We didn’t think a plum Fitzrovia site like the one Dabbous inhabited until recently would sit vacant for long, and we were right. Plans are already afoot to turn the “loft-style”, industrial-chic restaurant into a rustic French bistro (quite a departure!), thanks to former co-owner and manager of Pied à Terre, Mathieu Germond.

Ollie Dabbous and business partner Oskar Kinberg closed the chef’s eponymous restaurant last month following the closure of their casual diner Barnyard, also in Fitzrovia, in January. The pair are planning a “major new undertaking” for next year.

Dabbous recently launched Henrietta in partnership with the team behind the Experimental Cocktail Club – a French-inspired restaurant in a Covent Garden hotel of the same name.

On the former site of Dabbous, Germond is planning to launch a restaurant inspired by his upbringing in the Loire Valley, with a menu based on seasonal ingredients and rustic cooking. According to Caterer a six-figure premium was secured for the lease of the Whitfield Street site, which has 14 years remaining and includes the ground floor and basement.

The as yet unnamed restaurant will see Ed Dutton spearhead the kitchen as head chef, who previously worked with Germond at Pied à Terre and Pied Nus. Restaurateur David Moore, owner of Pied á Terre and its sister restaurant L’Autre Pied, has also advised on the concept.