The Owner-Directors of MW Eat have announced that Chutney Mary will close on 8 February 2015 and will relocate to 73 St James’s Street, London, SW1 in late spring on the previous site of Wheeler’s, and originally Prunier, the legendary French restaurant. After 25 hugely successful years in Chelsea, Chutney Mary’s lease was set to expire, and the company sought suitable new West End premises to bring the restaurant’s unique ethos to a wider customer audience in central London.
A landmark restaurant, Chutney Mary was created by Chairman Ranjit Mathrani and his wife Namita Panjabi, and was enthusiastically received when it opened in 1990 with its regional Indian menus and exotic interior design. The food, developed by Namita and her sister Camellia Panjabi, explored the many and varied regions of India, as well as the intriguing merging of traditional Indian flavours with British classics. Over the past 25 years, the menus have always been presented in a contemporary fashion, using the finest quality ingredients matched with fresh spices and sauces.
New vigour for Chutney Mary
The move to St James’s will give Chutney Mary a new vigour – Camellia and Namita have been working very closely with their chefs to introduce many new dishes to the repertoire. The restaurant will be open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, with brunch playing an important role at weekends.
The St James’s restaurant will feature two large, impressive spaces – a bar to seat 50-60, where there will be more informal seating and menus, along with a creative cocktail list, and the main dining room, to seat approximately 110. In addition, there will be two private dining rooms on the lower level, to accommodate 32 and 16 respectively.
Launch of Masala Grill
A further update from the group reveals that they have retained the Chutney Mary site by extending the original lease and launching a new restaurant – Masala Grill. After a full refurbishment of the space, Masala Grill will open in late March 2015, and will offer an informal but exotic ambience and a range of delicious grills, street food, and seafood, along with a few select curries.
About MW Eat
MW Eat has a distinctive portfolio of restaurants in London that spans all styles and levels of modern and traditional Indian dining. In addition to Chutney Mary and the new Masala Grill, the group includes Michelin-starred Amaya (in Belgravia), Veeraswamy (the oldest Indian restaurant in the UK), and seven popular, informal Masala Zone restaurants located throughout the capital (many of the latter are being refurbished during 2015).
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