The acclaimed chef Alexis Gauthier is slated to open two new plant-based ventures this year in Fitzrovia.
Due to be housed inside the BFI Building on Stephen Street, just off Tottenham Court Road, 123VBakery and Studio Gauthier are expected to offer diners two new and unique vegan concepts.
123VBakery is set to be a new vegan baked goods and light lunch concept, expanding on the chef’s existing – and highly popular – 123V located in Mayfair department store Fenwick’s. Freshly baked in-house breads will feature heavily in the mornings, as will a bottomless salad station at lunchtime. The space is also set to feature a number of the existing 123V’s most popular offerings, including their vegan sushi and the famous California cheeseburger (once reportedly sent back by a customer who was convinced it was meat-based).
The other new space, Studio Gauthier, is a likely to be a more relaxed offering than his Soho restaurant, designed for conviviality, but with an equally unequivocal dedication to fine plant-based food.
Alexis Gauthier said of the new opening: “This is a major departure for us … Gauthier Soho is a restaurant for special occasions, we work very hard to make sure the atmosphere and service is perfect. The [new] location at Stephen Street is perfect to give people a chance to experience the special food we are doing, but in a fun, unbuttoned, more laid back setting. [Whereas] Gauthier is for your anniversary, Studio Gauthier is for your fun night out with friends”.
Best known for his eponymous restaurant in Soho, chef Alexis Gauthier has been a fixture of the London dining scene since 2010. Despite originally opening as a classic fine-dining French restaurant, think foie gras and caviar, 2021 saw the pioneering chef transition to a fully plant-based menu.
Whilst the full menu of the new Studio Gauthier space is yet to be revealed, we can expect dishes to include Japanese accents, as a continuation of Gauthier’s ethos from 123V. Dishes expected include early season green asparagus with miso hollandaise and barbecued loin of kohlrabi with sea broth and cucumber samphire.
On transitioning to a plant-based only offering, Gauthier noted: “When we changed Gauthier to 100% plant-based, I must admit, I worried. We were a classical French restaurant and we lost a lot of customers. But two years on I am happy to say we have now gained far more.” Recently those new customers have included the likes of Billie Eilish, Sir Paul McCartney, Benedict Cumberbatch and even HRH Princess Beatrice who have flocked to the innovative chef’s original restaurant.
Noting excitement on the new vegan opeings, Alexis Gauthier continues: "We are all delighted that the BFI shares our vision for a modern, compassionate, animal-free future of gastronomy. We know there is a growing market for high quality, delicious gastronomy and patisserie which is animal-free. This space offers so much and we are very excited to see what emerges from the creativity in the kitchen.”
