Victor Garvey closes Encant restaurant

Victor Garvey has announced the closure of his Covent Garden-based restaurant Encant after 20 months in operation.

The chef is to focus on a new site also in London, due to open later this year. The site in Soho has been provisionally acquired, but further details are yet to be announced.

Garvey said: "Encant is very special to me as it was my first solo restaurant, and it's still as busy as ever, but creatively the team and I feel we've taken it as far as we can.

"Sibarita and Rambla [Garvey's other restaurants] opened in quick succession and both their menus feature several dishes which originated at Encant; it got to the stage where Encant had effectively become a development kitchen for the others, rather than innovating in its own right."

All staff have been offered positions in Sibarita in Covent Garden and Rambla in Soho.

The news follows a buy-out of investors, which sees Garvey take ownership Sibarita and Rambla under the umbrella of the newly-incorporated Garvey Restaurant Holdings.

Garvey's head chef Krisztian Palinzkas, operations manager Claudio di Martino and executive assistant Marsida Rexhepaj have been given shares in the enterprise.

Victor Garvey to open second restaurant >>

Victor Garvey's Rambla to open next month >>

Victor Garvey to open Covent Garden wine and cheese bar >>

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