There is a reason why the difficulties of The Wolseley owners Corbin & King have rattled restaurateurs across town, and it’s this: the influence of Chris Corbin and Jeremy King on the way London eats — and the way its restaurants run — is almost impossible to overstate. Alongside the likes of the Roux brothers, Sir Terence Conran, Wagamama’s Alan Yau and perhaps gastropub inventors Mike Belben and David Eyre, theirs has been a hand on the scruff of this city’s neck, hauling it from culinary dust bowl to world-leading dining destination.
More than just The Wolseley, they made history by breathing new life into The Ivy, J Sheekey and Le Caprice. Their empire still includes Brasserie Zedel, Colbert and The Delaunay. They pack dining rooms day in, day out and it is their achievements that so many try to mimic.
