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Celebrity chefs, London's restaurant critics and restaurant owners
gathered this evening at The Club at The Ivy where plans were
revealed for the second annual London Restaurant Festival. The 2010
Festival's announcement included news that this year's Festival will
be run in partnership with the inaugural founding partner American
Express, which will support London's biggest citywide dining Festival
through a number of activities and promotions.
The main focus for the 2010 Festival - 4 - 18 October 2010 - will be
the Festival Menus, intended to run at over 800 different restaurants
across the capital, double the number that took part last year, and
enabling Londoners to dine out for as little as £10. As well as
the Festival Menus, supported by the official booking partner
toptable.com, five new and improved major Festival Events were
revealed to take place across the two-week period.
The London Restaurant Festival, a citywide Festival which launched
last year, has once again received support from the Mayor of London
Boris Johnson and the Chair of London Food Rosie Boycott.
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said: "The London Restaurant
Festival celebrates one of the reasons why our city is such an
amazing place to live in and visit. Our restaurants offer an
unbeatable culinary experience to suit all tastes and all budgets and
play an important role in London's economy. Communities and
influences from every corner of the globe mean you can enjoy a
dazzling variety of mouthwatering cooking across the capital."
The London Restaurant Festival was created by restaurant critic Fay
Maschler and her business partner Simon Davis along with official
visitor organisation Visit London and Single Market Events.
Fay Maschler, Chair of the London Restaurant Festival, commented:
"The London Restaurant Festival was initiated last year as
recognition and magnification of London's immense diversity and
liveliness when it comes to eating out. This year we are delighted to
be working in partnership with American Express to grow the success
of the London Restaurant Festival in 2010 by bringing American
Express Cardmembers who love to dine out together with London's
restaurants we're sure it will be a great success. For 2010 the
Festival Menus are the heartbeat of the two-week celebration. The
greater number of establishments that sign up to publicise their
talent, cuisine and menu, the more potential customers can be alerted
to somewhere new to try or reminded of somewhere worth
revisiting."
As well as the affordable Festival Menus there will also be a range
of one-off landmark events which will compliment the city-wide dining
Festival.
1. London Restaurant Festival 10.10.10 will take place on 10th
October and will see high-profile chefs from outside of London
joining forces with their peers in London restaurants to offer a
unique collaborative menu for Sunday lunch. Ten different chefs will
be paired with a London counterpart.
2. Covent Garden's Piazza will be the iconic backdrop for another new
event celebrating London's outstanding diversity of food and culture.
The London Restaurant Festival Supplier's Market will see a range of
famous London restaurants showcase their country's produce, cooking
techniques, flavours and individual flair through live demonstrations
as well as selling delicious produce to take home and cooked wares to
sample straight away.
3. Back by popular demand, and extended into Shoreditch and Soho The
London Restaurant Festival Gourmet Odyssey will see diners travel
across the city to three different top London Restaurants to sample a
different course at each.
4. London Restaurant Festival on the London Eye: Every night after
closing The Merlin Entertainments London Eye, a single capsule is
turned into a ten-seat 'pop-up' restaurant hosted each night by one
of London's most celebrated chefs. Last year's chef line-up included
Gordon Ramsay, Richard Corrigan and L'Anima's Francesco Mazzei. For
2010 there will be ten chefs and ten nights. (Names to be announced later)
5. The London Restaurant Festival Big Food Quiz will offer
foodie-fanatics a chance to test their knowledge and enjoy a
delicious three-course meal at a top London restaurant. Teams of six
will test their knowledge on all things food and drink in an evening
of food-related fun.
6. The London Restaurant Festival Awards 2010 - a grand finale for
the 2010 Festival, the London Restaurant Festival Awards will take
place on the 18 October and will be a true celebration of the city's
restaurants. The awards are exclusively open to participating
restaurants and will be largely focused towards highlighting the best
Festival Menus of 2010.
"American Express shares our cardmembers' passion for the
diverse and vibrant dining culture in London," said Kathryn
Pretzel Shiels of American Express. "Our partnership with the
London Restaurant Festival is one example of our commitment to the
restaurateurs throughout the industry. Last year's Festival drew more
than 12,000 food lovers whom attended the events and dined with local
restaurants offering a Festival Menu, making the London Restaurant
Festival a great success. We look forward to this year's Festival
with more opportunities for our customers - both restaurants and cardmembers."
Rosie Boycott, Chair of London Food said at the launch: "This is
a great festival, encouraging Londoners to dine out and support their
local restaurants and also maybe discover local gems which they may
have right on their doorsteps. The real bonus is that there is a menu
for every pocket."
More information on all of these events will be launched over the
next few months and more information can be found at: http://www.londonrestaurantfestival.com.
Restaurateurs and chefs are invited to pre-register at http://www.londonrestaurantfestival.com |
