Mondrian London at Sea Containers pick Scotsman ice

When presentation is vital, supercubes look the part

Catering is incredibly busy at the South Bank’s newest landmark hotel, Mondrian London at Sea Containers. Alongside Sea Containers restaurant, which serves 600 or more per day, there is the Den (‘part gathering place, part decompression zone’), Dandelyan cocktail bar and Rumpus Room, the hotel’s rooftop bar and lounge. Plus the hotel hosts events, catering for up to 200. Ice is in big demand and to ensure there is always a reliable supply, the hotel installed Scotsman icemakers.

“We use the ice for drinks, of course, on the rocks, cocktails, ice buckets and so on, but also in the kitchen,” says Executive Chef Luke Rayment. “We serve our oysters on crushed ice, we use ice to refresh products when we’ve cooked them, and to keep seafood fresh.”

The Scotsman range is distributed in the UK by Hubbard Systems. There are three undercounter Scotsman EC machines with integral ice bins at the hotel and a modular MC46 unit, which is a high volume icemaker that sits on top of a separate storage bin.

All the machines produce Scotsman’s gourmet supercube ice, which is perfect for the hotel’s drinks service as it is clear, hard and long lasting – chilling without diluting. The supercubes are made by spraying water into inverted refrigerated cups, so most of the impurities in the water drop out as the ice is made.

“Presentation is everything. We eat – and drink – with our eyes,” says Luke. “That’s why chefs spend years and years learning how to plate food. It’s the same behind the bar. If a drink comes up and it looks great, you instantly think it’s going to taste nice. That starts with the glass, the garnish and the ice cubes.”

As well as offering a reliable supply of quality ice, the Scotsman machines are designed to be user-friendly. “We chose equipment for functionality and ease of use,” says Luke. “For example, it’s an important part of our day to day regime that we need to clean equipment. If it’s easy to keep clean, it makes our life easier.”

Vision Commercial Kitchens project managed Mondrian London at Sea Containers installation, with Tricon as the design consultant. “We use Scotsman machines all the time, they’re a very reliable brand,” says Phil Shea of Vision. “The EC machines are exceptionally easy to install, because of their integral pump, which means we don’t have to worry about siting in terms of wastewater and the drains.”

The Scotsman EC models are the only icemakers with the integral waste water pump. Installation is easy because the pump means they only require one waste drain-off point – so there’s no need for the expensive drain alterations associated with a gravity draining machine, and there’s also no need for an external condensate pump, which normally requires an additional electrical socket.

Scotsman @ Mondrian London at Sea Containers

The self-contained undercounter icemakers at the hotel are EC106 and EC176 units.

The EC106 measures W 530 x D 600 x H 850mm (legs + 120mm). It has a maximum production capacity of 50kg per day and its storage bin holds up to 23kg. The EC176 measure W 680 x D 600 x

H 1000mm (legs + 120mm). It can make up to 83kg of ice per day, with a bin capacity of 48kg.

The Scotsman MC46 modular ice maker makes up to 300kg of ice per day and measures W 1070 x D 530 x H 860mm. Hubbard Systems recommends it is supplied with the FOL-600 storage bin, which can hold up to 246kg of ice.

Hubbard Systems is the UK distributor for the market-leading Scotsman range, which is available via dealers nationwide.  For more information on the full range of Scotsman ice machines, and details of local stockists, freephone Hubbard Systems on 0800 616559, call 01473 350045 email sales@hubbardsystems.co.ukmailto:sales@hubbardice.co.uk or visit www.scotsman-ice.co.uk