The 300-year-old restored church, will be home to Daren Liew who will head up the kitchen. The restaurant within St Thomas’ Church will be spread across 5,802 sq. ft., over a basement, ground floor and mezzanine level. Liew, the kitchen’s head chef has taken on his new role at Duddell’s, following decades of experience, which includes his role as executive sous chef at the Hakkasan Group, famous for its Michelin star status. the restoration of the church is being overseen by Michaelis Boyd, the designers behind the famous Soho Farmhouse and the Groucho Club. Duddell’s was only awarded its first Michelin star just five months ago, and very quickly expectations elevated. The menu is to include a dim sum served in a contemporary style, with a relaxed, yet extremely stylish and upmarket interior to complement its delectable food. Also, likely to be an attraction, will be the bar, where cocktails with a Chinese twist will be served, as well as some of the world’s oldest wines. The restaurant is also heavily known for its continually evolving art exhibitions, music performances and film screenings. The new site at the church is the first outside of Hong Kong, after Alan Lo, Paulo Pong and Yenn Wong’s original restaurant, the brainchild of this trio which has been opened for 4 years since 2013. The owners have since received coveted awards for its food and interior décor. Duddell’s has cemented its place among elite diners who have pinned this restaurant as a must-have visit. The agents acting on behalf of St Thomas’ Church was Shelley Sandzer and Partner Leo Feldman, who are London based leisure property agents. The firms believe that this conversion will provide a ‘spectacular’ addition to London’s already thriving dining scene which is bursting at the seams and always encouraging new chefs to take residence. Leo Feldman commented in a recent press release that: ‘This unique building will make one of the most spectacular dining destinations in the capital. With its rich heritage, this building has bags of character and we have no doubt Duddell’s will create the same buzz as they have in Hong Kong.’ Chris Gass who represents the church adds: ‘Shelley Sandzer’s wealth of experience in bringing overseas brands to the UK for the first time ensured that we were able to secure an exciting operator to take over the church.’ 'Entering Duddell's feels like being welcomed into the home of a great art collector - one that also happens to have an in-house two Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant, a lush 2,000 square foot Garden Terrace, and sophisticated salon with artisanal cocktails and vintage champagne.' – The founders of the first. Doubtless, St Thomas Church. Feature image credit: Nigel Chadwick/Geograph.org.uk