marcus wareing

Pierre Koffmann to Open New Restaurant at London's Berkeley Hotel

Filed under: Dining

Award-winning chef Pierre Koffmann to open new namesake restaurant at The Berkeley hotel in London in June 2010

In June, legendary French chef Pierre Koffmann, whose name has been synonymous with some of the finest French food in the world for the past 35 years, will open Koffmann's in The Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge, London.

Encouraged by his rave reviews and enthusiastic welcome back into the London culinary scene with his Selfridges pop-up restaurant in October 2009, Koffmann, a Michelin star-winning chef, is excited to embark on this next stage in his distinguished career.

"I have been searching for the perfect new restaurant site for several years," says Koffmann. "I am thrilled to be returning to a place I know and love."

This new venture will see Koffmann move away from his much applauded haute cuisine menu, and into a more relaxed, informal style while still embracing his classic, provincial, French culinary roots. His greatest passion is to be behind the stove, cooking the dishes he loves, many inspired by his maternal grandmother Camille, and this new restaurant will give him the freedom to express this vision.

Tags: haute cuisine, Knightsbridge, London, Marcus Wareing, michelin guide, michelin stars, Pierre Koffmann, restaurant, The Berkeley, The Berkeley Hotel

Continue reading “Pierre Koffmann to Open New Restaurant at London's Berkeley Hotel”

London Bankers Are Hungry Again

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

gordon ramsay I guess everyone has to eat, even in a recession. When the light appears at the end of the tunnel, though, appetites get bigger ... and more discriminating. In London, upscale eateries are seeing the investment banking crowd come back, and the wine is once again flowing. The cities top chefs are still worried about what will happen after Christmas, but for now, they're happy to see their creations gobbled up by the city's financial sector.

Marcus Wareing has had what he calls "a fabulous year." The waiting list keeps getting longer, and he says, "There's a good vibe." Tristan Welch's Launceston Place is seeing more wine flow, and demand is picking up. Pearl's Jun Tanaka remains cautious, "We'll really know in the first quarter 2010 if business has returned ... I don't know if it's a trend or a hiccup."

Across the city, there's a mix of optimism and trepidation. Le Gavroche, Wahaca and Le Café Anglais, for example, offer some variation of "Business is good" or "Business is booming, and Gordon Ramsay tells Bloomberg News, "There's an increasing air of confidence, which has been particularly apparent since the beginning of September." Michelle McGuire of The Palm said the restaurant had its busiest week three weeks ago since its opening in May, "with record takings." Sam Hart, of Fino, Barrafino and Quo Vadis, on the other hand, calls the improvement "fragile."

Nonetheless, this is a far cry from the angst that characterized the fine dining world a year ago. When people start to eat well, you know that things are turning for the better.

Source

Tags: england, gordon ramsay, GordonRamsay, london, london england, LondonEngland, marcus wareing, MarcusWareing, restaurant, restaurants, the palm, ThePalm, united kingdom, UnitedKingdom, wine, wines

Ramsay Proteges Fare Better Than Ramsay In London Restaurant Survey

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

It may be better to be a Gordon Ramsay protege than to be Ramsay himself. Consider the results of the latest "Harden's London Restaurants 2010" guide, two of the choicest categories, best new restaurant and best overall restaurant are headed up by Ramsay-related chefs. The best newcomer is Murano in London's Mayfair area. It is run by Angela Hartnett, who has been part of the Ramsay stable for years, first launching Gordon Ramsay's Amaryllis in Scotland in 2001, then Verre by Gordon Ramsay in Dubai and Menu and The Grill Room at The Connaught in 2002. She also starred with Ramsay in ITV's 'Hell's Kitchen'. Murano is part of the Gordon Ramsay group and serves hearty fare with an Italian slant. The best overall restaurant title went to former Ramsay protege Marcus Wareing whose restaurant Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley proves that Wareing is doing just find since splitting from Ramsay last year to open up his own restaurant.

Meanwhile, what restaurant garnered the top slot for being most overpriced? That would be Restaurant Gordon Ramsay which also took the number four slot for most disappointing cooking. Several other Ramsay properties appeared in the more negative categories. The full list is available at the Harden's website.

[via Bloomberg]

Source

Tags: angela hartnett, AngelaHartnett, gordon ramsay, GordonRamsay, london, marcus wareing, MarcusWareing

Gordon Ramsay Plans New London Restaurant With Old Name

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Gordon Ramsay may have just come off the worst year of his life but that doesn't mean he is giving up on opening restaurants. He will be opening a new version of Petrus restaurant in the Belgravia area of London in September. His new place will be rather close to Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley where his former friend and protege who ran Petrus at London's Berkeley Hotel has set up shop. Wareing has two Michelin stars for Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley.

Ramsay is hoping to bring new fame to the Petrus name, one of his known marquee brands. "Petrus is a cornerstone of the group and this stunning new site is the beginning of the next chapter in the life of this restaurant," Ramsay said in an e-mailed statement seen on Bloomberg. The restaurant will serve modern French food like fillet of Angus beef with Swiss chard, wild mushrooms and red-wine sauce and baked line-caught sea bass with confit fennel and caviar sauce, a menu that Wareing called "familiar Gordon food" in a telephone interview quoted in the Bloomberg article.

Wareing says he wishes Ramsay the best of luck. The two have a long history, Ramsay was best man at Wareing's wedding and he helped finance the original Petrus for Wareing but last year Wareing resigned from Gordon Ramsay Holdings. It also bears noting that Jean-Philippe Susilovic,Wareing's maitre d' for five years, will be director of the new restaurant. I'm guessing more volleys will be traded back in forth once Ramsay's Petrus is closer to opening.

Source

Tags: gordon ramsay, GordonRamsay, marcus wareing, MarcusWareing, petrus