The rebirth of cool

The Atlantic was the most fashionable restaurant and bar in London when it sauntered on to the scene in the mid-1990s. Young, fresh and full of confidence, it reflected the swagger of the city it was at the centre of. But the glory of those early years began to fade as the fickle fashionistas deserted to the "next big thing" and the venue lost some of its sparkle and direction. So, how did the Atlantic lose its cool?

"To be honest, I think I got bored," says owner Oliver Peyton about the decline. "About four years ago I thought I had lost my passion for restaurants." Back in the outlet's heyday, if you had got beyond the velvet rope to the plushness of Dick's bar, you would have found Peyton, drinking and smoking in a frantic blur, talking to a captive audience of London's great, good and goggle-eyed.

Peyton can still talk for England, Wales and his native Ireland, and he still smokes ciggies as though he used to be rationed - but his boozing days are long gone. He gave that up three years ago and that, coupled with the birth of his son, has given him a new perspective.

He claims to be a different man from those earlier days of constant partying, and he believes that his flagship restaurant has changed, too. "I've got my enthusiasm back and I'm excited about my venues," he says. "I recently walked into the Atlantic and thought, ‘What does it mean to people today?' - not, ‘Can I return it to what it was eight or nine years ago?'"

And the London scene is very different now, as Peter Harden, from Harden's restaurant guides, argues. "The Atlantic broke the mould when it opened, but it was pretty much the only game in town," he says. "Today, there is greater competition in restaurants and the late-night drinking environment."

Peyton is aware of criticisms of the Atlantic and he's determined to address them. "I don't think we've been consistent enough," he says. "I'm a creative person and maybe I have let my staff have too much of a free rein, but I have instigated a year-long plan for the Atlantic and it's already proving successful."

That plan has seen a new head chef installed, David Roache, with a menu that, Peyton says, "contains some excellent British standard dishes that will not change". Roache has been joined by a new general manager, the highly experienced Patricia Cusack, while former head bartender Jamie Terrell has returned to launch a new cocktail list.

These are all positive signs, but will they bring the beautiful people back? "I don't think owners have much control over whether a place is fashionable or not," says food and drink editor Guy Diamond of London listings magazine Time Out. "Peyton takes risks, and some are spectacular successes, some aren't. Trying to chase a fashionable crowd is like following a will o' the wisp."

Harden agrees. "Fashionability is a funny thing," he says, "but trendy places don't lose their crowds overnight. It's usually a gradual decline, perhaps because criticism is harder to listen to if you're full every night. But just because you are in the centre of a media circus and doing well, it does not mean your offer is good. In the Atlantic's case, it may well become fashionable again, but I suspect Peyton probably cares more about whether he is making money out of it."

It's true that Peyton doesn't seem desperate to return to the centre of the in-crowd. "The Atlantic will be here after I am gone," he says. "I am not interested in pursuing a lost period of ultra-fashionability. I want the right people to come, and I've looked at our door policy. We don't allow one type of person to dominate the venue, because that's boring for everyone, and we have introduced a members' scheme for Dick's bar."

It remains to be seen whether the trendies flock back to Atlantic, but how do venues such as the Ivy, Nobu and San Lorenzo manage to sustain their A-list status over a number of years? "Those venues are usually relatively discreet," says Diamond, "not allowing photography inside, for example, and giving preferential treatment to celebrities, but they also manage to get the right staff and keep them."

Harden believes that canny owners are the key. "It all comes down to the people behind the restaurant," he says, "as the chefs tend to move on after a while. The Ivy has maintained a remarkably consistent standard and has not jacked its prices up because of its success. These places are run by meticulous restaurateurs who are very hands-on and creative."

Peyton's creative credentials have never been in doubt, and he now has an obvious new-found enthusiasm for the Atlantic and his other businesses. "I have got a number of plans at the moment," he says with a gleeful laugh. "I have a venue in Casablanca and a really unique London venture that will be announced soon. I want tourists who come to the capital to experience something genuinely British. Not in a tacky way, but in the sense of quality cuisine and service."

