Former Marcus Wareing head chef James Knappett to open solo venture
James Knappett, former head chef at Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, is to open his first solo venture this summer.
Knappett, who left Marcus Wareing last autumn to join Brett Graham's Ledbury, will launch Bubbledogs on Charlotte Street together with his wife, Sandia Chang (pictured, with Knappett), in July.
The restaurant will be divided into two distinct areas: Bubbledogs, which will serve Champagne and sparkling wine next to a menu of 10 different types of hotdogs; and the Kitchen Table for intimate meals for up to 19 guests.
Knappett, who counts multi-Michelin-starred restaurants including Per Se in New York and Noma in Copenhagen on his CV, said: "We are very excited to be opening our first restaurant together on Charlotte Street, and to be introducing something a little different."
Bubbledogs' hotdogs will include the BLT dog, wrapped in bacon and served with truffle mayonnaise and caramelized lettuce; the Jose dog with guacamole, sour cream, salsa and jalapenos; and a regularly changing guest chef's special. Prices will start at £6.
The wine list will feature Grower Champagne and sparkling wines by lesser-known producers and regions available by the glass and the bottle.
The restaurant's interiors will incorporate an anaglypta ceiling, original reconditioned flooring, a copper-topped bar, exposed brick and Georgian wire windows.
Meanwhile the Kitchen Table will showcase Knappett's contemporary European cooking, with lunchtime menus of three or five courses, priced from £25 and dinner menus priced from £50. Sample dishes will include beetroot, fennel and garlic scapes; chicken skin, grilled onion and burrata milk; beef, dead nettle and carrot; and hay, strawberry, malt and sweet cicely.
Knappett joined Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley as sous chef in September 2009 and was promoted to the role of head chef following the departure of Alyn Williams, who now runs his own restaurant at the Westbury Hotel. He previously worked at Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, Cornwall, as well as Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and under Wareing at Pétrus.
Chang most recently worked at Simon Rogan's Roganic.
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By Neil Gerrard
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