Blanchette founders plan further London restaurants

By Sophie Witts

- Last updated on GMT

The Alary brothers will launch Blanchette East in August
The Alary brothers will launch Blanchette East in August

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The brothers behind Soho’s French bistro Blanchette have revealed that they are keen to open a third London restaurant following the opening of their second venue later this year.

Normandy-born Maxime, Yannis and Malik Alary will launch Blanchette East on Brick Lane in August.

Named after the trio’s mother, the 70-75-cover restaurant will feature a modern French menu with ‘North African influences’.

Co-founder Maxime told BigHospitality that the brothers wanted to create something ‘cool and welcoming’, with a slightly cheaper menu of sharing plates.

He said: “Me and my brother lived in Paris for a while and loved the food and wine and the Parisian way of life. When we started working in hospitality we decided that we wanted to open a restaurant to recreate that in a cool way and thought a sharing concept would be a fun thing to do.”

Former Bibendum chef Tam Storrar has taken on the role of executive chef across both Blanchette restaurants, with dishes including Roast Poussin with Tarragon and Pommes Sarladaise; Lamb Tangine with Apricots, Almonds and Rose Harissa; and Wild Strawberry and Black Pepper Vacherin.

Alongside décor sourced from Parisian vintage markets, Blanchette East will feature a pink marble dining counter and a mural replica of a Picasso sketch by artist Aldo Gigli in its private dining room, dubbed ‘The Cote d’Azur’.

Expansion

The Brick Lane opening comes three years after the Alary brothers launched the first Blanchette on D’Arblay Street​ with the backing of The Salt Yard Group’s co-founder Simon Mullins and chef director Ben Tish.

Maxime added that while the trio were keen to eventually open a third restaurant, it was unlikely to be under the Blanchette brand.

He said: “We’re thinking of creating other concepts based on French food, but from different regions. France is a big country and everywhere you go there is a different style of food and cooking.

“We don’t want to create a chain of Blanchettes, we would like to keep them as destination restaurants. But we want to get Brick Lane right first, so you might not see the third restaurant for two or three years.”

Blanchette East will open at 204 Brick Lane, E1 6SA in August.

Related topics Restaurant Openings Fine Dining

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