Latest news with #StPancras
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Michelin-starred chef 'shuts down restaurant' in 'the finest dining room in London' after just six months
A Michelin-starred chef has shut down his restaurant in the finest dining room in London after just six months. Victor Garvey at the Midland Grand, based out of the St Pancras London hotel near the famous train station of the same name, only opened in February. But it now appears to have served its last diners, after stopping taking bookings and staff telling The Caterer it closed its doors on July 15. The eponymous American chef had only just replaced Irish cook Patrick Powell's The Midland Grand Dining Room in the five-star hotel's 65-seater dining room. It came after he won his Michelin star, the highest culinary gong, in 2021, for his Californian restaurant SOLA in the capital's Soho area, which opened in 2019. It is as yet unclear why the restaurant appears to have closed without warning, with the website down and guests unable to make bookings. Mr Garvey, working out of what is widely considered one of London's most opulent dining spaces, charged an eye-watering £139 for a seven-course tasting menu. There was also an even more lavish 14-course tasting experience, alongside the normal a la carte menu, The Standard reports. Dishes included red tuna, with white peach, roasted leek and a green almond sorbet - as well as a lobster served out of its shell with its own roe, along with spiced carrot. The two businesses that have most recently occupied the restaurant space were called after the building's original name - The Midland Grand Hotel. The Grade I-listed Gothic revival building in central London is one of the most iconic sights in the capital - with a restaurant space equally as impressive. Upon taking over the historic dining room earlier this year, Mr Garvey said: 'A dining room of this stature deserves a menu that matches its grandeur.' Calling the space 'one of the best dining rooms in the world', he described the menu as 'honouring the foundations of classical French cuisine while embracing modernity'. When the restaurant launched, he told The Caterer: 'A chef only gets an opportunity like this, where they are offered a big dining room, once or twice in their life. 'It happened to Joël Robuchon, to Alain Ducasse, all the big guys, and I'm very excited.' He had explained the menu as a reinvention of traditional French dishes: 'We're making it sexier, we're making it lighter.' Mr Garvey described being approached by St Pancras London hotelier Harry Handlesman to take over the space. 'He wanted to have a Michelin star here and for it to be one of the best restaurants in the world and one of the best dining rooms in the world', he explained. 'I thought - I'm pretty sure I can do that.' The restaurant's adjoining Gothic Bar currently remains open. The apparent closure of Victor Garvey at the Midland Grand will be a shock to food lovers across the capital, after it received glowing reviews from the country's top critics. Giles Coren said: 'Victor is doing fancy French now, and quite brilliantly, of course.' The chef's predecessor Mr Powell was behind the room's relaunch in April 2023 but he left just over a year later, in July 2024. He said at the time: 'The time has come for me to move on and I am hugely excited for the future and my next chapter.' Mr Powell also left his restaurant Allegra, in London's Stratford area, at the same time, which he also worked on with St Pancras London hotelier Harry Handlesman. The Irish chef is currently working as culinary director at French and New York-inspired restaurant One Club Row in the capital's Shoreditch area. The building is more than 150 years old, with several hotels having been run out of it over the years. The Midland Grand Hotel was designed by English architect Sir Gilbert Scott - also behind the Albert Memorial in London's Kensington area - and built in 1873. But it shut down in 1935 and was nearly demolished in the sixties - before it was reopened as The Renaissance in 2011, after being used as railway offices. The restaurant was relaunched as The Gilbert Scott and run by British celebrity chef and MasterChef: The Professionals judge Marcus Wareing until the pandemic. The building is now known as the St Pancras London Autograph Collection hotel and managed by Marriott International. But the name change came only last month, when Marriott transferred the hotel from its Renaissance brand to its Autograph Collection. The dining space appears to have closed only just over a month after this rebrand. Renaissance hotels aim to give guests 'curious, unique and local experiences', according to the brand's website - while Autograph ones offer a distinctive interior. As part of the rebrand, the hotel's 254 rooms and suites have been undergoing extensive renovation since January. Marriott boss Sandra Schulze-Potgieter explained at the time: 'St Pancras London is exactly the kind of property Autograph Collection was created to celebrate - rich in character, rooted in place, and full of story. 'This new chapter brings that story to life in a way that feels both intentional and unforgettable.' Mr Garvey was born in New York to an American father and French-Spanish mother, moving to Barcelona aged six. He has worked in restaurants across Spain and in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Tokyo and Copenhagen before arriving in London.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Michelin-starred chef closes ‘spectacular' restaurant for good after just five months
