MW Eat to open new restaurant in Chutney Mary site

Indian restaurant group MW Eat is to open a new restaurant called Masala Grill in the site of what is currently Chutney Mary in London's Chelsea.

Chutney Mary is to close after 25 years in Chelsea on 8 February and relocate to 73 St James's Street London, SW1, in what was previously Marco Pierre White's Wheeler's of St James's.

Ranjit Mathrani said the decision to move Chutney Mary came as its lease was set to expire.

However the group has retained the Chelsea site by extending the original lease, and will launch Masala Grill there in late March 2015.

Meanwhile, the move of Chutney Mary to St James's will see the restaurant reinvigorated with new dishes, opening daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with brunch also available at weekends.

It will feature a bar seating 50-60 people where there will be more informal seating and menus, and a main dining room that seats around 110 people.

In addition there will be two private dining rooms on the lower level to accommodate 32 and 16 people respectively.

Chutney Mary was created by Mathrani and his wife Namita Panjabi in 1990 with regional Indian menus and an exotic interior design.

The food was developed by Panjabi and her sister Camellia, exploring the many regions of India.

News that MW Eat had acquired 73 St James first emerged in March last year, after it was sold my Marco Pierre White.

The site was once home to historic French restaurant Prunier, from 1936 until 1980.

Chutney Mary to relocate to Wheeler's of St. James site >>

Marco Pierre White sells flagship Wheeler's of St James site >>