Bruno Loubet’s veggie-centric King’s Cross venture, Grain Store, will close its doors for good on 23 August. The warehouse-style space was one of the first restaurants to lead the regeneration of Granary Square when it opened four years ago. Once a rather barren landscape behind King’s Cross station, the locale has been transformed by the arrival of the likes of Dishoom, Granger & Co and Caravan.

The Zetter Group and Bruno Loubet announced the closure on Friday 21 August. Loubet is keen to retire from full-time cooking after a 40-year career. He is often still the first chef to arrive in Grain Store’s kitchen in the morning, but would like to take a step back.

Over the last four years, Grain Store has won praise from our reporters for its “great buzz”, “unusual flavour combinations” and “dishes that are vegetable-led”, as well as plaudits from the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s Food Made Good campaign for its approach to sustainability. This year’s guide noted a return to form for the restaurant, which had seen its Harden’s survey ratings slip in recent years. Enthusiasm waned after a stellar opening, and reports in 2015 and 2016 noted some  “hype” about an “echoey” place with “tame” food, “high” prices and “misdirected” service; a few doubters even declared they had meals that were “absolutely awful”. But this year reporters said it made a return to “fabulous” form.

Grain Store was Bruno’s long-held dream, and his partners Michael Benyan and Mark Sainsbury deliberated as to whether they could continue operating the venue without him at the helm, but feel it would be impossible. They have been made an offer for the site which they have decided to take.

Bruno will continue with creative consultancies and passion projects and the brand will live on at Grain Store Gatwick.