Elliott Moss closes tiny restaurant PLU ‘with immediate effect’

PLU restaurant in St John’s Wood, London, has shut its doors after four years of trading, blaming the current economic climate.

In an email seen by The Caterer, the fine dining venue’s co-owners, chef patron Elliot Moss and his wife Helen, wrote that the compact site had closed “with immediate effect”.

Elliot said: "This is a very sad day for us both. We have worked tirelessly for years to make a success of PLU and we have loyal customers we are sorry to disappoint. But in the current economic climate, we just can't afford to carry on and the time has come for us to cut our losses.

“We want to thank all of our guests who have supported us and helped to make our labour of love fun and rewarding. We'll miss you."

However, he indicated there may be a final chance for guests to experience the restaurant on 6 and 7 of March.

Elliot, the son of British racing driver, Stirling Moss, opened PLU in winter 2019. The restaurant seated just eight guests and was recommended in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland for its "bold flavours, interesting textures and a sense of humour", but did not hold a star.

PLU served a 15-course seasonal tasting menu on Thursday to Saturday evenings, showcasing Elliot’s creative cooking and presentation style, with Helen leading front-of-house.

Elliot began his career at Le Gavroche and has many years of experience at Michelin star restaurants.

PLU is the latest in a growing number of independent restaurants to have closed since the start of the year as businesses struggle with rising costs and a drop in customer spending power.

Other closures have included Terroir Tapas in Bournemouth, MasterChef finalist Tony Rodd's Copper & Ink in Blackheath, James Allcock's the Pig & Whistle in Beverley, Phil and Deb Lewis' Kindle in Cardiff and Simon Rimmer's Greens in Manchester.