Salmon restaurant Salmontini Le Resto to open in London

A restaurant group that specialises in serving smoked salmon is to open its first site outside of the Middle East in London's Belgravia.

Owners Joe Bassili and Hussni Ajlan will open Salmontini Le Resto at 1 Pont Street this September.

The pair opened the first Salmontini restaurant and boutique in Beirut in 2001. There are also Salmontini Le Resto sites in Dubai, as well as in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Overseen by Joe Bassili's son, co-owner and managing director Jason Bassili, the Pont Street restaurant will take the Salmontini Le Resto concept and fine tune it for London audiences.

Heading up the kitchen is Spanish-born chef Esteve Prats Grau, who previously worked at Tom's Kitchen. Grau also worked for Semon in Spain, regularly overseeing private events for King Juan Carlos of Spain, as well as working alongside Martín Berasategui at the two Michelin-starred Lasarte in Guipúzcoa, near San Sebastian in Spain.

The menu will offer a variety of cold and hot salmon specialties, light salads, fresh Mediterranean fish and meats. These will be complemented by an array of sushi and sashimi.

Andraos Associates, the design team behind such London venues including Café de Paris, Madame Jojo's, Noura and Volupté, has designed the restaurant which promises "industrial chic meets sensuous luxury".