Meet Gregory Marchand, Chef and owner of the Frenchie restaurant, London

Can you tell us about more about “rue du Nil”?
I arrived in Paris in 2008 and I was looking for a place to open my restaurant. There was a certain charm to this street and Marie, my wife, was the only one who believed in me. Today I look at the street and I’m filled with emotion. At first, there was only us, Frenchie. Then the wine bar. Then came Terroirs d’Avenir and with it a fruit and vegetable retailer, a fish store, and a butchery. And more recently, a bakery. And Hippolyte Courty, the coffee roaster, and his Arbre à Café. And now Frenchie To Go and Frenchie Caviste wine shop. We all work together with the same determination to keep our identity, our ethics. Showing care for the products we use. The rue du Nil is a little village. Our little village. It has evolved with us. It is a part of us.

When did you first think about London?
London was a formative stage in my life. It was about being in my twenties, discovery, learning. It’s an amazing city to experience when you’re in your twenties. Everything is within reach. It’s an open place. Alive. Impetuous. London is home. Its mark was branded into me and it has become an integral part of who I am. It was so natural to open a restaurant in London, it’s a place where I can express myself in a different way. I don’t want to just copy and paste. I prefer to let these two cities express themselves in their own way.