Wolseley Owners’ Huge Soho Seafood Restaurant Has the Green Light [Updated]

18.07.2019: Updated with name and new details

Fresh from opening Soutine in St. John’s Wood, Jeremy King and Chris Corbin’s mooted eighth London operation now has the green light. The huge Soho seafood restaurant, which has been in the offing since January this year, received approval for planning from Westminster Council on 30 April.

It will be called Manzi’s. “So called not because it is on the same site but in tribute to the long lamented Leicester Square forefather that so many of us mourned its passing,” co-owner Jeremy King wrote in his newsletter today. “Now you might think that this is rather a lot to take on so soon after Soutine but the truth is that Manzi’s will not open to well into 2020 and in truth it will be a great deal less frenetic than in 2012 when we opened three restaurants within 10 months! (The Delaunay, Brasserie Zédel and Colbert).”

“Manzi’s is very much about ‘nautical’ themes against the background of being a Seafood/Pescatarian restaurant,” he added. “In the same spirit of Brasserie Zédel we want it to be fun and affordable. What is extraordinary about this site it is that it set over two floors, in the heart of Soho, and yet has windows on both sides of the dining-rooms.

“Quite unique and proving to be very exciting in its conception and development. But there’s a long road ahead.”

Copyright Brady Williams Design

Planning documents reveal that the restaurant along the length of 1 – 8 Bateman’s Buildings will also incorporate 55 Greek Street. The tenancy between the restaurant group and landlord is confirmed, with details of the specific layout of the restaurant not yet decided.

These newly confirmed plans were a renovation of the original permission for the building, which had accounted for two restaurants on site. Corbin and King, however, “believes strongly that one restaurant would be the preferred option on this site,” citing improved control over entry and exit, as well as “a more comfortable and leisurely scale for both customers and staff.” It proposes a 241 cover restaurant, with 44 additional covers on an outdoor terrace; a basement kitchen will support a ground floor bar and dining room, and another, “more formal” dining room above, together with a private dining room. Design documents plan for “a high quality and good value fish restaurant,” with “approximately 155 full and part time employees, [who] wherever possible would be drawn from the local community.”

In sum: “In taking the above tenancy within this run-down part of Soho, Corbin & King are planning a seafood concept providing a high quality product with great service and value for money.”

Eater has reached out to Corbin and King for comment on the next steps. More soon.