William Drabble to double up at Althoff St. James’s Hotel & Club

Opening at the end of this month, Francatelli’s takes its name from Charles Elmé Francatelli, the author of the 1846 cookbook The Modern Cook , who Drabble cites as being one of his culinary idols. Francatelli’s will bring to life modern interpretations of 19th-century dishes with a menu that draws inspiration from Francatelli, a British chef who served as the chief chef at St. James’s Club (then known as Crockford’s Club, located at 50 St. James’s) and later became Queen Victoria’s head chef. Drabble’s à la carte menu will feature dishes ‘that evoke the Victorian era’ while supporting small farms and producers. Starters will include scotch broth, a recipe by Francatelli, combining root vegetables with mutton, while mains will be dishes such as shepherd’s pie; and fried fillets of plaice with tartar sauce. For dessert will be an amaretto-glazed filbert cream tart; homemade ice cream and sorbets served in an ice cream cone referred to as Francatelli’s gauffres. They will be adapted from a recipe in The Modern Cook that contains one of the earliest known illustrations of ice cream cones. “Charles Francatelli has been an icon to me for a long time and I am excited to be introducing his wonderful, classic dishes back to Seven Park Place,” says Drabble. “The new menu allows us to honour and celebrate the paired-back brilliance of the 1800s and Francatelli’s recipes included in The Modern Cook, as well as the history of St. James’s Hotel & Club.” Established in 1857, Althoff St. James’s Hotel & Club was initially founded as both a hotel and a private members club. Francatelli’s will open on 29 February.

William Drabble to double up at Althoff St. James’s Hotel & Club

William Drabble is to open a new restaurant and bar within Althoff St. James’s Hotel & Club, home to the chef’s Seven Park Place restaurant.

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