During his three decades at Conran Restaurants and D&D London, Des Gunewardena ran some of London’s best-known eateries, from Coq d’Argent to Quaglino’s to German Gymnasium. His abrupt departure in 2022 was far from the end of the story, however, and today he will announce plans for a £10 million restaurant, bar and events space at Olympia, the west London exhibition venue.
The new site, which is due to open next year, will become the third restaurant for D3 Collective, the former D&D boss’s new hospitality company. The first, set to open on Thursday, election day, is a 5,000 sq ft Japanese-Korean venue with a “1920s Berlin vibe” at the Royal Exchange in the City of London; the second will be a 10,000 sq ft
