French Cuisine

Au revoir: Eric Chavot to leave Bob Bob Cité

05-Dec-2019 By Joe Lutrario

Highly rated French chef Eric Chavot is to leave Bob Bob Cité citing ‘private, family reasons’.

Joël Robuchon's legacy to live on in two new London restaurants

06-Sep-2019 By James McAllister

Joël Robuchon International is to open two restaurants in London in the coming months, in a bid to further secure the legacy of the pioneering chef.

Latest opening: Moncks of Dover St

02-Aug-2019 By James McAllister

It may be a departure in terms of cuisine, but Moncks of Dover St shows the Park Chinois team is maintaining that sense of glamour and luxury for which it’s known.

Latest opening: Wild Honey St James

19-Jun-2019 By Joe Lutrario

Anthony Demetre has relocated Wild Honey to the former site of The Balcon restaurant at the Sofitel London St James.

Latest opening: Monsieur Le Duck

17-May-2019 By James McAllister

The Gascon-inspired brand that originally appeared in a pop-up premises in Spitalfields, has spread its wings and opened a permanent site in the heart of Clerkenwell.

Thierry Laborde to open Les Platanes in Mayfair

10-May-2019 By Stefan Chomka

French chef Thierry Laborde is to open ‘casual yet refined bistro’ Les Platanes in Mayfair’s Bruton Place this month.

Pascal Aussignac to relaunch Chip + Fish as Catch Me

29-Mar-2019 By Joe Lutrario

Club Gascon chef Pascal Aussignac is relaunching his Westfield London fish concept Chip + Fish as the more upmarket Catch Me in May.

Flash-grilled: Yuma Hashemi

04-Jan-2019 By Joe Lutrario

Yuma Hashemi is the chef patron of The Drunken Butler, a Clerkenwell restaurant that combines French and Persian influences.

Opening of the month: Southside Scran

12-Dec-2018 By Stefan Chomka

The fourth restaurant in Tom Kitchin’s Edinburgh-based restaurant group is a neighbourhood bistro that bridges the gap between his Michelin-starred flagship and his popular gastropub

Bob Bob Cité sets March 2019 opening date

25-Oct-2018 By Stefan Chomka

Bob Bob Cité, the follow up to Soho restaurant Bob Bob Ricard, will finally open in March next year, 14 months after originally planned.

Henry Harris to launch The Harlot pub in Chiswick this autumn

11-Sep-2018 By Georgia Bronte

Henry Harris will add another venue to his portfolio of food-led pubs this autumn, with a Chiswick opening scheduled for November.

Casual Dining Group to launch delivery brand out of Cafe Rouge kitchens

21-Feb-2018 By Sophie Witts

Casual Dining Group (CDG) is to launch a new delivery brand based out of its Cafe Rouge kitchens this year.

Legendary chef Paul Bocuse dies aged 91

22-Jan-2018 By Sophie Witts

Celebrated French chef Paul Bocuse has died at the age of 91.

Vegan junk food, micro-managed menus and a dozen other predictions for the restaurant world in 2018

09-Jan-2018 By Joe Lutrario

Our 2018 trends list featuring express formats, craft vodka, classic French cooking and Chinese casual dining... done properly

Bistro Mirey to open in Fulham next year

08-Dec-2017 By Stefan Chomka

Chefs Gerald Mirey and Ko Ito are to open their first permanent restaurant next year following a series of successful pop-up supper clubs in the capital.

La Pont de la Tour ditches the soufflés as new chef shakes up the menu

29-Nov-2017 By Sophie Witts

La Pont de la Tour is planning to ditch the soufflés and crêpe suzette trolley when its new head chef Julien Imbert takes over in December.

Paul O’Neill named as André Garrett at Cliveden head chef

18-Oct-2017 By Joe Lutrario

André Garrett has named Paul O’Neill as the new head chef of his eponymous flagship restaurant at Cliveden House.

