Chef Victor Garvey is taking the reins at the Midland Grand by St Pancras station, taking over the impressive Gothic Revival space formerly occupied by Marcus Wareing’s restaurant The Gilbert Scott.
Victor has joined forces with Harry Handelsman (left in photo), owner of the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, who says: “This is one of the most important buildings in the country and one of the most spectacular dining rooms in London. It demands an experience that lives up to that.“
Victor adds: “A dining room of this stature deserves a menu that matches its grandeur”, and the pair have pitched the new approach as “Old World, New Ideas“, to “honour the foundations of classical French cuisine while embracing modernity” with dishes such as butter-poached lobster, finished with pressed lobster jus in a flourish of tableside theatre.
The versatile chef grew up partly in Barcelona, and his first London restaurants – Sibarita and Encant in Covent Garden and Rambla in Soho – showcased Catalan and Spanish cuisine. He changed direction six years ago, converting Rambla into Sola which is inspired by the American West Coast. It is hailed in the 2025 Harden’s guide as “THE place to go for top-class Californian cooking in London”.
The Gilbert Scott closed after 10 years in 2021, while the ‘elevated brasserie’ cooking of the Midland Grand Dining Room that replaced it fell short of its price level in the most recent Harden’s diners’ survey, and chef Patrick Powell left last summer.
Victor Garvey at the Midland Grand launches on Tuesday 25 February.
