What: A new steak restaurant on the fifth floor of Knightsbridge department store Harrods. The Grill on Fifth has taken over the space that was home to Studio Frantzén, which was launched in 2022 by multi-Michelin-starred Swedish chef Björn Frantzén and closed quietly at the end of last year. Not to be confused with The Grill restaurant within Harrods’ Dining Hall, the new restaurant offers an upscale menu centered around steak and other grilled proteins.
Who: Studio Frantzén was run by Harrods under a licensing agreement with its titular chef. It is understood that the team has remained largely unchanged. The F&B at Harrods is overseen by Ashley Saxton, who has overseen a step change in how the world famous store approaches restaurants and its hospitality operations more generally.
The food: The Grill on Fifth is the sibling to The Grill in Harrods Dining Hall but its menu is notably more ambitious and creative (the price point is similar). Smaller dishes include sea bream crudo with citrus, ginger and chilli; roasted spiced heritage carrots with pine nut purée, pickled onions and toasted buckwheat; and and an apparent homage to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal’s famed Meat Fruit dish in this case made with a rather good porcini, truffle and miso parfait. Larger non-steak dishes include crispy chicken cutlet served with Caesar salad and a poached egg; slow-cooked Asian short rib with kimchi slaw; and a smashed wagyu cheeseburger. The steak part of the menu leads with a relatively affordable selection of classic steak cuts hewn from British beef before progressing to much pricier options including Kobe and Australian Wagyu. Those looking to splash out should look no further than the £250 Harrods Steakhouse Taster Board, which comprises 140g of UK sirloin, 85g of Japanese Akune Gold and 85g of Australian Wagyu.
To drink: The Grill on Fifth has inherited Frantzén’s heavyweight 500-odd bin wine list which goes especially deep on Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne. Still wine starts at £10 a glass/£50 a bottle.
The vibe: Understandably given that it only launched a few years ago Harrods has opted to do very little to the space. Originally designed by the Stockholm-based Joyn Studio, the space comprises a large restaurant and bar on the fifth floor and a mezzanine and rooftop terrace on the sixth floor. Most of Harrods hospitality offering echo the traditional grandeur of the department store - its recently relaunched The Georgian restaurant with its 25 chandeliers being a case in point - but Studio Frantzén bucked the trend with a bold, modern look that tips its hat to both Scandinavian and Japanese design.
And another thing: According to its website, Studio Frantzén will open in a new London location later this year.
87-135 Brompton Road, London SW1X 7XL
