Richard Corrigan and Daisy Green to launch restaurants within National Portrait Gallery
Corrigan will relaunch the museum’s top floor Portrait Restaurant in partnership with catering company Searcys, serving a menu focused British seasonal ingredients.
Audrey Green by Daisy Green Collection, meanwhile, will be situated across the ground floor and vaults of the Weston Wing, have its own street-level entrance, and feature photography and sculpture throughout celebrating the West End.
As with many of the group’s other locations, Audrey Green will operate as a café and brunch spot during the day before pivoting to becoming a late-night bar and small plates restaurant in the evening.
"Art is integral to Daisy Green Collection's DNA,” says Prue Freeman, co-founder of the Daisy Green Collection.
“Each of its restaurants, cafes and boats are brought to life by colourful and thought-provoking pop culture pieces that carry the company's vibrant brand identity.
“Through this new partnership, art and design will feature on a next-level scale; Daisy Green was given unlimited access to the National Portrait Gallery's Collection – the largest in the world – to create Audrey Green, which will capture the magic of London's West End, a celebration of theatre, ballet, music, and film through the ages.”
The Portrait Restaurant will similarly use sculptures from the Gallery’s collection as part of its décor, while Corrigan’s menu will take inspiration from ‘signature’ dishes created during his culinary career.
As well as the restaurant, there will also be a bar area serving wines and cocktails alongside an all-day snack menu that includes Corrigan's crispy oyster croque monsieur; and classic Irish soda bread from the Bentley's bakery.
"I’ve long been a lover of the National Portrait Gallery and the exquisite art that hangs here,” says Corrigan.
“It's one of London's iconic art galleries! Any chef would give their right arm to cook in such an historic building so for me to be opening a restaurant, under the same roof as all this world class art, well, it's truly a privilege.”
The National Portrait Gallery closed its doors in 2020 to undergo extensive works as part of a huge redevelopment project, including the refurbishment of nine galleries on the first floor, the addition of a learning centre, and the redevelopment of the East Wing.
It is scheduled to reopen to the public on Thursday 22 June.
“As we prepare for our reopening, the National Portrait Gallery is delighted to announce its collaboration with Daisy Green Collection and Richard Corrigan,” says Anna Starling, commercial director at the National Portrait Gallery.
“Together, we will be developing fantastic menus, events and experiences, and look forward to welcoming customers to our unique new spaces.”
