Yotam Ottolenghi’s New Restaurant Remains Closed

Update 12 July 2018: Although Rovi had been expected to open this week, Eater understands guests with reservations for times up to and including this weekend have been contacted to say the restaurant will now not reopen until at least next week.

Just two weeks after opening Rovi, the chef, author, and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi has been forced to close his newest London restaurant. It will remain closed “until some point next week,” a spokesperson for the restaurant told Eater.

It appears that efforts to install an environmentally friendly extraction unit — “an exercise in optimism” — has backfired. A statement issued by the restaurant says:

ROVI will remain closed until next week. Aiming to be environmentally responsible, we had installed a state of the art heat recovery system. It was an exercise in optimism, which unfortunately failed, and we now need to go back to the old technology. Heartbreaking, but had to be done. We are sorry about the inconvenience, and can’t wait to share our beautiful new creation with you soon!

The restaurant, in the trademark Ottolenghi style, serves a range of vegetable-based dishes, grilled meat, pickled sides, and Middle-Eastern-inspired baked goods. It is the chef’s seventh restaurant in the capital.

Check back for an update on when the restaurant reopens.

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