He won't divulge all, although he's clearly tempted. It seems that Peyton, like his flagship London venue, has grown up.

Atlantic

20 Glasshouse Street, London W1
Tel: 020 7734 4888

Opened: 1994
Inspiration: Café Opera, Stockholm
Affiliation: Gruppo
Turnover: £6m
Covers: 180
Staff: 180
Average spend: £45
Head chef: David Roache
General manager: Patricia Cusack

Sample menu

Starter Terrine of marinated foie gras, apple and Sauternes jelly with toasted brioche, £12

Main
Oven-roasted Whitby cod, sautéd spinach and sorrel beurre blanc sauce, £15.50

Gruppo

Total staff: 450

Mash 19-21 Great Portland St, London W1
020 7637 5555

Isola
145 Knightsbridge, London SW1
020 7838 1044

Further afield

As well as revamping the Atlantic Bar & Grill, Oliver Peyton is also acting as consultant on a new project in Casablanca with Moroccan restaurateurs Mehdi and Leila Bahraoui. They intend to create an "epicentre of epicureanism" at Villa Zevaco, the former home of celebrated local architect Jean-Francois Zevaco.

The listed 1950s building is being restored and converted into a fine-dining restaurant, bar, pâtisserie, salon de thé, function room and Paul boulangerie.

The designer, chosen by Peyton, is Andy Martin, who worked on Peyton's own Isola and Mash restaurants in London. Head chef Kamel Benamar won a Michelin star while he was head chef at London's L'Oranger restaurant.

Peyton says of the Moroccan venture: "We are dedicated to providing a gastronomic venue of the highest quality which will appeal to locals and attract an international clientele to Casablanca."

Tiaras and tantrums

Fashion victims

Teatro
Opened in 1997; became So.UK So.Ho in April this year.

Former footballer Lee Chapman and his actress wife Leslie Ash seemed to have the celebrity connections to make the London restaurant and members' club a haven for the glitterati. However, the smart set did not flock to the Soho eatery, nor to its Leeds outpost, which closed in 2001 after being open for a year.

Neat
Opened in May 2001; closed in February 2002.

Great things were expected of Richard Neat, who returned to the capital after earning two Michelin stars, aged 26, at Pied à Terre in Charlotte Street and launching a restaurant in Cannes. The lofty perch of his eaterie, Neat, within the Oxo Tower mirrored his aspirations, but the clack of Jimmy Choo shoes was not heard on the stairs often enough and the restaurant closed within a year. Unfortunately, Neat's flagship Cannes operation soon followed, closing in October 2002.

Conrad Gallagher Opened in August 2001; closed and renamed 179 Shaftesbury Avenue in February 2002.

The dazzling career of the Donegal-born chef looked set to continue when he opened his eponymous restaurant in London. With the showbiz connections of his backer, Mean Fiddler owner Vince Power, it seemed that the hip and happening would be queuing round the block. They failed to turn up, and Gallagher's subsequent fall from grace has been well documented.

Definitely Divas

The Ivy
1 West Street, London.

Opened in 1917.

Notoriously difficult to get into and consistently the most popular restaurant in the country for celebrities and star gazers. But can it retain its status after the partnership that really made its name, Christopher Corbin and Jeremy King, have left?

• The secret? Consistent quality.

San Lorenzo 22 Beauchamp Place, London.

Opened in 1963.

The food critic of London's Evening Standard, Fay Maschler, may have described it as "not a place people go to if you are interested in food", but owners Mara and Lorenzo Berni have been meeting and greeting the stars of stage and screen for decades. You can judge your status in life by where you're seated, and remember - don't take your credit card. It's strictly cash, darling.

• The secret? Family atmosphere with an astute handling of VIPs.

Nobu
Metropolitan Hotel, 19 Old Park Lane, London.

Opened in 1997.

Part of perhaps the world's most fashionable restaurant "chain", begun by owner Nobuyuki Matsuhisa in Los Angeles before expanding to New York, London and Milan. A-list diners enjoy the rice and fish dishes served by Michelin-starred head chef Mark Edwards.

• The secret? Excellent food, celebrity endorsement - but will it last?