Due to open at the end of this month, Victor Garvey at The Midland Grand will replace the offer previously overseen by Patrick Powell within the historic St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.
The new restaurant is described as being built on a shared philosophy of ‘Old World, new ideas’ and will ‘honour the foundations of classical French cuisine while embracing modernity’.
Garvey, who runs Michelin-starred French/Californian restaurant SO|LA in Soho will take a approach that rethinks tradition ‘with a lighter, more balanced approach, cutting-edge techniques, and an unwavering focus on world-class ingredients’.
“A dining room of this stature deserves a menu that matches its grandeur,” he says. “French cuisine is synonymous with indulgence, but that doesn’t have to mean heaviness.”
The restaurant will offer haute cuisine and table-side service in a bid to return it to French grandeur, with signature dishes to include L’Homard – butter-poached lobster, finished table-side with a pressed lobster jus; and Tauzin guinea fowl ‘demi-deuil’ – guinea fowl stuffed under the skin with truffled leg mousse, served with a classic jus.
It will serve an à la carte menu, with guests also having the option to choose from a prix fixe menu of two to three courses, a seven-course tasting menu, and the full 14-course degustation menu. Each menu will be available at both lunch and dinner
“This is one of the most important buildings in the country and one of the most spectacular dining rooms in London,” says Handelsman, who is also behind Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone and Manhattan Loft Gardens in Stratford.
“It demands an experience that lives up to that. Victor’s talent, creativity, and ambition make him the ideal chef to bring this vision to life.
“Together, we are creating something truly special.”