Jamie Oliver to open Wharf restaurant

Canary Wharf Group (CWG) has secured a tenancy agreement with Oliver for him to open his first independent restaurant in London. He already has restaurants in Oxford, Bath and Kingston offering "authentic, delicious Italian food at an affordable price".

Camille Waxer, vice president of retail at CWG, said: "Jamie Oliver and Canary Wharf is a very exciting combination and we are delighted that London's first Jamie's Italian will open here.

"In the next 18 months or so we have KPMG, Fitch Ratings and State Street all opening new office buildings nearby. The continued growth in the number of Canary Wharf visitors and workers requires the quality, quantity and variety of dining options to keep pace.

"We have been very impressed by the success of Jamie's Italian in Oxford and Bath. It will inspire more food lovers to visit Canary Wharf and offer our existing customer base an exciting new option."

Simon Blagden, managing director of Jamie's Italian, added: "The Canary Wharf development is a fantastic place to be and I couldn't think of anywhere better for our first location in inner London.

"This restaurant, like all those we've opened so far, will be something special and I'm sure the businesses and the residents of E14 will love what they see when we open in autumn 2009."

The restaurant, the brainchild of Oliver and his "Italian father" - fellow chef Gennaro Contaldo - will cover 4,174 sq ft of the Churchill Place development, alongside another new eaterie, Rocket.

It is welcome news for the area which has seen a number of popular restaurants, including Ubon, Dion and Beluga Cafe, close as the credit crunch has bitten.