Helena Puolakka will be Skylon's executive chef.
On Monday, May 28th, Skylon will open in Royal Festival Hall (Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road; 020-7654 7800), which has just completed a £91 million refurbishment. The latest restaurant from D&D London (formerly known as Conran Restaurants Ltd), it will offer gorgeous views of the River Thames from its floor-to-ceiling windows. There will also be a formal dining room, a more relaxed grill section and a large bar area with seating for 60, all with an olive-green-and-gold color scheme.
Helena Puolakka, who previously worked as the executive chef of Harvey Nichols' Fifth Floor, will be Skylon's executive chef, overseeing its modern European menu with British influences. Dishes will include butter-poached lobster and broad-bean salad with cashew nuts and pink-grapefruit vinaigrette, as well as sea bass en papillote with Iberian ham, baby fennel, niçoise olives and Puy lentils.