Located on King William Street just by Monument Square, The Wolseley City will be larger than its Piccadilly sibling when it opens this autumn.
The 260-cover venue will have two private dining rooms and three sweeping bar spaces and will be around at £12m to £15m investment.
Its decor will draw inspiration from the original architecture of 160 Piccadilly, designed in 1921 by William Curtis Green. Interior features will include Byzantine chandeliers, Baroque ironwork, and intricate 1920s Egyptian touches. A reimagination of the vaulted ceiling and grand pillars will also be a focal point, alongside a tribute to the familiar ‘horseshoe’ entrance.
The menu will pay homage to the original restaurant with an all-day offer that will feature favourites such as schnitzels, soufflé Suisse,steak tartare, calf’s liver and bacon, and coq au vin alongside a large range of shellfish, with some dishes created specially for the City crowd.
Breakfast items will include The Wolseley classics such as bubble and squeak, grilled kippers, fried haggis with duck eggs, and smoked haddock kedgeree.
An 'evolved' version of the original
Speaking at yesterday’s R200 Conference, The Wolseley Hospitality Group CEO Baton Berisha said that the restaurant would be “an evolved, modernised version of the The Wolseley” and that it would be instantly recognisable.
“As soon as you see it you will immediately know this is a Wolseley,” he said. “The reason why I wanted to do The Wolseley City was becasue of the property itself. It has incredibly high ceilings - it’s going to be a huge presence, almost a gateway to the City itself.
“I have no doubt whatsoever that The Wolseley City is going to be the restaurant in the City to go to. It’s going to be a special restaurant for sure.”
Berisha said that while the company intends to open further branches of The Wolseley in key international locations, such as Hong Kong and New York, it would not open another one in the UK.
“Internationally it’s a recognised brand, it’s an institution. From that perspective we need to protect the brand, we need to protect the name and take the magic of The Wolselsey to different parts of the world. I wouldn’t want to do another Wolseley in the UK.”