Curtains close on Teatro restaurant

Teatro, the London restaurant owned by footballer-turned-restaurateur Lee Chapman and his actress wife Lesley Ash, has been turned into SO.UK SO.HO, following the success of its sister restaurant in Clapham, south London.

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Chapman said he had decided to change the restaurant, which came under threat of closure from Customs & Excise last year, because customers wanted something less formal.

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Inside SO.UK SO.HO

"We'd seen the tremendous success of SO.UK in Clapham and there isn't anywhere similar in Soho, so it was a natural decision to transform the space," said Chapman. He added that the changes had already been successful. The members-only Teatro bar still exists at the site, but the restaurant has been refurbished and is now a 120-seat area open to non-members. Chapman said: "We still offer an extensive food menu, but we have changed the cuisine and the way we serve it. People come in for drinks after work and then decide they'd like something to eat, but not always a two- or three-course, full-on meal." He added that there were no plans to open any more SO.UKs at the moment. Customs & Excise's petition to wind-up Teatro was dismissed in December 2002 on what it said was a technicality.