Mark Sargeant, renowned chef, restaurateur and cook book author, has today announced that he will open modern brasserie, Morden & Lea, in the heart of Soho this June.
Following his recent appointment as Chef Director at The Strand Dining Rooms on Trafalgar Square, Morden & Lea will be Mark Sargeant’s next project and the first time he has worked on the launch of a new restaurant in Central London.
His career spans more than 20 years, including 13 years working alongside Gordon Ramsay, seven of these as head chef at Claridge’s, as well as two successful solo restaurants Rocksalt and The Smokehouse in his home county of Kent.
The food and vibe at Morden & Lea will draw inspiration from Sargeant’s wealth of restaurant experience, as well as the diversity in cultures that can be found in Soho and its surrounding areas. The restaurant’s location also inspired its name, which is a nod to historic London cartographers Robert Morden and Philip Lea, who were the first to map out the area now known as Soho, back in the 17th century.
Morden & Lea will be split across two floors, with downstairs offering a casual and relaxed, no reservations atmosphere. Designed by March & White, the restaurant interiors will offer a friendly, sociable and comfortable environment any time of the day or evening, reflecting the vibrancy and eclectic nature of its Soho locale.
Upstairs at Morden & Lea will have a more refined air, with an affordable fixed priced brasserie-style dinner menu and set lunch menu, created by Sargeant and Morden & Lea head chef Daniel Mertl.
The interior of the 86-cover restaurant is deceptively bright and airy for what appears to be a typically narrow Soho building from the outside, with natural light flooding in from a glass atrium and guests able to dine whilst looking out onto Soho and neighbouring China Town. An intimate cocktail bar for one or two pre-prandials, leather-clad booths and a private dining room for up to eight people, ensures upstairs at Morden & Lea will be the ideal spot for a leisurely lunch or a sit-down dinner with friends, family or work colleagues.
“I am extremely excited to be working with the team at Morden & Lea on the launch my first official central London restaurant,” says Mark Sargeant ahead of the launch. “Having been involved with the project from the outset, it’s great to see it finally coming together and I can’t wait to open the doors to the public in June. Soho is the perfect location and hope that the dual-offering of a brasserie-style menu served in the upstairs restaurant and a more-relaxed casual sharing menu served downstairs, will appeal to both London foodies and visitors to the capital alike.”
Morden & Lea will open on Wardour Street, Soho, in June 2015, for lunch and dinner Monday – Saturday, and brunch on Sundays.
