Swiss chef Bjorn van der Horst is returning to London to head up the kitchens at Rosewood London, formerly the Chancery Court hotel.
Rosewood London will offer two restaurants: The Mirror Room, a self-styled ‘contemporary salon’ which will launch with the hotel offering all-day options including afternoon tea and à la carte fine
dining; and an as-yet-unnamed flagship to replace Pearl, which will open in 2014.
Van der Horst, who made a name for himself at celebrated US restaurants including Picholine and Gaia, came to Britain as executive chef at The Greenhouse, where he earned the restaurant a Michelin star, then became chef/patron of Gordon Ramsay’s La
Noisette, in Chelsea. He subsequently launched Clerkenwell restaurant Eastside Inn, but after the business folded he left the capital for the Maldives and has been heading up the restaurant
offering at the Soneva Fushi by Six Senses resort ever since.
When Jun Tanaka left the opulent Pearl restaurant in late 2012 to pursue independent projects, the Chancery Court hotel pared down its food offering, moving away from decadent tasting menus and
ushering in a more casual approach. However, with the rebranded hotel currently undergoing an £85m refurbishment, and another big-name chef taking the reins, the new restaurant is likely to be
anything but humdrum.
‘I am thrilled to join Rosewood London and I intend to ensure that the new restaurant is one of the most exciting places to drink and dine in the capital,’ said van der Horst.
Rosewood London will relaunch in October.
This story was published in September 2013.