Forest Restaurant to be fourth Des McDonald Selfridges residency
Des McDonald Restaurants is to open Forest Restaurant & Cabin Bar, its latest "on the roof" residency concept at Selfridges department store in London.
Set to open on 21 October for the duration of autumn and winter, the restaurant and bar will be inspired by English forest and woodland.
The menu will be influenced by foraging trends and include hotpots, grilled meats and fish, and seasonal vegetable dishes.
Chris Dargavel will head the kitchen, while Lee Bull, chef-director of the Des McDonald Group, will oversee the site as a whole. Fergal Dooley, previously at the group's Holborn Dining Room, will be general manager.
As with previous "on the roof" concepts, the site will be accessible from the express lift on the ground floor in Selfridge's Fragrance Hall, but will also be accessed via a landscaped staircase on the fourth floor.
Dishes will be along the lines of Windsor Estate mallard on toast with a mulled cider vinaigrette; pumpkin and goat's cheese tart; juniper gin-cured salmon with pickled cucumber; baked game meatballs; Wild Highland roe deer fillet with kale and an elderberry sauce; and duck shepherd's pie with autumn squash.
Desserts have been created by head pastry chef Siobhan Ambrose, including a rose custard tart, a treacle sponge served with whisky Anglaise and a Piña Colada jelly.
Drinks available on the terrace's Cabin Bar amid outdoor lodges and blankets will aim to be seasonal and warming, with mulled wine, cider, seasonal ales and chocolate cocktail "choctails" among the selection. These will include the Gingerbread Choctail with gingerbread liqueur, rum and hot chocolate; the Spiced Banana Choctail with banana liqueur; and the Chestnut Choctail with crème de Chataigne and white chocolate liqueur.
The concept will be the fourth residency partnership between the restaurant group and the department store, which began with On the Roof with Q in May 2014, followed by Le Chalet in October 2014, and On the Roof with Vintage Salt in May this year.
Des McDonald, former chief executive at Caprice Holdings and founder of the eponymous counsultancy, said: "I am delighted to be opening our fourth rooftop concept, Forest Restaurant & Cabin Bar on the Roof. We really enjoy working with Selfridges and are excited to transform the room into another successful residency."
Nathan Herrmann, Selfridges food and restaurants director, added: "We are excited to offer our shoppers a fantastic place to pause on their Christmas shopping. We are sure our customers will be enchanted by the view, décor and food."
Des McDonald left Caprice Holdings in 2012 and set up his own consultancy soon after. His other brands include Vintage Salt (formerly the Fish & Chip Shop) in Islington, the Q Grill in Camden, and the Holborn Dining Room in Holborn.
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