After a hiatus of some Four years, The Don is set to reopen its doors later this month under new ownership. The restaurant, located in St Swithin’s Lane, London, has undergone a complete refurbishment in preparation for the relaunch, restoring it to its former glory.
The name, The Don, is in homage to the heritage of the building; in 1805, George Sandeman moved his thriving wine importing and bottling business to the site, which went on to operate there until 1967. The Don — the silhouette of a figure dressed in a cape and wide-brimmed hat — remains to this day the symbol of Sandeman Port.
The Don’s head chef, Toby Lever, formerly of Kimpton and Lutyens, has developed a modern European menu based on seasonal ingredients, which allows the produce to take centre stage. “The simplicity and quality of the food is important, given the complexity of the wine,” says General Manager Peter Horton.
The wine menu, which focuses on Italy, France and Iberia, has over 600 wines, each selected by Head Sommelier Max Cohn and David Gleave MW (chairman and founder of Liberty Wines). To further embrace the history of the location, which saw the Rothschilds and the Sandemans as neighbours from 1809 until 1967, the menu features a selection of wines from the Rothchild wine estates around the world, which includes examples from the celebrated Chateau Lafite Rothchild in Bordeaux.
The Port list includes wines from all the major Port houses, as Horton aims to mark the return of Sandeman to the City by making The Don a meeting point for the UK Port shippers. Champagne expert Simon Stockton has compiled a list for The Don that includes a wide range of well and lesser-known Champagnes, showcasing the diverse range available. In a similar vein, and to pay tribute to George Sandeman’s Scottish roots, The Don offers a whisky list that reflects the current excitement of this sector, with well-respected old names like The Macallan rubbing shoulders with newcomers like Ardnamurchan.
Beneath the restaurant lie the cellars, much as they were when George Sandeman originally took possession of the site. They were ideal for ageing and storing the wines, and were easily accessed by an underground passage from the Thames. The barrels were rolled off the ships – which were moored on the Thames near where Cannon Street Station stands today – and up the passage to the cellars.
These cellars now offer some of the City’s finest sites for private dining. The heritage dining room, known as the Sandeman Room, can accommodate up to 16 people, and the old Barrel Cellar offers one of the largest private dining spaces in the City.
The Don will be open
for lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Friday, from 12pm until 2.30pm and from 5.30pm until 9.30pm.
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