Bar Boulud to be replaced by izakaya restaurant the Aubrey

International hospitality group Maximal Concepts is to open its first UK restaurant in the former Bar Boulud space at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London hotel in early 2022.

Bar Boulud, which was opened in 2010 by French chef Daniel Boulud, permanently closed in October 2020 following the expiry of its 10-year contract.

It will be replaced by the Aubrey London, which is described as an izakaya bar and restaurant, with a menu set to showcase traditional Japanese cooking techniques.

Two bars will serve cocktails and the restaurant will also offer lunch and afternoon tea, before transforming into a ‘lively’ evening destination.

The restaurant is being created as a partnership between Maximal Concepts and the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park.

Hong Kong-based Maximal Concepts was founded in 2012 and has since expanded to locations including Singapore, Las Vegas and Vancouver.

Its other brands include high-end Chinese restaurant Mott 32, which the group hopes to grow into a luxury global brand via franchising. The concept has four international locations with nine more set to open by 2024.

The Mandarin Oriental is also home to two-Michelin-starred restaurant Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, which launched shortly after Bar Boulud.