Henry Harris: why the former Racine chef is bringing bourgeois food to the pub

06-Oct-2017 By Stefan Chomka

When Henry Harris closed Racine in Knightsbridge in 2015, Londoners lamented the loss of one of the capital's best-loved restaurants. Now he's back, and he's bringing his famed bourgeois cooking to the pub.

"We're back! The men in black!" Eric Chavot on his second London comeback

08-Sep-2017 By Georgia Bronte

Michelin-starred French chef Eric Chavot is making his second London comeback, as head chef at Bob Bob Cite, the Leadenhall based sister restaurant of Bob Bob Ricard, which opens in January 2018 

Bistro Vadouvan’s Durga Misra on combining French technique with Middle Eastern and Indian cooking

26-Jun-2017 By Hannah Thompson

The Eric Chavot protege on surviving in the suburbs and the joy of creating new dishes

Frederick Forster is now executive chef at The Don restaurant

21-Jun-2017 By Hannah Thompson

Frederick Forster, former Roux Scholar 2000 and National Chef of the Year 2011, is now executive head chef at The Don restaurant in the City of London.

Is traditional French sauce making set for a comeback?

12-Jun-2017 By Joe Lutrario

Has traditional French sauce making had its day or are gelatinous, old-school sauces poised to make a comeback?

French-Asian Bistro Vadouvan opens in Putney with Michelin-trained chef

09-May-2017 By Hannah Thompson

Bistro Vadouvan, a new French-Asian-style restaurant, has launched in south London, co-owned by a chef with a Michelin-starred background.

Table for Two: Stéphane Reynaud

05-May-2017 By Hannah Thompson

The restaurateur and cookbook writer on opening Tratra in the Prescott & Conran hotel The Boundary in Shoreditch, timeless French cuisine, and why London has the best restaurants in the world

The Clove Club to host Franco-Japanese event with stellar Paris chef line-up

26-Sep-2016 By Hannah Thompson

The Clove Club's Isaac McHale is to hold a collaborative tasting menu event with Franco-Japanese chefs Atsushi Tanaka, Hideki Nishi, and Ryuji Teshima.

Happiness Forgets founder opens first restaurant Petit Pois

13-Jun-2016 By Emma Eversham

Alastair Burgess, the founder of London bars Happiness Forgets and Original Sin, has teamed up with chef Chris Smith to open a restaurant - Petit Pois - in Hoxton Square. 

Henry Harris takes reins at The Dog & Badger

09-May-2016 By Emma Eversham

Former Racine chef-patron Henry Harris is to take up the reins as chef-patron of Buckinghamshire bar and restaurant The Dog & Badger. 

Former Restaurant Gordon Ramsay chef to open solo venture Oxford Blue

12-Apr-2016 By Hannah Thompson

Steven Ellis, former chef at three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, is to open a high-end pub in Windsor named Oxford Blue in late May.

The top 5 stories in hospitality this week 01/02 - 05/02

05-Feb-2016 By Sophie Witts

What were some of the top stories in hospitality this week? Here's our pick.

First Look: The new-look Le Pont de la Tour

30-Sep-2015 By Liam Garrahan

D&D London's Thameside restaurant Le Pont de La Tour re-opened its doors this week after a two month refurbishment and BigHospitality was one of the first to see it. 

Champagne + Fromage opening in Greenwich

01-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

French artisanal bistro Champagne + Fromage is opening a new site on Church Street in Greenwich market this June. 

Artisan bakery PAUL to open casual dining restaurant in London

02-Jul-2014 By Lauren Houghton

French artisan bakery and patisserie PAUL has announced new brand expansion plans, with its site in Covent Garden currently undergoing refurbishment to become an all-day casual dining restaurant. 

Famous French bistro opens first London venture

29-May-2014 By Melodie Michel

Paris independent restaurant Les Gourmets des Ternes has opened its first overseas venue in Maida Vale, London.

Bistrot Pierre launches new site in the South West

23-Apr-2014 By Lauren Houghton

French restaurant group Bistrot Pierre is opening a new site at the sea front in Torquay within the Abbey Sands development and is recruiting up to 60 new staff members for the venture. 

