Jason Atherton to back new opening in former Viajante site

Chef-restaurateur Jason Atherton and Singaporean lawyer turned restaurateur/hotelier, Loh Lik Peng are to back a new, as yet unnamed, restaurant venture on the site of what was Viajante in London's Town Hall hotel.

The move comes after it emerged that chef Nuno Mendes was leaving the Michelin-starred Bethnal Green restaurant in order to become executive chef at André Balazs' new venture, the Chiltern Firehouse.

Atherton will install Lee Westcott as executive chef of the new restaurant, launching in April 2014.

Westcott, currently executive chef of Atherton's 22Ships and Ham & Sherry in Hong Kong, has previously spent four years working alongside Tom Aikens, heading up the kitchen at his Chelsea restaurant. He has also worked at Michelin-starred Per Se in New York, Noma, and with Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's.

Westcott will be in charge of the menu in the Corner Room and the bar, as well as the conference and banqueting menus.

The Edwardian Town Hall building reopened its doors in April 2010 as the Town Hall hotel.

Nuno Mendes leaves Michelin-starred London restaurant Viajante >>