Morel to open on Thyme site

A new French restaurant called Morel will open on the former site of Thyme in Clapham, South-west London next month.

Chef Jean Chaib, formerly at the Pen in Fulham, and West Street and the St Martin's Lane hotel in Covent Garden, is the major shareholder in the business, which cost about £120,000. He said he would retain a similar menu to that of former joint chef-proprietors Adam Byatt and Adam Oates, with an emphasis on modern European food.

Spend at the 50-seat property is expected to average about £45-£50 a head, with the set-dinner menu costing £27 for three courses.

General manager Cherie Lust-Robinson, formerly at the Wells in Hampstead, London, said: "We've inherited a lot of things from the former owners, so we don't want to change things hugely. We will retain the fine-dining atmosphere and style of cooking."

Thyme will reopen at the Hospital in Covent Garden next month.