Pierre Koffmann confirms plans to launch new restaurant in London

Iconic French chef Pierre Koffmann is planning a new restaurant in London.

The former three-Michelin-starred chef patron of the famous La Tante Claire restaurant, has confirmed that he is looking to open a new site in the West End.

"Yes, I am looking to open a new restaurant," he told me earlier today. The move follows Koffmann's successful pop-up restaurant at London department store Selfridges. Initially scheduled to run for six days, the temporary eaterie was extended to run for nearly two months following overwhelming demand for bookings.

In an exclusive interview with Caterer earlier this year, Koffmann hinted that he would like to open a simple brasserie. "It wouldn't be to have Michelin stars or anything like that, just a simple restaurant where I can cook the things I want to eat," he said.

Koffmann has appointed property agents Restaurant Property to assist him in finding a suitable site.

The group's director David Rawlinson said: "Koffmann's triumph as Selfridges is a great foundation on which to build a new restaurant concept. We are currently looking for a suitable site for him in the areas of Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Chelsea and South Kensington."

Koffmann ran La Tante Claire for 25 years, first in the site currently occupied by Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea and then in the Berkeley hotel. His culinary style, a refined version of the French country cooking of his home region of Gascony, not only gained him the top accolade of three Michelin stars but has also inspired the cooking of countless other chefs.