The Queen Mother celebrated her birthday there, Sophia Loren famously had wine poured down her cleavage by one of its waiters and recent guests have included the likes of Sean Connery and Lord Attenborough. Despite its long and esteemed past, however, London's old-school dining institution, The Savoy Grill, is to undergo a complete facelift.
Under the eye of Gordon Ramsay protégée Marcus Wareing, the wood-panelled, net-curtain hung City staple will close for two months in the spring in order to be transformed into a light, airy and modern version of its former self.
While much else – including the menu – will change, the Grill's manager will remain Angelo Maresca, renowned for his diplomacy in dealing with the vagaries of the restaurant's celebrity clientele. When the late actor Richard Harris refused to adhere to its jacket and tie dress code, for example, Angelo simply had a screen placed around his table.
The news may not have gone down too well with some of the old guard – "It's a very retrograde step," protested Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames – but Angelo remains upbeat about the makeover. "Our guests are used to only the best. They expect it and it's up to us to ensure that what we are providing exceeds their expectations," he says.
While one of his late grandmother's favourite eateries made headlines this week, Prince Charles was in the news with a hospitality tale of his own. The heir to the throne got behind the bar and pulled a pint of bitter on Wednesday to celebrate the opening of the Poet Laureate – the watering hole in the model village in Dorset which he helped create.
"There's some very good bar-leaning going on here," joked the Prince to some new regulars during his 90-visit to Poundbury's long-awaited pub. The village had been without a local for the last two years.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
