LONDON, Sept 17 — One of London’s most hotly anticipated restaurants has opened, minus one of the main players who was supposed to lend the eatery a double hit of star power. On the eve of the Union Street Cafe’s opening, David Beckham pulled out of what was supposed to be a joint venture with his BFF chef Gordon Ramsay.

Union Street Cafe opened its doors yesterday after months of fanfare, generated in large part to news that the project would be a joint venture with the soccer star.

But according to the Mirror, Beckham decided to pull out in the eleventh hour after lengthy discussions with pal Ramsay, and concluding that they “wanted different things.”

Photos of the Southwark restaurant, meanwhile, show an eatery set within an industrial warehouse, complete with overhead heating pipes, exposed concrete pillars and scrubbed brick-lined walls.

The menu features Mediterranean-inspired fare that changes daily, prepared in an open kitchen by head chef Davide Degiovanni.

Sample dishes include polpo or octopus with braised borlotti and spicy Calabrian sausage for £15 (RM78); saltimbocca di vitello, Marsala and fried zucchini for £18; and tagliolini, rabbit and taggiasche olives for £13.

According to Ramsay’s Twitter feed, the restaurant has already received reservations for 10,887 covers, and the earliest dinner booking that can be made on the site is in eight weeks, as of opening day.

“So excited @unionstreetcafe opens TODAY and we've now booked 10,887 covers! Amazing!!” he tweeted yesterday.

Meanwhile, Beckham fans need not mourn the loss altogether as the underwear model is also plotting to open a chain of pie and mash shops, one of his favourite foods. — AFP Relaxnews