A MICHELIN-starred chef has been forced to close his "spectacular" restaurant after just five months. Victor Garvey's namesake diner in St Pancras, north London, appears to have shut its doors for the final time this week after only opening in February. 3 3 Staff at Victory Garvey at the Midland Grand - situated in the luxury St Pancras Renaissance Hotel - reportedly confirmed that the restaurant had closed. Garvey had relaunched Irish chef Patrick Powell's restaurant earlier this year alongside businessman Harry Handelsman, who owns the hotel. Powell left the business in July last year. And now the latest partnership with Garvey is understood to have come to an end, with the restaurant having closed on July 15. The business' website is currently down and guests are unable to make bookings. It will come as a shock to many as the establishment - which seats 65 people - had received glowing reviews from food critics. Praising the restaurant, The Times critic Giles Coren said: 'Victor is doing fancy French now, and quite brilliantly, of course.' Ahead of its opening, Garvey, who also runs Michelin-starred restaurant Sola in Soho, described the space as "one of the best dining rooms in the world". Speaking to The Caterer, he said: 'I'm really excited. The idea for me is old world, new ideas. 'Rather than recreating old dishes I'm looking at the philosophy behind those old French dishes. "These are all very traditional French things but we're making it sexier, we're making it lighter. "One day Harry came to me and said that he wanted me to take over the Midland Grand Dining Room. 'He had been thinking a lot and said he wanted to have a Michelin star here and for it to be one of the best restaurants in the world and one of the best dining rooms in the world. Huge restaurant chain 'up for sale' putting 70 sites at risk of closure "I thought – I'm pretty sure I can do that." A seven course tasting menu at the fine dining location would cost diners £139 per person. Dishes included lobster tempered in butter and served out of the shell with its own roe and spiced carrot. Another popular menu item was the red tuna served with white peach, roasted leek and a green almond sorbet. The hotel was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott and opened in 1873 next to St Pancras Station. But it was closed in 1935 and relaunched as the Renaissance almost 80 years later. Marcus Wareing went on to run the Gilbert Scott restaurant when the hotel reopened. Now owned by Marriott, the hotel sits at the front of the busy St Pancras train station. 3
Harpers Bazaar Arabia
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Harpers Bazaar Arabia
Let This Love-Filled London Wedding Inspire Your Chic City Nuptials
Proving that fuss-free can still be utterly fabulous, this London wedding is the epitome of city chic Inseparable after meeting in a London nightclub, it was an episode of Grand Designs that would inspire a truly unique proposal five years later for Charlotte Lucy Cijffers and Declan McGlynn. Having seen an incredible apartment inside the face of the St. Pancras clock tower on the show, Irish tech founder Declan contacted the owner to rent the exact same apartment and, in a room full of candles, asked for Charlotte's hand in marriage. Whilst the wedding planning didn't quite run like clockwork, due to a few hiccups courtesy of Covid-19, the couple said 'I Do' on 9 September, 2024, at a beautiful service in front of 50 family and friends. It was a day of many parts: A civil ceremony at Stoke Newington Town Hall, followed by drinks at The Prince pub, and a stunning reception at Jones & Sons in Dalston that later segued into a 'pizza and prosecco party' once the sun went down. As a chief media digital officer in Dubai, Charlotte is a self-confessed 'organisational freak,' and used her love of spreadsheets to plan the perfect 'chic and unfussy city wedding.' Personal details included tables named after their favourite nightclubs around the world, handmade truffles gifted to guests, and turning to Declan's best friend, a florist, to nail the 'wild English garden' brief with a hanging garden and tables filled with wildflowers. 'I wanted something that contrasted the industrial feel of the space – organic, unpretentious and full of greens and leaves!'expained Charlotte. After a dinner of maple-glazed scallops, Welsh lamb and sticky toffee pudding, dancing was the on the cards. Beginning with Let's Stay Together by Al Green, Charlotte – in a floor-length dress by Australian designer Lola Varma – and Declan lead the wedding party through a medley of music long into the night, from Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson to DJ sets by family and friends, accompanied by an explosion of glitter cannons. Despite being nervous about the vows, Charlotte says the wedding day went perfectly. 'It was low-key, chic, personal and totally 'us'.' Now back from a seven-month honeymoon backpacking around South America, her advice to brides is: 'Don't waste money or energy on traditions that don't mean anything to you or things you won't remember. We didn't have a veil, a cake, bridesmaids or a limo – and I've never once wished we had.' Dress: Lola Varma @ Jewellery: Pearl Octopussy, @pearloctopuss.y Wedding ring: Webley Jewellers @webleylondon Venue and Caterer: Jones & Sons @ Florist: Jen Hall of Belladonna Florists @ Music: Chris Barker @youlovextopher Photographer Rebecca Rees @rebeccareesphotography Videographer Chris Turner @christurnerfilm Hair & Make-up: Rachael Johnson – Alchemy Hair and Make Up, @Alchemy_ hairandmakeup
