Festival Square, a new café-bar run by Digby Trout Restaurants, has opened at London's Royal Festival Hall. It signals the launch of the South Bank Centre's £57m renovation of the celebrated concert hall.
Digby Trout hopes that the new restaurant, which will cater for the three million visitors to the South Bank Centre each year as well as local office workers and commuters, will also establish itself as a stand-alone destination.
Head chef Mark Francis will prepare modern European food. He trained under Italian cuisine innovator Lee Purcell and has cooked at London venues such as Nicole's, the Marquis and Daphne's.
The rest of the Royal Festival Hall closes for refurbishment in 2005.
Digby Trout Restaurants operates at 27 venues across England. Seventeen of them are in London, including Kensington Palace, the Science Museum and department store Liberty's.
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 24 - 30 July 2003