Blue Mountain School’s Latest Restaurant Is a Multi-Room Experience

November 30, 2022

London’s Blue Mountain School is an emporium not an educational institution. But it’s a place of learning nonetheless: The six-story brick hub in Shoreditch showcases a concise, highbrow mix of fashion, art, and craft. It also has a restaurant tucked into the second floor: the Michelin-starred Mãos just reopened as Cycene, remodeled dining room and enlarged kitchen included.

BMS is the brainchild of creative couple Christie and James Brown, and we have been taking design inspiration from their work every step of the way. (To track the surefooted evolution of their restaurant, see Blue Mountain School: London’s Creative Club of the Moment, The Rarefied Restaurant at Blue Mountain School, and Steal This Look.)

The Cycene experience takes place over three hours in a succession of rooms, all filled with ideas worth applying at home. It starts in the newly built bar on the ground floor; continues in the kitchen, where guests get to see the night’s tasting menu in progress; and moves on to the dining rooms, one paneled and intimate, the other a BDDW-tiled art installation with a chef’s table for private parties. Come take a tour.

Photography as noted, courtesy of Blue Mountain School.

The Bar

curtained off from the street, the pared back oak bar is where on arrival diner 17
Above: Curtained off from the street, the pared-back oak bar is where on arrival diners are served “healing seasonal broths” while listening to music from a record player with Klipsch speakers and vintage quad amps. Photograph by Rebecca Dickson.
the broth is served in stoneware and porcelain beakers by british potter and bl 18
Above: The broth is served in stoneware and porcelain beakers by British potter and Blue Mountain School artist Steve Harrison. Photograph by Rebecca Dickson.

The Dining Room

newly introduced oak paneling is offset by rough plaster walls that were former 19
Above: Newly introduced oak paneling is offset by rough plaster walls that were formerly gypsum pink, now painted “Cycene Grey.” The only moveable furnishings are the Panel Back Windsor Chairs with leather back rests from Christopher Howe. The charcoal drawing is artist Frank Auerbach’s portrait of his son from the Browns’ own collection. The rough-sawn oak floor is layered with an antique rug. Photograph by Damian Griffith.
the back of the room has a wrap around oak bench with walnut butterfly joints u 20
Above: The back of the room has a wrap-around oak bench with walnut butterfly joints upholstered in a Raf Simmons’ “teddy wool” from Kvadrat. New interior windows provide glimpses into the kitchen.

The Browns worked with 6a architects on the initial conversion of the whole building. The new restaurant and kitchen upgrades were designed by the couple themselves and fabricated by Blue Mountain School Studio, which produces all of the BMS design projects and commissions. The idea here, the Browns note, was to present a “traditional materials palette turned on its head through contemporary application.” Photograph by Damian Griffith.

The Private Room

preserved as it was, the hearth room is an installation by american artist and 21
Above: Preserved as it was, the Hearth Room is an installation by American artist and BMS collaborator Tyler Hays of BDDW, who finished the double-height space with a tile mural and live-edge Wishbone table, all made in his Philadelphia studio. The glass door leads into the kitchen, and curtains separate the space from the dining room. Photograph by Rebecca Dickson.

The Kitchen

cycene is the old english word for kitchen. the newly enlarged space—a r 22
Above: Cycene is the Old English word for kitchen. The newly enlarged space—a response to the ins and outs of running Mãos, which, at one time, had a waiting list of 1,000—retains the original tiles designed by Stephanie Macdonald of 6a architects, hand-painted in Portugal. The granite-topped counters were “raised significantly from domestic standards to provide the optimum working height for comfortable movement and mobility.”

The kitchen is presided over by chef Theo Clench, who was introduced to the Browns in an amicable passing of the baton by previous chef Eddie Pellicano of Mãos. Photograph by Damian Griffith.

another new addition is an aging fridge lined with himalayan pink salt blocks t 23
Above: Another new addition is an aging fridge lined with Himalayan pink salt blocks to “assist with moisture management and improve flavor.” Glass-fronted fermentation lockers house Cycene’s kombuchas and ferments. Photograph by Damian Griffith.
brushed stainless steel counters run the length of the kitchen. the brass bridg 24
Above: Brushed stainless steel counters run the length of the kitchen. The brass bridge faucet was made by the BMS Studio from the Browns’ “archive of pieces.” The steel cabinets are contrasted with brass hardware. Photograph by Damian Griffith.

The Masterminds

christie brown, james brown, and chef theo clench await your arrival. blue moun 25
Above: Christie Brown, James Brown, and chef Theo Clench await your arrival. Blue Mountain School is at 9 Chance St in Shoreditch, E2 7JB. Go to Cycene for reservations.

Here’s a look at the restaurant as it originally looked:

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