The St Pancras restaurant in what was described as the “best dining room in London” appears to have shut down just six months after it launched.
Victor Garvey at the Midland Grand, in the St Pancras Renaissance hotel next to the London terminus is no longer taking bookings and seems to have ceased trading, at least temporarily.
The restaurant only opened in February, replacing Patrick Powell’s The Midland Grand Dining Room.
The 65 seater restaurant, where the seven course tasting menu costs £139 per person occupies one of the capital’s most opulent dining spaces. There is also an al a carte menu and a 14 course degustation option.
The Midland Grand Hotel, was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott and opened in 1873 next to Gothic revival masterpiece St Pancras Station. The original hotel closed in 1935 and nearly demolished in the 1960s. It was reopened as the Renaissance in 2011 when the restaurant launched as the Gilbert Scott and was run by Marcus Wareing.
Victor Garvey partnered with developer Harry Handelsman, who owns the hotel and led its restoration. At the time he took over Garvey said: "A dining room of this stature deserves a menu that matches its grandeur".
The food style was escribed by Garvey at lunch as “honouring the foundations of classical French cuisine while embracing modernity.”
Garvey, also runs California inspired Sola in Soho which holds a Michelin star.
No-one was available for comment from the Midland Grand but the Restaurant news website reported that a staff member confirmed that it is not open for business today and is not taking bookings.
The restaurant opened to flowing reviews, lauding Garvey’s interpretation of classical French cuisine through dishes such as lobster tempered in butter and served out of the shell with its own roe and spiced carrot, as well as red tuna served with white peach, roasted leek and a green almond sorbet.
