Simon Rogan opens at Claridge's
Simon Rogan, whose transformation of The French at the Midland hotel featured in the recent BBC series Restaurant Wars, is aiming for a repeat of his success with his latest venture, Fera.
The Michelin-starred chef takes the reins from Gordon Ramsay, whose last supper was served up at the luxury Mayfair venue last June.
Rogan tweeted: "I hope you all like it. A little bit nervous!"
The restaurant's name means wild in Latin, reflecting the seasonal ingredients that are the hallmark of Rogan's cooking.
Like The French, it offers six and 10-course tasting menus - though Londoners will have to fork out between £95 and £125 for the experience compared with £59 to £84 here.
It also offers an a la carte option, setting diners back £85 for dinner and £45 for lunch.
Dishes include raw beef and smoked broccoli cream with scallop roe and apple juice, and plaice braised in nettle butter with horseradish, cockles and salsify.
Rogan has said that he hoped having a base in the capital would serve as 'a shop window' for his businesses in the north - including Mr Cooper's House and Garden, also at the Midland, and his Michelin-starred flagship restaurant L'Enclume, in Cumbria.
“There will be a lot of people dining with us there who will then want to try Manchester or the Lake District,” he said.
“They’ll see it’s worth travelling. That’s one of the main reasons for doing a London project.
“Hopefully we’ll see a lot more worldwide customers coming to The French.”