Corbin & King to reopen Bellanger with 'cheaper prices, more fun, and greater casualness'

Corbin & King has announced it will reopen its Bellanger restaurant in Islington a year after announcing its closure.

The group closed the site in August 2019, saying the critical success it had gained hadn’t been matched financially.

However, restaurateur Jeremy King, who founded the group with Chris Corbin, said after two sales had fallen through, the group had decided to “scratch an itch” and reopen with a slightly different offer.

He explained: “Were we too precipitous in closing and should we have tried changing the offer and having another go? Well, that question has now been asked by way of a survey of the database and some 4,000 local customers have responded with a resounding ‘Yes!’.

“The new version is best described as more akin to Zédel in terms of menu and price. While it will remain familiar to our old regulars, the decor will take a new turn and the overall feeling will be one of cheaper prices, more fun, and greater casualness – but all in the Corbin & King style.”

Bellanger will reopen on 14 August with previous general manager Jo Cromwell back at the helm.

The 200-cover restaurant originally opened in May 2015, serving dishes inspired by the Alsatian roots of the original Parisian brasseries. It was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in the same year.

When it opened The Times' Giles Coren gave the restaurant 8/10, while The Guardian's Grace Dent described it as "a delightful mix of the Delaunay (European old-school glitz pulled off with Manhattan chic) and the gloriously eccentric Fischer's (schnitzel, würstchen and Viennese konditorei)".

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