Chef Alex Dilling plans residency at Michelin-starred Iniala Harbour House restaurant in Malta
Chef Alex Dilling to head up eponymous restaurant at the Hotel Café Royal opening September 1st
Alex Dilling will be the executive head chef of an eponymous restaurant at the Hotel Café Royal in London, his first standalone restaurant set to open on September 1st
Alex, who was the head chef at two Michelin-starred The Greenhouse in Mayfair before it closed in 2020, last made a career announcement in 2021, when he and his former chef de cuisine, Pierre Minotti, took up a 100 day residency at Michelin-starred Iniala Harbour House restaurant in Malta.
Prior to working at The Greenhouse, Alex was the head chef at Hélène Darroze's then two-starred outpost at the Connaught, and trained in prestigious New York restaurants, including for Alain Ducasse and at Caviar Russe.
He will now lead his flagship 34-cover restaurant on the first floor of the hotel, focusing on the classical French foundations accrued over the course of his career.
The restaurant will serve contemporary french cuisine, which draws on inspiration from the classical gastronomy of the country. Although that will be combined with the chef's young and energetic sense of hospitality.
Menus will start at £65 for a three-course lunch, with the six-course dinner including amuse bouche and petit fours will be priced at £155. The chef's special menu, which is also six courses plus additions, will be £195 and will showcase seasonal the season’s most elevated ingredients.
Regarding this announcement, Alex said: “The opening of my restaurant at Hotel Café Royal is a culmination of my experiences working around the world and with some of the most exciting and talented chefs for over 20 years.
"‘Alex Dilling At Hotel Café Royal’ will represent everything that I love about French cuisine and being able to work with the most incredible products meticulously sourced from artisans and producers from the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. My dream, together with my talented team, is to not only be one of the most ambitious restaurants in the country but one where our guests feel at home and can come time and time again. There is no better location for this than in the iconic Hotel Cafe Royal.”
Victoria Sheppard, owner of Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal said: “After working with Alex previously at The Greenhouse, it is an honour to open a restaurant with one of London’s most talented chefs. The restaurant will combine an elegant setting, exceptional service and the finest cuisine. I have no doubt the restaurant will quickly attract international attention for having some of the most innovative food in the fine dining scene”
In an announcement on social media, Alex said: "This gastronomic restaurant will be one built around generosity, impeccable product & french technique."
"I have dreamt of this moment for many years and to see it come to fruition leaves me speechless."
With reservations set to open on June 15th, he added that anyone wishing to join his team should email a CV to [email protected].
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Chef Alex Dilling to head up eponymous restaurant at the Hotel Café Royal opening September 1st
Chef Alex Dilling plans residency at Michelin-starred Iniala Harbour House restaurant in Malta
Chef Alex Dilling confirms permanent closure of two Michelin-starred The Greenhouse
