The new restaurant, which will be Abé’s first solo venture, will be backed by Ramsay, who has secured a 15-year lease on the iconic property.
It comes after Restaurant revealed last week that Ramsay’s Union Street Café Limited had successfully applied for a premises licence transfer for the Upper Brook Street site and that Abé was likely to lead the new restaurant there.
“This is a dream come true for me,” says Abé, who was named chef patron of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay back in 2020 after spending more than a decade rising through the ranks of the three Michelin-starred restaurant.
“After 16 years at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, I’m ready to grow my ambition and open my own restaurant.
“I am grateful to Gordon for his support, the faith he has shown in me, and I am incredibly excited about this huge opportunity.”
The opening will be a homecoming of sorts for Gordon Ramsay, with the chef having cooked at the restaurant in 1989 in his early twenties under then chef patron Albert Roux.
“Le Gavroche holds some incredible memories from my early career,” says Ramsay.
“When I heard the property was going to be available, it felt like the right moment to support Matt and come full circle with a restaurant that I loved so much.
“It has been incredible watching Matt grow throughout the 18 years that we have worked together; he is such a talent and now is absolutely the right time for him to take this next step in his career.”
Alongside the new project, Abé will continue to consult for Gordon Ramsay Restaurants.
