On Monday 11 November, Folie, a new restaurant and bar, will open on Golden Square, where Soho meets Mayfair.
All day long, guests will be invited to rediscover the dining culture of the Riviera, from Marseille to Portofino, through St Tropez and Nice in Folie’s opulent and elegant surroundings. Designed by Studio KO, the interiors will resurrect the sensuality and glamour of the 1960s and 70s.
Folie will offer 100 covers: 20 seats at the bar and 80 in the dining room including a semi private section for intimate gatherings.
Led by Executive Head Chef Christophe Marleix (pictured right), the kitchen will draw inspiration from the Mediterranean. The humble recipes of the coastal coves of south of France and Italy will be refined and elevated, whether guests are stopping by for a ‘menu du jour’-style working lunch alongside the main menu or settling in for a long, drawn-out dinner.
Starters include dishes such as Sea Bream Crudo with citrus and avocado, followed by vibrant mains of Provençal Braised Beef with confit potatoes, or Megrim Sole with Menton emon, reminiscent of balmy nights by the sea.
Sharing platters will embody Folie’s focus on generosity and conviviality, inviting groups of friends to come together and feast on a Whole Confit Lamb Shoulder and basil baby potatoes; or Whole Sea Bass grilled in a charcoal oven served with a ratatouille.
To finish, there will be generous patisseries such as Tarte Tropézienne, seasonal sorbets and cheese boards.
The menu will source and champion seasonal ingredients from small-scale UK farmers, with fish from day boats in Cornwall and Devon, England’s own Riviera.
The bar team will specialise in the great classic cocktails, shaking and stirring martinis, sazeracs, and negronis. There will be a menu of rare and unusual pastis and vermouths, together with fine Armagnac and other digestifs. Wines will be sourced from the finest wineries across Europe, while Riviera épicerie essentials, such as pissaladière and tapenades, will complement the list.
Founder Guillaume Depoix (pictured left) said, “Folie is the result of the collaboration of a passionate, talented team: my old friend Christophe Marleix has captured the éclat of the Riviera; Studio KO have conceived the beautiful design; and the designer Yorgo Tloupas, has helped steer the art direction. I’m looking forward to recreating the spirit of the 1960s and 1970s and hope FOLIE will be a meeting point for conviviality, elegance and revelry at all times.'
Since moving to London five years ago, Depoix has worked for industry stalwarts including Juan Santa Cruz and Sir Terence Conran, adding to his experience in some of Paris’ most prestigious restaurants which included working closely with the much-admired Costes brothers.
It was whilst working at Alain Ducasse’s Plaza Athénée that Depoixe met Executive Head Chef Christophe Marleix, who worked with Ducasse for a decade on both sides of the channel, after which he relaunched Annabel’s in Mayfair in 2017, before joining Depoix to open Folie.
