Seven Park Place chef William Drabble, who in 2023 lost his Michelin Star after 24 years holding one, is to open a new restaurant inspired by Queen Victoria’s head chef.
Drabble’s new restaurant, which like Seven Park Place will be inside the Althoff St. James's Hotel & Club, will be called Francatelli, after Charles Elmé Francatelli. Francatelli, who Drabble describes as “one of his culinary idols”, wrote the influential 1846 recipe book The Modern Cook. The book, which was popular enough to have 29 editions, sold well throughout Britain and America, and introduced both countries to the idea of a two-course meal. Francatelli, considered a celebrity cook in his time, had been the Queen’s chef prior to publication, and later worked for the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Drabble was inspired to pick the book back up after losing his star, in a bid to “rediscover the joy of cooking”. He told the Standard: “When I lost the star, I was devastated. I worked my whole career to keep this thing.
“I’ve spent the past 12 months reevaluating what’s important. I needed to rediscover the joy of cooking; I’ve spent time with my head in the books, reading about my favourite chefs, their history and recipes. This led me to Francatelli, not only a culinary hero of mine but coincidentally the Chief Chef at St. James’s Club in the 1860s.”
Having long dealt with both the pros and cons of a star — Drabble told the Standard winning one was the highlight of his career, but added it “led to a lot of pressure, mostly self-imposed” — without one, the chef says he feels more “freedom” to experiment with the new restaurant.
“I now have a sense of freedom I haven’t had since I was 19 years old. I always used to think, 'Is this dish good enough? What will they think about this dish?' And now I just think, 'What do I want to cook? What feels right?' I’m now cooking for myself and from the heart,” he said.
Francatelli, which will open on February 29, will see Drabble cook traditional British dishes, inspired by the Victorian chef. “My menu will bring to life modern interpretations of 19th-century dishes. Expect a menu that intertwines the site’s legacy with the finest British produce,” Drabble explained. “Instead of a dish that might serve lamb four ways, I want to cook the perfect shepherd's pie.”
The bill of fare — or what is more commonly known as a menu — is set to pay homage to Francatelli's culinary legacy with starters including Scotch broth, made with mutton sourced from a Cumbrian farm Drabble has used for almost 30 years. Mains will likewise showcase Francatelli's influence with dishes like Shepherd’s pie made with Lune Valley lamb, and fillets of plaice in crisp crumb with Francatelli’s tartar sauce. Puddings will include an amaretto-glazed filbert cream tart and homemade ice cream served in Francatelli's gauffres, inspired by one of the earliest known illustrations of ice cream cones.
Alongside the new restaurant, Seven Park Place’s bar and lounge has been transformed too, and will serve seven seasonal punches and seven signature cocktails. The bar menu also draws inspiration from The Modern Cook, featuring early punch recipes. It will also serve wines by the glass, wine flights, and seasonal bar snacks for sharing.
Drabble’s career includes stints at The Capital Hotel, Chez Nico, and Pied à Terre. He first won a star at Michael's Nook, within five months of working there, and later replicated this success at Aubergine in London, maintaining the star for a decade, before moving onto Seven Park Place, which for a time was distinguished as London’s smallest Michelin-starred restaurant.
