Victor Garvey unveils Materia Prima - a new chapter in Marylebone dining

After two decades cooking in some of the world’s most acclaimed kitchens, chef Victor Garvey is preparing to unveil his most ambitious project yet.

Victor is chef patron of Michelin-starred SO|LA in Soho, and has previously worked at the likes of El Bulli, French Laundry, Noma and Las Vegas’s two-starred Picasso.

Materia Prima, set to open on Great Portland Street in Marylebone, is built on a single, radical idea: the best possible ingredients, served at their absolute best.

The new restaurant comes a month after Victor announced the closure of The Midland Grand.

Read more: Victor Garvey at The Midland Grand suddenly closes

ABOUT VICTOR 

He started cooking at the age of fifteen in a restaurant owned by one of his mother's friends in the Catalan capital of Barcelona. 

A stage at El Bulli fuelled his passion for food: even though it wasn't the internationally-acclaimed institution it later became, it was already well established on the Spanish culinary map.

Read more: 1 Michelin Star Chefs: Victor Garvey, Chef Patron, SO|LA

Then followed a series of stages in two and three Michelin star restaurants in Spain, after which the chef moved to the USA - specifically, to Los Angeles, where his father lived. 

The chef secured work experience in a number of San Francisco's high-flying establishments including Thomas Keller's French Laundry before he was headhunted to work at Picasso, the Michelin-starred restaurant located inside the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas.

The new venture

The restaurant will occupy a remarkable site with a 24-seat dining room illuminated by antique skylights, a private dining room complete with its own outdoor terrace, and a fully fledged cocktail bar. The intimate setting will allow Victor and his team to deliver an ingredient-led menu with meticulous attention to detail, showcasing seasonal and globally sourced produce in its purest form.

Half of the capital needed to create Materia Prima is being self-funded by Garvey and his team, while the remainder will come from supporters. The target of the Kickstarter is £130,000.

The investment will enable the restaurant to be fitted with the mechanical and electrical infrastructure, specialist kitchen equipment, furniture, and final finishes worthy of its concept, as well as providing essential operating capital for its opening months.

Victor said: “No gimmicks. No dogma. No boundaries. Just a relentless pursuit of the top of the top - whether that’s spiny lobster from Brittany, uni from the Faroe Islands, or the finest vegetables grown anywhere on Earth.

“This is more than a restaurant. It’s a new way of thinking about food - and we want people to be part of it from the very beginning. Let’s build something extraordinary together.”

Supporters will be rewarded with unique experiences, ranging from exclusive lunches and dinners to private events and even whole-restaurant takeovers.

Donate to the Kickstarter here.