Every Londoner will have passed the chessboard frontage of Simpsons In The Strand, but for five years now, the wonderland of wood panelling and roving beef joint trolleys has been on pause.
That changes in March, when the famous Edwardian chess club-turned-restaurant — which once enjoyed a clientele including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Winston Churchill and Audrey Hepburn — reopens its doors under the auspices of restaurateur Jeremy King (the man behind The Ivy, Le Caprice and The Wolseley).
Refitted with dark leather banquettes, the Grand Divan — where chess masters once whiled away hours tussling in a game of wits — begins serving lunch and dinner from 3 March as part of a soft launch (breakfast from mid-March), with bookings now being taken for 30 March onwards.
Not too much tinkering has been done with the Grand Divan's a la carte menu, which continues to doff its chef's hat to British classics: think chilled Scottish langoustines, rabbit & tarragon terrine, boiled ham with parsley sauce, and bubble and squeak. The signature hot trolleys of roast rib of beef are, of course, back: carved at your table and served with all the trimmings, these cost £39.50 per person, and will surely be a bestseller.
The Grand Divan is one of four spaces in the Grade II Listed building at 100 Strand: Simpson's Bar (an art deco style cocktail setup) and Nellie's Tavern (a sumptuously theatrical lounge bar) will open soon after, with Romano's — a more laid-back Grand Café setting — will arrive later on in March. In short: it's all coming together nicely.
A word to the wise for influencers though: if you do get an invite, for goodness' sake, behave.
Simpsons in the Strand, reopen with soft launch from 3 March, with bookings now taken from 30 March.
