Le Cordon Bleu to open first London fine dining restaurant

Culinary institute Le Cordon Blue is to finally launch its first fine dining restaurant in London in June.

Cord by Le Cordon Bleu will also feature a cafe and an outpost of the culinary school offering short courses on food and wine.

The site was originally due to open in spring 2020, but was delayed by the onset of the pandemic.

The main 90-cover Cord restaurant will open for lunch and dinner Monday to Friday and offer an a la carte and dinner tasting menu. A weekly-changing set menu, designed to be served within a hour and a half, has been designed for busy lunchtime diners.

Dishes will include marinated sea bream, corn guacamole and citrus, confit lemon, grilled corn and marjoram; and corn-fed chicken with confit shallots, peas, baby carrots and Tarragon jus.

The wine list will include a selection from France as well as Germany, Italy, Spain and the New World. Diners can opt for wine pairings and alcohol-free tea pairings with their food.

The 30-cover Cord Cafe will open daily and offer French patisserie and viennoiseries, gourmet sandwiches, salads and soups.

Le Cordon Bleu will host short corporate courses at the site, followed by a meal in the restaurant. Classes will cater for up to 14 people while the whole institute is available for hire.

Le Cordon Bleu chief executive and president André J. Cointreau said: "As we transition out of the pandemic, we prepare to open the doors to our first-ever dining, café and cooking school concept in London – a notable milestone as we continue to celebrate excellence in teaching around the world."