Corbin & King to open Bellanger in Islington
Celebrated restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King will open their first restaurant outside of central London, in Islington, this month. The Wolseley-et-al duo, who launched Fischer’s in Marylebone and The Beaumont hotel with its much-lauded Colony Grill Room last year, have taken over the site of Browns (a very grand building rather wasted on a dreary chain), just by the Green.
In the Corbin & King tradition of linking their restaurant names to cars (The Wolseley after all inhabits a former showroom), the new venture is called Bellanger. A name taken from the Société des Automobiles Bellanger Frères, a French car manufacturer from 1912 to 1925.
Inspired by the original Alsatian brasseries of Paris, Bellanger is an all-day grand café and restaurant, open seven days a week, mid-morning until late. Breakfast will be served from Spring 2016.
Bellanger Detail – Cafe ChairsWith all due respect to Frederick’s just around the corner, The Almeida, Trullo etc, but Bellanger could at last be an opening which raises excitement about a trip to Islington beyond the indigenous crowd of New Labour grandees. The 200-cover neighbourhood brasserie is designed by Shayne Brady (protégé of the late, great David Collins). That’s quite a lot of luxury to have as your local – just goes to show that Islington has become as well-heeled as Sloane Square and Marylebone over the years.