London department store Harrods is set to open two new restaurants this spring together with chefs Chris and Jeff Galvin and Richard Corrigan.
The iconic Knightsbridge store, which last year hosted the French Laundry pop-up restaurant with Thomas Keller, has teamed up with the chefs to launch Galvin Demoiselle and a new outpost of Bentley’s.
Set to open in March, Galvin Demoiselle will be the fifth London site from the Michelin-starred Galvin Restaurants, which will be overseen by Chris’s wife, Sara, as patron, who will work together with the existing Harrods team. A head chef will be appointed from within Galvin Restaurants, who will work with the Harrods kitchen staff.
Located in the former Espresso Café in a mezzanine space overlooking Harrods’ fruit and vegetable Food Hall, Galvin Demoiselle will accommodate up to 60 diners. Interiors will feature banquette seating and colours of sage and rust.
The menu will offer French cuisine, including signature Galvin dishes such as confit pork cheeks and tarte tatin, with new creations for Demoiselle including a baked lobster fishcake.
Sara Galvin told Caterer and Hotelkeeper that dishes would be slightly lighter and more petit. “We anticipate that most of the customers will be shoppers and we’ve geared the menu a bit more towards female diners,” she said.
“We’re working with our existing suppliers who work together with Harrods, and the menu will be more constant than at our other restaurants.”
Meanwhile, Harrods will open Bentley’s together with Corrigan in the current site of its Sea Grill restaurant in its Meat & Fish Hall in May.
Bentley’s, which first opened in 1916, will be recreated at Harrods with design features such as oyster shell lamps, linen drapes and classic silver tableware and cutlery. The menu will focus on top-quality seafood and fish including a selection of hot rock oysters, a crustacean bar and sections for seafood cocktails and pies.
Paul Goodale, director of Restaurants at Harrods, commented: “The launches of Galvin Demoiselle and Bentley’s Sea Grill at Harrods make an exciting start to the year, building on the successes of 2011. The openings signal our long-term plans to build partnerships with the industry’s most respected chefs and to further strengthen our portfolio of 28 restaurants.”
Last October, Harrods ran the French Laundry pop-up with Thomas Keller for 10 days. In addition, the store launched and redeveloped a total of 13 dining outlets, including the opening of a new steakhouse and tea room.
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By Kerstin Kühn
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