Heston Blumenthal to open first London restaurant

Sri Carmichael, Consumer Affairs Reporter
25 Jun 2009

Three Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal is to open his first London restaurant.

The adventurous cook, who is famous for his snail porridge and bacon and egg ice-cream, today confirmed he will launch a venture at the five-star Mandarin Oriental hotel in Knightsbridge.

Blumenthal, who runs the award-winning Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, will open the new venue in autumn 2010.

The move sees him pit himself against other big name chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Joel Robuchon and Marcus Wareing who already run Michelin-starred restaurants in the capital.

Blumenthal will install his top chef from the Fat Duck, Ashley Palmer Watts, as head of the new kitchen.

The restaurant could potentially draw in a host of A-list celebrities, who already stay at the hotel when in London. Singers Beyonce and Britney Spears based themselves there in recent weeks while on tour.

Blumenthal said: “I am thrilled at the prospect of opening a restaurant in such a central London location. It is a natural step and one which offers an exciting opportunity.”

He takes over the site of the Mandarin Oriental's one Michelin-starred Foliage restaurant, which was run by Hywel Jones and then Chris Staines.

The move to a prime spot for international tourists cements Blumenthal's comeback after a health scare earlier this year that forced him to close his Fat Duck restaurant for a fortnight after 400 diners were taken ill.

The chef later blamed the sickness bout on a handful of customers and staff contracting the highly contagious winter vomiting bug.

His new 140-seat restaurant will be refurbished by New York interior designer Adam Tihany, who plans to highlight natural materials including wood and iron to reflect Blumenthal's revival of traditional British dishes in unexpected ways.

However Christoph Mares, director of operations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the food will not be as eccentric as in the Fat Duck.

He said: “It will be a sensational restaurant, we are very excited. Heston will serve traditional English food with a slightly different take, but it will not involve the same molecular gastronomy he uses in the Fat Duck.”

In the last year Blumenthal has employed his culinary expertise outside his own restaurant group. He is currently involved in a project to revamp NHS hospital food and earlier this year redesigned the menus for roadside cafe chain, The Little Chef.

The latest flavour of Walkers crisps - Builder's Breakfast - was also chosen with Blumenthal's help.