One half of the Joe Allen team to close Mustard and reopen after a French makeover

Relaunching under the name Le Petit Citron, the Brook Green restaurant will begin a new life as a classic French bistro, inspired by owners Lawrence and Emily Hartley’s holidays in Provence.

Launching on 9 November the restaurant will serve a classic French menu including aperitifs such as Lillet martinis; Cassis and lavender gin and tonics; and Kir Framboises.

Starters will include petit farci stuffed with pork and served with Provencale sauce; coquilles Saint-Jacques with pomme puree and vermouth; tuna carpaccio nicoise; and rustic Mediterranean fish soup with gruyere and rouille.

Main dishes will include classic French plates of onglet steak frites with pastis and garlic butter; lemon and garlic poussin with French beans, persillade and pine nuts; and wild honey and mint marinated lamb with aubergine and olive tapenade.

Brunch dishes will be served on the weekend, and will include the likes of croissants; waffles with maple syrup and cinnamon sugar; fresh orange juice; and coffee.

Décor will stay similar to that of its previous incarnation, featuring pale walls and exposed tiles.

"Opening Le Petit Citron, we hope, will go some way in returning the classic French bistros to our local high street – relaxed, welcoming and unfussy, Le Petit Citron is simply a place to be enjoyed with family and friends,’ says co-founder Lawrence Hartley.

The team acquired the site on Shepherds Bush Road from the Casual Dining Group in 2016, where it had previously been trading as a Café Rouge. At the time, Hartley and business partner Tim Healy had planned for it to be the first in a “collection” of around ten Mustard restaurants.