Romy Gill to take over The Pem

The Pem at Conrad London St. James will reopen in the autumn as Romy Gill at The Pem.

Romy Gill MBE will be bringing regional Indian cooking to the hotel, marking a significant shift for the restaurant, which previsouly focused on modern British cooking.

Gill is one of Britain's most recognised Indian chefs and the author of three cookbooks. This is her first permanent restaurant kitchen in six years.

"I want The Pem to feel lively and full of energy," she says. "The kind of restaurant where people stay longer than they planned, order another dish because the table next to them had it, and leave already thinking about when they're coming back. That's how I love to eat, and that's what I want to create here."

The cooking will focus on the kitchens of Punjab and Bengal to the coastal flavours of Kerala and the spice traditions of Rajasthan.

There will be curries, grills, slow-braised dishes and plates designed for sharing, sitting alongside newer ideas shaped by Gill's travels across India. 

"The Pem has always evolved through the people leading it, and each chapter has brought something different to the restaurant," adds Bernadette Gilligan, general manager of Conrad London St. James. "Romy takes it somewhere we've never been before. We knew very quickly that she was the right person for this next chapter."

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