A new restaurant channeling a retro take on the French Riviera will land at The Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge this month. La Môme, a spinoff from an original in Cannes (pictured), has taken over the premises occupied for 15 years by chef Marcus Wareing’s high-profile flagship.

Twin restaurateurs Ugo and Antoine Lecorche launched the original La Môme 10 years ago, following up with La Môme Plage on the Croisette in Cannes in 2018 and La Môme Monte Carlo in 2022. The name is a slang term meaning “kid” or “girl”, and references both Edith Piaf and ‘La Môme Moineau’, a nightclub flower-seller in 1920s Paris who married a Puerto Rican moneybags and partied in Cannes.

Ugo says: “We want to bring part of the elegance of the French Riviera of the 60s and 70s to Belgravia. As in Cannes, La Môme London will exude the same upbeat, elegant vibe. We are trying to bring to The Berkeley an experience that is about all the senses: not only about the food, but about the welcome, the service, the music, the energy, where something interesting is happening every day.”

Originally from Lyons, the twins worked their way through the Cannes hospitality scene from waiters to managers before launching their own venues with a trademark theatrical approach, which includes live music, dishes prepared table-side and cocktails arriving in a cloud of dry ice inside a glass cloche. One striking service element is that whole tabletops can be changed instantly, with waiters carrying a freshly laid table above their heads through the restaurant to replace a previous sitting.

The Berkeley’s general manager, Kostas Sfaltos, said: “We are excited to bring La Môme, a true Cannes legend, to London and believe their cosmopolitan energy and joie de vivre will bring something new to the capital.”

The new restaurant accommodates 220 diners, with space for a further 30 guests outside on a newly created terrace and a 10-seater bar serving cocktails and small bites. It will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.