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Two French restaurateurs are planning to sprinkle some Riviera drama onto London next year, bringing an iteration of La Môme to the Berkeley in the space formerly occupied by Marcus Wareing.
Brothers Ugo and Antoine Lecorché are to make their UK debut in January, having opened three branches across the South of France, between Monaco and Cannes, including a flagship on the legendary Promenade de la Croisette.
Described by the Maybourne Group — the owner of the Berkeley hotel — as an “institution”, La Môme is a classic Riviera restaurant. It is the sort of place that helped to create an aspirational world in which Whispering Angel is as famous as many of the stars who, at La Môme, eat sea bream ceviche with passion fruit and avocado before partying their way into the balmy night.
And it is the sort of venue in which waiters, rather than undress and redress tables, carry freshly laid ones above their heads, through the restaurant, to replace a previous sitting.
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The name La Môme pays homage to one of Cannes’ most famous hostesses during the Riviera’s golden age: Lucienne Suzanne Vreurick. In the roaring Twenties, she started out as a flower seller in Paris nightclubs before marrying a Puerto Rican businessman, becoming a billionaire, and throwing lavish parties in the infamous Villa Bagatelle.
Similarly, the flagship La Môme in Cannes has become a destination for politicians, movie stars, tourists and locals, with a classic menu of Mediterranean dishes. In London, the same dishes will be served, drawing on Provence and the Italian coastline.
Much of the food will be prepared in front of guests, from the snipping of thyme into olive oil to deboning whole fish. Cocktails bring theatre too thanks to dry ice and glass cloches.
La Môme London will be a recreation at the Berkeley, taking up Wareing’s old spot as well as the adjacent Collins Room. There is to be a Provencal colour palette and Sixties photographs by Slim Aarons on the walls.
“We want to bring part of the elegance of the French Riviera of the Sixties and Seventies to Belgravia,” said Ugo.
Antoine added: “As in Cannes, La Môme London will exude the same upbeat, elegant vibe. We are trying to bring to The Berkeley an experience that is about all the senses: not only about the food, but about the welcome, the service, the music, the energy, where something interesting is happening every day.”
The London branch will feature a 10-seater bar for cocktails and snacks, while the dining room will seat 220 and 30 on a new terrace. Evenings will be accompanied by live music, including a DJ, chanteur and pianist.
Berkeley general manager Kostas Sfaltos said: “We are excited to bring La Mome, a true Cannes legend to London, and believe their cosmopolitan energy and joie de vivre will bring something new to the capital.”
La Môme London will open at the Berkeley, Wilton Place, SW1X 7RL, in January 2025. For more information, visit the-berkeley.co.uk
