Koffmann, who was first reported by BigHospitality to be actively looking for a London site last November, will occupy the Boxwood Café space when it closes at the end of this month with his first eponymous restaurant.
The restaurant, which will serve a hearty, robust French menu inspired by Koffmann’s Gascon heritage, will be the chef’s first London restaurant since his pop-up venture at Selfridge’s last summer.
Koffmann, who previously operated the three-Michelin starred La Tante Claire at the hotel for five years, before handing the space over to Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing for Petrus in 2003, said: “I have been searching for the perfect new restaurant site for several years. I am thrilled to be returning to a place I know and love.”
Koffmann’s will serve a menu featuring many of the chef’s signature dishes, such as Scallops with Squid Ink, Braised Pig’s Trotter with Morels, and Pistachio Soufflé with Pistachio Ice Cream.
Klaus Kabelitz, general manager of The Berkeley, said: “Bringing Pierre Koffmann back to The Berkeley is a culinary dream come true. Pierre is a gifted chef, admired by customers and critics alike. We are delighted that he is returning to us, and that we will now have two outstanding chefs – Marcus Wareing and Pierre Koffmann – under the same roof at The Berkeley.”
Boxwood Cafe relocates
The Boxwood Café will close later this month and move to an as yet undisclosed location in London. Chef patron Stuart Gillies said last December that Gordon Ramsay Holdings had been looking for a site that ‘combines to perfection the two essential ingredients of location and space’, and were close to signing a new deal for a site.