Mahiki to open 'grown-up' venue near Princes Harry and William in Kensington

Favourite club of bachelor royals to open new venue (it’s near Harry)
Party people: regulars at the Mayfair Mahiki have included Kate Middleton (left) and Rihanna

It is the unashamedly brash Mayfair nightspot famed as the destination of choice for the bachelor royal set in their wild clubbing days.

Now a more grown-up “all-day” version of Mahiki with a restaurant, cocktail bar and even quiet private dining rooms is opening within babysitter-hailing distance of Princes William and Harry’s homes at Kensington Palace.

The backers of the new Mahiki Kensington said the original Dover Street venue — where Beyoncé, Rihanna, Brad Pitt and Harry Styles have been regulars — was still a great institution but the scene had moved on from the West End.

The new outpost of the South Sea island-themed club— notorious for its “treasure chest” communal cocktail — is a joint venture. Mahiki founders Piers Adam and David Phelps are teaming up with the creators of South Kensington private members’ club Albert’s — Carlo Carello, Jake Parkinson-Smith and Fraser Carruthers.

Mr Carello, a former manager at South Kensington’s Boujis — another royal haunt — said Londoners were increasingly jaded by sweaty West End “box nightclubs” and looking for a more sophisticated “dining and dancing” experience.

Building the family: the original Mahiki, above, will have a sibling in Kensington 
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Mr Carruthers said: “We love the Mahiki brand but we felt it needed a bit of a facelift, it is going to have a touch of Kensington and Chelsea about it.” The team have three other west London venues in the pipeline.

The new Mahiki is due to open in Kensington High Street in September, taking the place of “schnapps and schnitzel” Alpine lodge-themed Bodo’s Schloss, which shut last month.

Mahiki Kensington will have a 150-cover restaurant called Pufferfish serving pan-Asian dishes such as tuna tartare, and salmon with truffle oil and ponzu that will be seared with a blowtorch at the table. There will be a cocktail and sushi bar in the evenings “and areas of the venue that are not blaring loud music,” said Mr Carello.

Mahiki - in pictures

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The Pufferfish theme continues with a large fish tank and a dance floor glitterball in the shape of the famously inflatable marine creatures. Diners will also be asked to make a £1 contribution to a charity that aims to protect endangered species of Pufferfish.

The restaurant will open from midday — an hour many of Mahiki’s original punters would consider fit only for sleeping off a hangover — and the nightclub will stay open until 3am at weekends and have a £20 entry fee.

Some original Mahiki trademarks will survive. The Treasure Chest lives on but in Kensington the container for the rum, brandy and champagne concoction will be made of chiselled ice.

Mr Adam said: “Mahiki are so excited to be opening its second London site. After 10 years, Mahiki is now an institution and an authority on award-winning cocktails. Partnering with the superstars of the local area, Jake, Carlo and Fraser, Mahiki Kensington will not only retain its reputation for fun, but it will also be introducing a world class head chef specialising in Asian cuisine.”

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