Mayfair's coolest fish restaurant
Two of the heaviest hitters on London's restaurant scene are heading for rival openings within days of each other.
Yesterday, the Standard told how the owners of The Wolseley are due to launch their keenly anticipated new venture St Alban next month.
Today, it can be revealed that the company behind The Ivy and Le Caprice will reopen its celebrated Mayfair fish restaurant Scott's on 30 November. With their pedigree ownership, the two new locations are guaranteed to become the West End's hot new venues for spotting famous faces.
Scott's, closed for two years for refurbishment, is almost ready to throw open its doors again after months of delay. Owner Caprice Holdings had scheduled a May relaunch for the 155-year-old Mount Street restaurant and oyster bar, a regular haunt of James Bond creator Ian Fleming.
But the modernisation has been bedevilled by planning problems and objectionswhich have forced the proprietors to resort to technology to cut down on noise. The most eye-catching innovation is an air conditioning system using cool water pumped from the chalk deep underneath Mayfair.
The geo-thermal system - thought to be a first for a London restaurant - involved sinking two boreholes 140 feet. Water, which is a constant 12C all year round, is pumped up and used to cool the dining room and the kitchen fridges.
It is then returned to the chalk through a separate borehole at around 22C. Manager Matthew Hobbs said the system-was "very eco-friendly, very green, it reduces noise and heat pollution".
As well as the boreholes, Caprice Holdings has installed advanced sound proofing and removed all noisy plant from the rear of the building. Ducts from the restaurant will be balanced on rubberised springs to make them quieter.
Mr Hobbs said: "We want to have as little impact as possible. We have lost a little time but we feel it is time well spent." The head chef is believed to be Kevin Gratton, 35, who is moving over from Le Caprice. The menu will still be dominated by traditional fish dishes.
