The Restaurant Marco Pierre White

The Restaurant Marco Pierre White

Company type	Private
Industry	Restaurant
Founded	1993-09-14
Founder	Marco Pierre White
Defunct	2002-02-15
Fate	Closed
Headquarters	London , United Kingdom
Key people	Marco Pierre White (owner, chef), Robert Reid (head chef), Jeff Galvin (head chef)
Products	Fine dining, French cuisine

The Restaurant Marco Pierre White, initially known simply as The Restaurant and subsequently as Oak Room Marco Pierre White, was a dining establishment in London managed by chef and owner Marco Pierre White. It commenced operations at the Hyde Park Hotel on 14 September 1993 following White's departure from Harveys. The kitchen brigade expanded significantly, with White drawing inspiration from Pierre Koffmann’s La Tante Claire to strive for a third Michelin star, which was successfully awarded in the 1995 Michelin Guide.

In 1997, White transferred the establishment to the Le Méridien Piccadilly Hotel, where it occupied the listed Oak Room as its principal dining space. His objective was to earn five red forks and spoons—the highest distinction for ambiance and service by Michelin—which the restaurant secured in the following guide.

When White retired in December 1999, he voluntarily returned the Michelin stars. Nevertheless, under chef Robert Reid’s leadership, The Restaurant regained one Michelin star in both the 2001 and 2002 guides before ultimately closing that same year. Across both venues, White introduced advancements in culinary methods and broadened the menu offerings—transitioning from Harveys’ confined kitchen to incorporate braised and confit preparations at Hyde Park Hotel. At the Oak Room location, daily-made chicken and lamb reductions were employed to elevate sauce flavors.

The Restaurant earned praise from notable critics such as Michael Winner, A. A. Gill, Jonathan Meades, and Egon Ronay, who awarded it three stars in his publication.

History

After securing two Michelin stars at Harveys, chef Marco Pierre White sought a more spacious venue to pursue a third star. Through actor Michael Caine, White was introduced to Rocco Forte, chairman of Rocco Forte Hotels, who invited him to transfer his Michelin accolades to the grill restaurant at the Hyde Park Hotel. Following Michelin’s endorsement, White departed Harveys in July 1993 and launched The Restaurant at Hyde Park Hotel on 14 September, featuring décor that included paintings from White’s personal collection.

This venture marked White’s initial implementation of a classical kitchen brigade system, expanding his team from eight chefs at Harveys to approximately twenty, including five who transitioned with him. The brigade comprised a head chef, sous chefs, and specialized sections for fish, meat and sauces, larder, and pastry. Éric Chavot joined as head chef under White by 1994 before departing in 1995 to open Interlude de Chavot with White’s backing.

The Hyde Park location notably increased lunch service volume relative to Harveys. White dedicated extensive hours aiming to surpass standards set by Pierre Koffmann’s three-star restaurant La Tante Claire. The Restaurant remained closed only on Sundays.

After achieving his third Michelin star in 1995, White pursued top honors for atmosphere and presentation via Michelin’s knives and forks rating. To further this goal, he relocated The Restaurant to the Le Méridien Piccadilly Hotel in August 1997, situating it within the listed Oak Room as its primary dining venue. This transition coincided with Granada plc’s acquisition of the hotel group, broadening White’s contractual commitments.

Service improvements included designated side tables for handbags and exclusive use of new currency notes when giving change. The kitchen staff expanded to around twenty-five members with Robert Reid appointed head chef under White. Front-of-house personnel grew to include six sommeliers, four Maître d'hôtel, and two head waiters. In 1998 ownership transferred to MPW Criterion, a holding company controlled by White that also owned Titanic restaurant.

Following White’s retirement, Robert Reid maintained operations at the Oak Room with an altered menu featuring notably lower prices. Jeff Galvin succeeded Reid as head chef until May 2000 before departing to lead L'Escargot. MPW Criterion was dissolved on 11 September 2001 amid preparations for closing the Oak Room, which ceased service on 15 February 2002. At closure, approximately fifteen kitchen staff and fifteen front-of-house employees remained. Negotiations over redundancy payments were complicated due to absence of formal contracts and limited service periods under MPW Criterion ownership.

Hyde Park Hotel

White’s departure from Harveys was partly driven by the limited size of its kitchen, which constrained his ability to broaden his culinary repertoire. At The Restaurant, he introduced techniques such as confit, braising, and en vessie, expanding the menu from just a handful of main courses to approximately 15 selections. His approach centered on a streamlined interpretation of classical French cuisine.

Often working late into the night, White devised new dishes by sketching plating concepts in French cookbooks or drafting lists of complementary sides for various proteins. These ideas were then handed over to his head chef for execution.

Among the signature creations were pigeon paired with foie gras encased in cabbage alongside potato purée, grilled lobster accompanied by truffle butter, and a pig’s trotter dish inspired by Koffman, featuring sweetbreads and Périgueux sauce. The menu was uniquely branded with quotes from Salvador Dalí and gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, and each dish was annotated with the year it was first developed.