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
London station announces major expansion plans
The number of passengers using the Eurostar out of London St Pancras to reach the continent looks set to double, after an ambitious new deal between two major partners was announced today. Eurostar and London St. Pancras Highspeed, formerly HS1, signed a 'letter of intent' which could see one of Europe's busiest international stations - St Pancras International - vastly increasing the amount of passengers it can take. Architects have already been asked to take on the task of 'reimagining' the historic London hub so that it can 'future-proof' as the demand for cross-border travel continues to grow. Eurostar plans to increase its current fleet in the next decade, offering services to five countries, including France , Belgium, the Netherlands , Germany and Switzerland. The announcement sees a three-stage plan put in place, with the focus being on the redesigning of the international arrivals and departures area of the station by 2028. There will be investment in border control and security too, with hourly passenger numbers set to increase from around 2,500 now to 5,000 by the time the second stage of the three-part plan concludes in four years' time. The station currently welcomes some 45,000 Eurostar passengers every day, with research commissioned by London St Pancras Highspeed earlier this year concluding that demand looks set to triple by 2040, increasing from 11 million to 35 million passengers per year. London St Pancras Highspeed owns and operates the UK's only international high-speed rail link and the stations along the route including St Pancras International, Stratford International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International. Eurostar currently has a fleet of 51 high-speed trains, serving 28 destinations across Europe. British tourists can currently reach Paris, Lille, Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam on direct routes from London. New destinations Geneva and Frankfurt, coming in the early 2030s, are expected to be popular with business travellers as both cities are international finance centres. Andrew Davies, Partner & Transport & Infrastructure lead at architects Hawkins\Brown said the plans were trying to meet the need for 'affordable, high-speed, and sustainable journeys to and from Europe.' Richard Thorp, Chief Operating Officer at London St Pancras Highspeed said of the announcement: 'With growing passenger demand for international train travel, it is important that St Pancras International station is future-proofed and optimised to accommodate this. 'With a shared ambition and collaborative approach, we can ensure our iconic station is ready to support this demand, and we're looking forward to getting started on a new era of connectivity between London and Europe.' Last month, Eurostar announced plans to launch its direct train services from London to Switzerland and Germany. The train journey between London and Frankfurt is likely to take around five hours while the trip between London and Geneva is expected to take five hours and 20 minutes. Eurostar has said it expects to see strong demand from passengers travelling on both routes . The new routes will depend on a fleet of 50 new trains, expected to cost around £1.7bn (€2bn). The operator has yet to reveal which stops each route might include and whether passengers could get off along the way. CEO Gwendoline Cazenave says: 'We're seeing strong demand for train travel across Europe, with customers wanting to go further by rail than ever before and enjoy the unique experience we provide. 'Despite the challenging economic climate, Eurostar is growing and has bold ambitions for the future. 'Our new fleet will make new destinations for customers a reality - notably direct trains between London and Germany and between London and Switzerland for the first time. 'A new golden age of international sustainable travel is here.' The new trains would also allow Eurostar to boost the frequency of existing routes. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander says: 'I am pleased to welcome this exciting investment into Eurostar services, which is a huge step in promoting green travel across Europe and boosting our international rail connections.' In May, the UK signed a 'memorandum of understanding' with Switzerland where both countries committed to working together to launch a new direct train route between the two. In light of the new Eurostar announcement, Alexander adds: 'Last month, I signed a landmark agreement to deliver a direct rail link between London and Switzerland, paving the way for direct commercial services. 'Today's announcement by Eurostar shows that the government's plan for change is rapidly strengthening the links between major cities in counties across Europe, creating more opportunities to travel, work, and socialise.' Eurostar carried 19.5 million passengers in 2024, a rise of 5 per cent on traveller numbers in 2023.
