Arjun Waney, the majority shareholder in Rainer Becker's Zuma and Roka restaurants in London, plans to open what he believes to be the capital's first purely Provençal restaurant.
He has bought a 15-year lease on a listed former bank in the Waterloo Place area, near Pall Mall. The 3,500sq ft, 96-seat restaurant - called Aix - will open next May or June.
Waney, who is chairman of finance company First Winchester, said Aix would be similar to Le Petit Maison in Nice.
It will be gunning for the same customers served by the Wolseley and Le Caprice, with average spend likely to come to £30-£35 for lunch and £55-£60 per head for dinner (including wine).
Although Becker will not hold a stake in Aix, he will help design the kitchens.