The cheese course was presented tableside by a Maître d'hôtel using a trolley, with strict oversight to ensure adequate quantities remained for subsequent dinner services. An anecdote recalls White’s frustration leading him to throw cheeses against the kitchen wall when the Maître d'hôtel failed to replenish them; due to their ripeness, the cheeses adhered there throughout service.

Notably, White set the price for hand-cut French fries at £25 when ordered off-menu, justifying this premium by the extensive preparation time required to achieve perfection.

Le Méridien Piccadilly Hotel

Following his move to Le Méridien Piccadilly Hotel, both the menu and wine list saw considerable expansion. White sought to provide a far more extensive wine selection than typical three Michelin star establishments; for instance, whereas others might stock only four or five bottles of Pétrus, the Oak Room boasted over 70 vintages. The Château d'Yquem collection alone spanned five pages, with bottles dating back to 1850. By November 1997, the cellar’s value was estimated at £1.5 million, with weekly wine sales ranging between £25,000 and £30,000. The menu incorporated more table service elements, including meat carved on silver platters to engage all guests.

White refined his cooking methods by roasting 36 chickens daily exclusively for their juices, which were then pressed and blended with Madeira wine and veal stock to produce sauces. The roasted birds themselves were often too dry for serving and were either used for staff meals or discarded. This technique yielded sufficient juice for around 30 chicken dishes. A comparable process was applied to lamb shoulders, which were pressed solely to extract juices for sauce making.

Restaurant critics

Shortly after the restaurant’s opening, Michael Winner reviewed it for The Times, dining alongside Michael Caine. Despite ongoing renovations and occasional service shortcomings, Winner lauded dishes such as vichyssoise topped with oysters and caviar and pot-roasted pork with vegetables, describing them as exceptional. He characterized the desserts as "to die for," even sampling his companion’s dessert in addition to his own.

Writing soon after launch for The Guardian, John Lanchester noted the steep price—£60 for three courses including cover charge and VAT—placing it among London’s priciest venues. He found starters like seafood ravioli "good but not dumbfounding" and considered lobster salad slightly chewy. Nevertheless, he praised main courses such as saddle of rabbit with herb risotto and ham-wrapped sweetbreads accompanied by braised lettuce and cep confit as "stupendously good," while describing desserts as "red-fruit heaven."

In a late 1993 review for The Times, Jonathan Meades observed an evolution in White’s cuisine since Harveys, highlighting more delicate preparations of pig’s trotter and more refined sauces. He singled out a roasted salmon with tapenade dish as "breathtaking," commending pastry chef Roger Pizey’s contributions. By late 1994, Meades ranked The Restaurant as the second best in the UK, alongside Phil Vickery’s Castle Hotel in Taunton.

Celebrity chef Keith Floyd listed The Restaurant third in his top five for The Guardian in 1994, praising White’s superb food and culinary heritage tracing back to le Gavroche and Albert Roux. He particularly highlighted a bean and langoustine soup as "sensational."

Reviewing the Oak Room in late 1997 for The Sunday Times, A. A. Gill described it as one of Britain’s highest culinary accomplishments and close to world-class status. He recommended starters such as red mullet soup, salmon ballotine, and chicken oyster with celeriac remoulade. His main course choice—roast partridge with choucroute garnie—was deemed "utterly simple and completely perfect." Gill also praised the dining room’s opulent décor featuring artwork by Mark Gertler and bronzes by Rembrandt Bugatti as enhancing the overall experience.

Restaurant guides

In the 1994 edition of the Michelin Guide for the UK and Ireland, The Restaurant maintained its two-star rating, which had been transferred from Harveys. White became the first British chef to achieve Michelin stars at two separate establishments, as his restaurant Canteen, led by Stephen Terry, also received a star alongside The Restaurant. Later that year, The Restaurant was awarded three stars in Egon Ronay's Guide to British Eateries.

The subsequent year saw The Restaurant elevated to three Michelin stars. White asserted that he was the youngest chef to attain a third star, although this claim was later challenged by Heinz Winkler. During the same period, Ladenis earned a third star at Rocco Forte’s Chez Nico. Media outlets criticized White for serving French cuisine despite never having formally visited France, although he had passed through the country during family vacations.

After moving to the Oak Room, The Restaurant was granted three Michelin stars and five red knives and forks—the highest accolades—in the 1998 Michelin Guide. Upon his retirement in December 1999, White voluntarily returned his Michelin stars and requested removal from the guide, commending Michelin for recognizing his culinary work despite unfavorable media coverage.

A year later, under Reid’s leadership, the Oak Room was awarded one Michelin star. Reid expressed belief that the restaurant merited two stars but acknowledged that such recognition would come gradually. The establishment retained its single star until it eventually closed.

Legacy

The Restaurant is recognized for pioneering a trend in London where upscale dining venues relocated into hotel settings. In 1999, Koffman transferred La Tante Claire from Royal Hospital Road to The Berkeley hotel. The vacated La Tante Claire premises were subsequently taken over by Gordon Ramsay, a former protégé and competitor of White, who launched Restaurant Gordon Ramsay there and achieved three Michelin stars by 2001. This movement contributed to shifting attitudes, making hotel-based fine dining more broadly accepted.

See also

• List of French restaurants