Augustine Kitchen, named after Raymond’s grandmother, will open on Battersea Bridge Road next month, serving up French-style tapas and some more classic dishes with a focus on produce from the Evian region where the Frenchman was born.
The chef, who has overseen everything from menu development to the restaurant and bar’s design, explained that ‘the time was right’ to leave acclaimed Covent Garden venue Mon Plaisir.
“It was time to go,” Raymond told BigHospitality. “I needed a new challenges. I was very happy at Mon Plaisir but after 10 years I needed a new challenge, my work levels were slipping a bit.
“So I thought the best option was to do something else, and the opportunity for Augustine Kitchen came up. The restaurant is about everything I stand for – simple food with great flavour at an affordable price point.”
Going solo
It is not the first time that Raymond has embarked on his own restaurant venture. After working as a head chef at Le Marignac in Geneva (two Michelin stars) for three years, the chef set up his own business, Le Cheval Blanc, in Evian. He then sold up and moved to England where he worked for Marco Pierre White at the Oak Room and Titanic as executive sous chef, before moving onto a position as head pastry chef at Kensington Place.
In this latest venture, Raymond will showcase ‘truly authentic French dishes’, with menu highlights including cassolette of snails with garlic and parsley butter; slow cooked pork shank with flageolets and sage jus; and dark chocolate mousse with chocolate and caramel sauce and passion fruit sorbet.
The chef has hand-picked his producers to ensure the best quality, including charcuterie from Monsieur Colliard and fish from Monsieur Mouchet Anyhy sur Leman - a fourth-generation fisherman. Some of the fish will also be brought in fresh from Lake Geneva, depending on availability
With 40 covers available in the restaurant and space for an additional 20 in the separate bar area, Augustine Kitchen will have an intimate, family-feel with a feminine touch. The design is, in Raymond’s words, ‘simple and elegant’, with rustic oak tables in the main restaurant area and mismatched, reclaimed wooden and marble tables in the bar area.
Augustine Kitchen will open on the former site of Indian restaurant Battersea Spice (63 Battersea Bridge Road) in October.