Mark Gurney and Matt Bushnall will open Cassette on Covent Garden’s Maiden Lane in a Grade II listed building dating from the 1630s.
Cassette is described as being born out of a ‘deep love and connection to French dining culture’ and will bring Levan’s relaxed hospitality into the heart of central London.
Leading the kitchen will be head chef Essa Fakhry, founder and former head chef of Note in Dublin and formerly of Planque in London. The menu will be rooted in French cooking, ‘informed by contemporary Parisian technique’ with dishes set to include a coq-au-vin jaune pie; grilled monkfish served au poivre; and a terrine of fromage de tête and tarragon.
The restaurant will be run by general manager Madeleine Fawcett, previously of Forza Wine.
Cassette takes its name from the founders’ long-standing relationship with music. Alongside Levan, which is named after legendary NYC DJ Larry Levan, Gurney owns a record label and DJs regularly.
“I’ve grown up travelling to France every year for family holidays, and over the last 10 years both Matt and I have built lasting friendships with so many people in its hospitality scene,” he says.
“Cassette is, in many ways, a homage to that journey and those people. It’s inspired by lazy weekends drinking gentian spritz and playing pétanque outside Auberge de Chassignolles; by Édouard at Bistrot des Tournelles in Paris, where our friendship grew over a shared love of music; and by Toto at Le Verre Volé, where I recently DJed as part of their Beaujolais Nouveau celebrations.
“There are countless others who have shaped our thinking too - Parcelles, Les Enfants du Marché and Nouveau Cadoret among them.
“We’ve cooked together, shared meals together and learnt so much from them, and we can’t wait to welcome them to Cassette.”