25/5/22 - updated with new opening plans
If you’ve not heard of Le Cordon Bleu you must have been living in some kind of cryogenic culinary time capsule. The famed culinary arts and hospitality institute has celebrated over 125 years of teaching some of the world’s greatest chefs. And now it’s also opening its first fine-dining restaurant in London. Except it’s much more than a fine-dining restaurant - CORD by Le Cordon Bleu will be an all-in-one concept that also incorporates a café and a cooking school.
Originally announced as opening in 2020, the pandemic rather got in the way of those plans. Now back with a new opening plan, the new venture will be on Fleet Street, taking over the old Lutyens site.
With a design that's inspired by 17th-century Paris, Cord restaurant and Cord café are two different beasts.
The café specialises in French patisseries and viennoiseries baked on-site daily, naturellement, and is open for breakfast and lunch (think: gourmet sandwiches, salads, soups, and artisan breads).
The Cord restaurant has more of a discerning bent, especially if you’re keen on matched wine or tea pairings, and is open for lunches (with a 90-minute set menu) and dinner tasting menus. Highlights of the menu include:
- Handpicked crab meat, cucumber, rhubarb & radish marmalade with herb toast, brown crab dressing and watercress oil
- Heirloom tomatoes, chickpea panisse crisp, tomato syrup, basil paste & oil
- Marinated sea bream, corn guacamole & citrus, confit lemon, grilled corn & marjoram
- Corn-fed chicken with confit shallots, peas, baby carrots & Tarragon jus.
- Warm steamed Muscavado sponge, spiced cherries, fig leaf ice cream and green pistachio
The wine list is skewed towards French, German, Italian, Spanish and New World vineyards, as well as biodynamic and organic drops.
And on top of that, budding chefs can also partake in short courses that specialise in food and wine pairing, worldwide cuisine and patisserie.
More about Cord
Where is it? 85 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1AE
When does it open? 27 June 2022
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @cordrestaurant.
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