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
One of UK's busiest stations set to double in capacity with major expansion plans
The number of passengers using the Eurostar out of London St Pancras to reach the continent looks set to double, after an ambitious new deal between two major partners was announced today. Eurostar and London St. Pancras Highspeed, formerly HS1, signed a 'letter of intent' which could see one of Europe's busiest international stations - St Pancras International - vastly increasing the amount of passengers it can take. Architects have already been asked to take on the task of 'reimagining' the historic London hub so that it can 'future-proof' as the demand for cross-border travel continues to grow. Eurostar plans to increase its current fleet in the next decade, offering services to five countries, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. The announcement sees a three-stage plan put in place, with the focus being on the redesigning of the international arrivals and departures area of the station by 2028. There will be investment in border control and security too, with hourly passenger numbers set to increase from around 2,500 now to 5,000 by the time the second stage of the three-part plan concludes in four years' time. The station currently welcomes some 45,000 Eurostar passengers every day, with research commissioned by London St Pancras Highspeed earlier this year concluding that demand looks set to triple by 2040, increasing from 11 million to 35 million passengers per year. London St Pancras Highspeed owns and operates the UK's only international high-speed rail link and the stations along the route including St Pancras International, Stratford International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International. Eurostar currently has a fleet of 51 high-speed trains, serving 28 destinations across Europe. British tourists can currently reach Paris, Lille, Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam on direct routes from London. New destinations Geneva and Frankfurt, coming in the early 2030s, are expected to be popular with business travellers as both cities are international finance centres. Andrew Davies, Partner & Transport & Infrastructure lead at architects Hawkins\Brown said the plans were trying to meet the need for 'affordable, high-speed, and sustainable journeys to and from Europe.' Richard Thorp, Chief Operating Officer at London St Pancras Highspeed said of the announcement: 'With growing passenger demand for international train travel, it is important that St Pancras International station is future-proofed and optimised to accommodate this. 'With a shared ambition and collaborative approach, we can ensure our iconic station is ready to support this demand, and we're looking forward to getting started on a new era of connectivity between London and Europe.' Last month, Eurostar announced plans to launch its direct train services from London to Switzerland and Germany. The operator is planning to offer trains between London St Pancras and Frankfurt and Geneva from the early 2030s. The train journey between London and Frankfurt is likely to take around five hours while the trip between London and Geneva is expected to take five hours and 20 minutes. Eurostar has said it expects to see strong demand from passengers travelling on both routes. The new routes will depend on a fleet of 50 new trains, expected to cost around £1.7bn (€2bn). The operator has yet to reveal which stops each route might include and whether passengers could get off along the way. CEO Gwendoline Cazenave says: 'We're seeing strong demand for train travel across Europe, with customers wanting to go further by rail than ever before and enjoy the unique experience we provide. 'Despite the challenging economic climate, Eurostar is growing and has bold ambitions for the future. 'Our new fleet will make new destinations for customers a reality - notably direct trains between London and Germany and between London and Switzerland for the first time. 'A new golden age of international sustainable travel is here.' The new trains would also allow Eurostar to boost the frequency of existing routes. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander says: 'I am pleased to welcome this exciting investment into Eurostar services, which is a huge step in promoting green travel across Europe and boosting our international rail connections.' In May, the UK signed a 'memorandum of understanding' with Switzerland where both countries committed to working together to launch a new direct train route between the two. In light of the new Eurostar announcement, Alexander adds: 'Last month, I signed a landmark agreement to deliver a direct rail link between London and Switzerland, paving the way for direct commercial services. 'Today's announcement by Eurostar shows that the government's plan for change is rapidly strengthening the links between major cities in counties across Europe, creating more opportunities to travel, work, and socialise.' Eurostar carried 19.5 million passengers in 2024, a rise of 5 per cent on traveller numbers in 2023.
