Having decided to relocate Pétrus, his four-year-old flagship restaurant, to the Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge (which, incidentally, opened last week), chef-patron Marcus Wareing had to create something different with his prime site in St James's.
But putting together a concept that would complement the other two restaurants within the Wareing branch of the Gordon Ramsay group wasn't difficult, he says. "I've been in St James's for nearly eight years as a chef, so I know what my clients need. The idea was the easy part, coming up with a name and toning down the food was the hard part."
So in mid-June P‚trus closed its doors in St James's, and after a feverish mini-refurb, Fleur reopened on the last day of the month, the day before Wareing received the Chef Award Catey, with David Collard (ex-Joël Robuchon, Paris, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Devon, and, of course, Pétrus) installed at the stove.
The result is Pétrus without the frills. Service has been relaxed, but while Wareing is happy to encourage his front-of-house team to be less formal - there are fewer of them on the floor, for example - in certain areas he makes no apologies for the fact that he won't compromise. "The restaurant critics think that because we still serve from a tray that the service is stiff, but I'm not going to let my staff carry a plate from the hotplate [in the kitchen, which is below the dining room] to the table. That would be sloppy."
While Pétrus in St James's quickly established itself as a destination restaurant, Wareing is hoping that the more chilled-out Fleur will be seen as a neighbourhood eaterie. The individually-priced dishes allow customers to come in and have one course if they're in a rush and the reduced prices mean that if diners are there for the duration it won't make too much of a dent in their wallet.
Certain dishes still have the Wareing touch about them - technically faultless and about as precise as you'll get in Britain - but some new arrivals on the menu, courtesy of Collard, have a rustic tone which allies itself well to the new atmosphere.
Among the Collard creations are a starter of light chicken and veal shin boudin, onions, potato saut‚ and veal truffle jus (£5) and a bright and visually stunning mosa‹que of grilled Mediterranean vegetables, tomato coulis, water and basil vinaigrette (£5.50).
Of the mains, probably half of the 10 listed are tweaked Pétrus dishes, such as fricassée of corn-fed chicken à la Champagne with bacon, mushrooms, white onions and flat-leaf parsley (£24 for two). But while this dish was previously served as an individual portion, it now comes as a meal for two, presented on the table in a casserole dish from which customers serve themselves. Other mains include pan-fried skate à la Grenobloise, lemon thyme and turkey jus, pommes mousseline (£13), and poached salmon with braised carrots, leeks and courgettes, vegetable nage and fresh herbs.
The desserts also cross over, with Pétrus staples such as coffee panna cotta, rum caramel sauce, vanilla tuiles, chocolate shavings (£6), and tarte tatin (£10 for two). But Collard has also made his mark with the introduction of chocolate millefeuille with griottines cherries, cherry sauce (£7) and a salad of exotic fruits, macerated with Malibu, coconut cream sauce (£5.50).
Fleur, 33 St James's Street, London SW1A 1HD. Tel: 020 7930 4272. Fax: 020 7930 9702.
Chef's cheat
When making pasta, use a good free-range egg to colour the pasta so you don't need saffron to give it a touch of yellow.
What's on the menu
- Crab and salmon ravioli with pink grapefruit, pak choi, basil purée, lemon grass bisque, £8.50
- Chestnut velouté, roast walnut and cèpes, paysanne of Braeburn apples, £4.50
- Foie gras terrine on a Madeira jelly, salad of green beans, Granny Smith apple and truffle, £10
- Roasted partridge with caramelised chicory, autumn vegetables, port red wine jus, £14
- Pan-fried daurade grise with onion compote and olives, saffron sauce, sautéd squid and anchovy oil, £15
- Roasted aubergine with Welsh rarebit glaze, marinated tomatoes and basil, balsamic vinaigrette, £11
- Apple tarte tatin, caramel sauce, vanilla ice-cream, clotted cream, £10 for two
- Strawberry fool with layers of fresh meringue, pistachio nuts, jelly of red berries, £6
- Feuilleté of caramelised pear William, lemon curd, pear sorbet, £6.50