London Food And Drink News: 13 March 2014

Ben O' Norum
By Ben O' Norum Last edited 120 months ago
London Food And Drink News: 13 March 2014

ducasseWelcome to our weekly round-up of all that’s happening in London’s food and drink scene.

Inside this week: Alain Ducasse, Bo London and a spot of Jenius

Double Ducasse

Renowned chef Alain Ducasse (pictured) is to open his second London restaurant this Spring, in the Bulgari hotel in Knightsbridge. The restaurant will be called Rivea London and will serve a mix of French and Italian cuisines. Ducasse already runs a three Michelin-starred restaurant in The Dorchester Hotel, one of only two restaurants in London to achieve such an accolade.

Bo resurrected

We reported last week that Alvin Leung's experimental Chinese restaurant Bo London in Mayfair had shut. It has since transpired that a water leak was the reason for the closure, and that the restaurant will re-open once repairs have been carried out. Strangely, no idea of timescale has been given, and stories of uninformed diners with bookings turning up to find the restaurant shut, plus the lack of any signage to explain the situation add to the mystery.

Moving on from MasterChef

Two Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr, who runs Mayfair's Le Gavroche restaurant, has announced that he will not work with the BBC for the "foreseeable future". This brings to an end his six-year run as presenter on MasterChef The Professionals. "It’s not for lack of trying, but sometimes negotiating with the BBC can be a frustrating process, and there are times when I have wondered if the Corporation understands the realities of today’s commercial world," he said in a statement that sounds to us a lot like he wanted a bit more money than was being offered.

Conran pop-up

The son of restaurateur Terence Conran is to shortly launch a 12 month pop-up on Westbourne Grove, named New Tom's. Described as serving 'avant-garde modern cuisine', it will be a bistro-style all-day eatery. Tom Conran will be joined on the project by chef Tom Straker who has worked at restaurants including Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.

That's Jenius

A new restaurant and social hub will open in Islington in May. Called Jenius Social, it will include a deli and cookery shop, and will also play host to supperclubs, cookery demos and lessons.

Talk to us

We still want your help to keep these weekly food and drink news round-ups as relevant, up-to-date, and interesting as possible. Got any top tips, local gems or foodie news? Tried one of the new restaurants we mentioned? Leave a comment below or hit us up at hello@londonist.com. ‘Til next week…

Last Updated 13 March 2014