Bakery group Paul to open first restaurant site
Bakery and patisserie group Paul is to open its first all-day casual dining restaurant in London's Covent Garden, on 15 July.
With an average spend of £18 per head, the restaurant will serve an all-day, classically-French menu including "les criques de Gramat" - potato cakes with ham, Emmental cheese, tomatoes and a fried egg; "Brioche perdue" â' French toast with crème anglaise, and "oeufs Á¡ la coque" - boiled egg and soldiers.
Main meal options will include "coq au vin" - marinated and braised in red wine sauce served with buttery mash; "entrecôte Á¡ la Bordelaise" - sirloin steak with fries and choice of sauce; "blanquette de veau Á¡ l'ancienne" - veal with potatoes, carrots, celery and grilled field mushrooms; and "confit de canard aux olives" - slow cooked duck leg with crushed potatoes, black olive and red wine sauce.
The usual range of breads, patisseries, salads and sandwiches will also be available, and there will be a wine list featuring a selection of regional French varieties.
Maxime Holder, chairman of the Paul Group, said: "This is a very exciting time. We have a strong brand identity based on fifth generation core family principles and the new restaurant will embody this spirit. Le Restaurant de Paul will offer a great value and genuine French dining experience."
Founded as a small bakery in 1889, in the Artois region of France, the company opened its first bakery outside France in Barcelona, in 1985. It now has sites in over 25 countries, including the US and Japan, with 30 in the UK.