Covent Garden Hotel Parts Company With Game-Changing Chef Ollie Dabbous

Henrietta Hotel, the boutique townhouse on Covent Garden’s Henrietta Street has confirmed that it will relaunch its restaurant as Henrietta Bistro in June. The restaurant has appointed head chef Sylvain Roucayrol who will move over from its sister site Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels. He replaces chef Ollie Dabbous, who was the opening executive head chef when the hotel restaurant opened last year. Dabbous, who is now in position as head chef and co-owner of Hide in Piccadilly, will have no further involvement in the business.

His replacement, the Perpignan-born and Bar Boulud alumnus Roucayrol, however, will reopen the restaurant with a menu inspired by southwest France, the Basque country and the Catalunyan region of northern Spain, reaching across to Corsica. About the relaunch, he said:

Growing up in Perpignan, I was fortunate to experience the rich gastronomy and culture of both France and Catalunya, and I regularly visited Corsica for holidays with my family. The food of these regions is vibrant, colourful and perfect for sharing. I cannot wait to bring it to Henrietta.

The 80-cover bistro is situated on the ground floor and mezzanine, and is a tribute to the former garden of Covent Garden.

The menu will be comprised principally of snacks and small plates, which are designed to share. A late night menu and cocktails will be available until 1 am. The menu will include dishes such as the following:

• Kintoa ham from the Basque country served with piment d’Espelette (£7)
• Getaria anchovies with house-made balsamic and chilli paste (£5)

• Grilled Galician octopus with herb relish (£13)
• Veal sweetbreads, nettles and vin jaune (£12)
• Marinated lamb cutlets, black olives and aubergine (£14)
• ‘Bocadillo’ of beef txistorra, a fast-cure sausage patty sandwich from Aragon. (£9)

• Pea salad with xipister (garlic and Espelette vinaigrette) and Brocciu, a creamy Corsican cheese (£9)
• Asparagus with razor clams and wild garlic (£10)

• Crème Catalane
• Warm chocolate tart, served with Black Mountain whisky (from the southwest of France)

Lunch dishes will be in a similar style and are all said to be priced under £11.

Co-founder Romée de Goriainoff said:

Experimental Group venues have always been centered around great food, excellent drinks and a lively atmosphere and this is no exception. The new menu of small plates works just as well for a Monday lunch as it does for a leisurely dinner with family and friends.

We wanted to create a fun, relaxed vibe that will heat up later on with an incredible playlist and of course our signature cocktails served until 1am — perfect to pair with a small plate or two.

The Experimental group, which was founded in France in 2007, now has 18 venues in total, the majority of which are in Paris. It operates Chess Club (with Brunswick House and soon-to-open St. Leonard’s chef Jackson Boxer), the Experimental Cocktail Club and Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels in London — and also has sites in New York and Ibiza.