Jeremy King confirms reopening of Bellanger
In an email message confirming the plans, CEO Jeremy King says the relaunched restaurant will feature a more casual offering than before, with the menu and prices akin to those found at the group's beloved Parisian-style Brasserie Zédel in Piccadilly.
The decision to reopen Bellanger comes after a survey asking local customers if they would want to see the restaurant resurrected received around 4,000 positive responses.
Having originally launched Bellanger in 2015, Corbin & King chose to close the restaurant it in August last year saying, at the time, that the group 'just couldn’t make it the success we aspired to'.
However, after two separate pre-lockdown attempts to sell the site (which overlooks the Islington Green) fell through, King says thoughts turned towards giving the more residential location another shot.
"What with more workers keen to stay home we have been able to ‘scratch an itch’ that has bothered us since we closed the doors," he says.
"The new version [of Bellanger] is best described as more akin to Zédel in terms of menu and price.
"Whilst it will remain familiar to our old regulars, the décor will take a new turn and the overall feeling will be one of cheaper prices, more fun, and greater casualness - but all in the Corbin & King style."
King has previously suggested that the intention will be to reopen the restaurant's doors next month initially as a pop up, with a view to making it more permanent operation should the revamp prove successful.
Bellanger's former general manager, Jo Cromwell, will oversee the reopening.
"We are looking forward to the challenge. and aim to open on 14 August," adds King.
As well as Zédel, Corbin & King's portfolio includes such iconic London restaurants as The Wolseley, Soutine, and The Delaunay.
It was reported last month that Manzi's, the group's planned pescatarian restaurant in Soho, will hopefully open in October, having had its original plan to launch at the end of May scuppered by the pandemic.
