Chef Koffmann looks for new restaurant site

His decision follows the feedback from his “pop-up” restaurant on the roof of Oxford Street department store Selfridges.

Originally the restaurant was only meant to be open for six days but because of overwhelming demand it has received an extension until the end of November.

Koffman has appointed specialist celebrity chef adviser Restaurant Property who recently acted for Gordon Ramsay on the new Mayfair location for his Petrus restaurant.

Restaurant Property director David Rawlinson said: “The name Pierre Koffman has been synonymous with the finest French food in England for close to 40 years. His triumph at Selfridge’s is a great foundation on which to build a new restaurant concept on. We are currently looking for a suitable restaurant site for him in the areas of Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Chelsea and South Kensington.”

In 1972 Koffman cooked alongside Michel Roux at The Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire, before opening his own restaurant, La Tante Claire, in 1977 in Chelsea with his late wife Annie.

Rawlinson added: “The central London restaurant market has flared back to life so much so that operators are prepared to pay premiums again for prime sites. There is a real sense of urgency back in the market for the best sites in Mayfair, Soho, Covent Garden, Knightsbridge and Kensington”.

Rawlinson cited property developers Legal and General Property and Mitsubishi Estate Company’s Central Saint Giles scheme designed by world renowned architect Renzo Piano, which sits between Soho and Covent Garden as one of the best illustrations of how dramatically the market has come back

Restaurant Property is joint letting leisure agent with Knight Frank on the scheme.

Restaurant Property director Jason Grant said the casual dining market had picked up. “Gondola Group is actively looking for sites across all their brands including Pizza Express, Ask and Zizzi for example.”