LONDON, Jan 29 — France’s only female French with a three-star Michelin restaurant to her name is embarking on a new culinary adventure with a new restaurant in London that opened this week.

In the prestigious setting of the Four Seasons Hotel, Anne-Sophie Pic has reinterpreted the concept behind her Parisian La Dame de Pic restaurant with a British twist.

The chef took time out from the final preparations to tell Relaxnews all about the new venture and potential future projects.

Relaxnews: How do you feel about this latest endeavour?

Anne-Sophie Pic: Opening a new restaurant is always magical. What’s more, it opens the door into the Anglo-Saxon world.

La Dame de Pic is located at the Four Seasons Hotel. Why did you choose to join forces with the hotel group rather than create a totally new concept for London?

Four Seasons were keen to work with me. However, they didn’t want to open a restaurant that was too "gastronomic,” like my restaurants in Valence (Maison Pic, Le Restaurant Anne-Sophie Pic) or Lausanne (Anne-Sophie Pic at the Beau Rivage Palace).

They preferred a more laid-back restaurant. La Dame de Pic was the concept that proved the most suitable. But I’m not interested in simply copying and pasting it into London.

In its notion of service, in its organisation and in its state of mind, this is a restaurant that’s close to the Parisian establishment.

However, gastronomically speaking, it shares more of an outline with that of Lausanne, since the restaurant is situated in a luxury hotel.

Another major difference will come from your decision to use local ingredients. What products have you discovered?

Opening a restaurant, in my opinion, it is not just about business. I am wholly driven by my curiosity for new products that can broaden my culinary imagination. I don’t want it to be a French restaurant, with French cuisine and French products.

When you go to a foreign country, you adapt to the local culture. I have already discovered cheeses like stilton and cheddar.

You also find very good quality fish. Evidently, Dover sole will be an obligatory addition to the menu, seeing as the fish is such an integral part of the Pic heritage (laughs).

There’s also beef, Scottish beef in particular. I also want London diners to discover the unique products I work with in Valence, like cinnamon leaf.

The London menu is a mix of my favourite dishes, which I have reworked, and my current inspirations.

Your cuisine is filled with floral flavours and unusual ingredients. Are you counting on your signature style to stand out from other chefs in a city that’s no stranger to fine dining?

The London food scene is very cosmopolitan. Of course, the aim is to stand out, to be yourself. I am not going to adapt my cuisine to London.

But, I will also try to understand what English people like.

In terms of decoration, how have you designed the space?

It is magical. The ceilings are very high. We have maintained the spirit of the building, which dates from the 18th century. There is a monumental chandelier. The interior design was done by Bruno Moinard. In terms of the colour scheme, it remains close to the La Dame de Pic restaurant in Paris.

Are you aiming for a Michelin star?

Let’s start from the beginning first (laughs). But, of course, I would very much like the restaurant to get a star. It is an objective that I have set myself and which I have given the teams.

What became of your project to open a restaurant in New York, which was abandoned in July 2015?

That will be for later. It was a test run, which didn’t come about in the end for various reasons.

Would you still like to open something in the USA one day?

Of course, the USA is still the stuff of dreams. But I am leaning more towards Asia, bearing in mind that everything happens as a result of opportunities that arise. Asia is a fascinating continent with highly inspiring products.

What would be your dream destination in Asia?

Japan! I lived there for a few months when I was a student. It was a real culture shock. This then proved a revelation for my work in the kitchen. The emotions inspired by bitterness served as catalysts.

La Dame de Pic — London

Four Seasons Hotel, London

10 Trinity Square

London

EC3N 4AJ

UK

Open daily (closed Sunday evening) — AFP-Relaxnews