Tom Kerridge to launch first London restaurant

Celebrated two-Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge is to open his first restaurant in London, at the five-star Jumeirah Carlton Tower.

The standalone restaurant, on the site of the Knightsbridge hotel's famous Rib Room Bar and Restaurant, will open in 2017.

Located off Sloane Street, the Rib Room Bar and Restaurant will close in early 2017 for a complete renovation and will re-open as a restaurant under the direction of Kerridge and his team.

This will be Kerridge's first foray into London and marks a new era for the Rib Room restaurant which has been a dining destination since it first opened in 1961.

Kerridge, who owns the Hand and Flowers in Marlow - the first pub to win two Michelin stars, in the 2012 Michelin Guide - also owns the Coach in Marlow, which opened in December 2014. The restaurant at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower will be Kerridge's third restaurant, although he is currently running a two-month pop-up at the Old Town Hall in Marlow's Market Square.

The proposed restaurant at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower is currently at the planning stage and further details regarding the size, food style and name will be disclosed in the new year.

Commenting on the agreement, the hotel's general manager and Jumeirah's regional vice president for Europe, Katie Benson, said: "Tom is one of the country's top culinary talents and we are delighted to be working with him and his team to create London's most exciting new restaurant next year."

Kerridge, the winner of the 2007 Newcomer Catey Award, added: "We are thrilled and honoured to be opening in London at this landmark location in Knightsbridge and we will be revealing more details on our plans early next year."

The 216-bedroom Jumeirah Carlton Tower, is part of the Jumeirah Group, which operates a global portfolio of hotels and resorts including the flagship Burj Al Arab Jumeirah.

Kerridge opened the Hand and Flowers in 2005, and the Coach followed nine years later. Within its first year of trading, the Coach was awarded three AA rosettes.

In addition to his TV presenting, most recently as the lead presenter on Bake Off: Crème de la Crème, Kerridge has written three best-selling cookbooks - Proper Pub Food, Best Ever Dishes and Tom's Table. A fourth book, The Dopamine Diet, is due out in January. This year Kerridge launched a range of a cookware and kitchen products through Fenwicks as well as online through the website www.tomkerridge.com.

- are served a two-course menu cooked by the Hand and Flowers team, a "comfy seat to enjoy the movie" and ice cream during the interval.

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