London’s ‘French revolution’ continues with Blanchette opening in Soho

12-Dec-2013 By Luke Nicholls

The Salt Yard Group’s co-founder Simon Mullins and chef director Ben Tish have partnered with three brothers to open a new Parisian restaurant in Soho next week, capping off a year packed full of French bistro openings in the capital.

French cooking: Outdated and overrated?

11-Oct-2013 By Luke Nicholls

A panel debate at The Restaurant Show earlier this week got all the big chefs talking. France may have influenced and defined the terms of virtually all western cooking, but does it continue to impress?

Le Bistrot Pierre to grow to 20 sites by 2018

30-Sep-2013 By Emma Eversham

Small French restaurant chain Le Bistrot Pierre is to double the number of restaurants in its estate to 20 by 2018 after agreeing a multi-million pound capital financing deal. 

Madame Gautier Bistro opening in Kensal Rise

02-Aug-2013 By Luke Nicholls

French traiteur Madame Gautier is launching a new 70-cover bistro to complement its shop and bar offering in Kensal Rise. 

Joel Kissin plans September opening for Boulestin restaurant

18-Apr-2013 By Peter Ruddick

Former Conran Restaurants director Joel Kissin has revealed he is due to start work on the site of his Boulestin restaurant in the next few weeks and is hoping to open the doors to the venue in September.

Eric Chavot returns to UK for new London restaurant

12-Oct-2012 By Luke Nicholls

Chef Eric Chavot has returned to the UK from his two-year stint in America to launch his own restaurant – Brasserie Chavot – adjacent to the Westbury Hotel in Mayfair next year.

Ad man Edwin Chan to open French wine bar and restaurant in London

20-Sep-2012 By Emma Eversham

Advertising executive Edwin Chan has announced plans to open a French wine bar and restaurant in London next month following the success of his first venue in the French city of Lyon. 

Bruno Loubet's second London restaurant to open January 2013

26-Jun-2012 By Emma Eversham

Chef Bruno Loubet and his business partners Mark Sainsbury and Michael Benyan have confirmed plans to open a second restaurant in London in January 2013. 

Raymond Blanc's Brasserie Bar Co secures new funding to support expansion plans

10-Apr-2012 By Mark Wingett

Brasserie Bar Co, the operator of the Brasserie Blanc and White Brasserie brands, has secured a new £6m facility from Barclays to support its expansion and development plans.

D&D London food development director opens French bistro

27-Mar-2012 By Joe Lutrario & Emma Eversham

Max Renzland, formerly food development director at D&D Restaurants, has opened a relaxed French bistro in Wanstead, north-east London.

Business Profile: Le Bistrot Pierre

07-Dec-2011 By William Drew

Two childhood friends opened their first restaurant on a whim. Seventeen years on, Le Bistrot Pierre provides timely lessons in delivering value in the middle market.

New Morgan M Barbican restaurant offers ‘affordable haute cuisine’

15-Nov-2011 By Luke Nicholls

Morgan M Barbican, a two-storey, 70-cover French restaurant from chef Morgan Meunier, has opened its doors to the public, offering a new seasonal tasting plates concept, modern dishes and a relaxed atmosphere.

Roussillon appoint Shane Hughes as head chef

19-Oct-2011 By Luke Nicholls

Michelin-starred chef Shane Hughes has been appointed head chef of London-based French Restaurant Roussillon.

Chef Vincent Menager aims to create true Anglo-French restaurant in London

20-Sep-2011 By Emma Eversham

Former Brasserie Roux executive chef Vincent Menager will open a restaurant at St James Hotel next month that will aim to merge French and British cuisines.

Original Ma Cuisine restaurant up for sale

09-Dec-2010 By Rachel Johnson

The original site of John McClements' Ma Cuisine restaurant is up for sale, BigHospitality has learnt.

Body of renowned French chef found in freezer

12-Aug-2010 By Becky Paskin

The body of renowned French chef Jean-Francois Poinard has been discovered in a freezer at his home in Lyon, two years after he went missing