Michael Riemenschneider to re-open Canvas in Chelsea

Swiss chef and restaurateur Michael Riemenschneider is to re-open his Canvas restaurant in Chelsea next month.

Riemenschneider opened the original 20-cover Canvas in London's Marylebone in January, but decided to close it earlier this summer and re-locate to a larger property.

The new restaurant,  at Cheval’s 1 Wilbraham Place off Sloane Street, boasts 60-80 covers, a 12-seater chef’s table, a wine cellar and a 20-seat private dining room and dessert bar. It is due to open in the next three weeks.

Riemenschneider recently took over the lease of the Black Boys Inn in Hurley, near Henley in Berkshire. The site, which is already open under soft launch, has a 50-cover restaurant and eight en-suite rooms.

Both deals were brokered by Restaurant Property, which has also been asked to find a restaurant within a hotel in central London and look for restaurants in affluent areas of Surrey for the chef.

“Michael Riemenschneider is a very special talent who is known for his very unique style and approach to cooking.  He is backed by a new syndicate of investors who are very confident Michael has discovered a very successful recipe built around a great personal brand,” said Restaurant Property sales director Mark Calder.

Canvas concept

Riemenschneider, who was trained in Switzerland and Germany and has worked for Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay in the UK, launched Canvas to ‘modernise fine dining’ and incite a more immersive dining experience.

Diners at the original restaurant were invited to construct their own tasting menu of three to 15 courses from a choice of 16 dishes. A more traditional ‘menu surprise’ tasting menu was also on offer, with a five-course bespoke menu of the chef’s choosing for £65.

It is unclear whether the new Canvas will follow this format, although Riemenschneider said diners will have the chance to ‘plate their own dishes’ in the private dining room.