High-flying Australian chef Matt Abé opened his first restaurant, Bonheur by Matt Abé, at the former site of Le Gavroche in Mayfair in November 2025. As of mid-February 2026, it was awarded two Michelin stars in the Great Britain & Ireland Michelin Guide — an incredibly quick turnaround for such an impressive acknowledgment. Fellow Australian Brett Graham also achieved the remarkable height of retaining three stars for his Notting Hill restaurant The Ledbury.
Sydney-born Abé (who started his culinary career at Aria and was most recently chef patron at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay) is sharing menus at Bonheur that nod to his roots. Carefully detailed dishes include Isle of Skye scallop with carrot, clementine and yuzu kosho; 125-day dry-aged English sirloin with potato terrine, smoked marrow and sauce Bordelaise; and a signature dessert with layers of pecan, coffee and vanilla parfait with cocoa nib ice cream and Pedro Ximénez gel.
As well as an up-close chef’s table experience for six, the venue comprises an underground dining room adorned with works by London-based artist Rajan Seth and warm, textural details like leather, velvet and horsehair wallpaper. Michelin inspectors loved the venue’s spacious redesign, technical prowess on show on the menu and Art Deco-inspired cocktail bar.
Back before Bonheur was awarded its stellar achievement, we spoke to Abé about what it takes to run a top restaurant in London, and the differences between elite dining scenes in Australia and England.
How are you feeling, since opening Bonheur in November?
It’s been very full on but extremely rewarding. I’m very proud of how the team has come together, given the fact we have a very new team.
Your career began at Aria in Sydney under Matt Moran, and by 22 you were at London’s Claridge’s, being mentored by Gordon Ramsay. He’s now your business partner in Bonheur. How do your leadership styles compare?
I’m not saying I’m similar to Gordon, but I definitely think I’m firm, but fair. I’ve got that Australian element in me, in that I love a laugh and a joke, but at the same time I’m very disciplined.
What are the main culinary differences you’ve noticed, playing in the British big leagues?
What I’ve seen more and more over the years in the UK is a higher influence of cuisines from all the other parts of the world. Growing up in Australia, it’s a very multicultural society with quite a heavy Asian influence. The Asian influence has taken a bit longer to make its way across to Europe. For a long time British food got a bad rap in Australia – soggy meat and three veg etc. What’s your perspective? I remember everyone always joked about the meat not being very good – that it was always a bit bluey-green. Having come over here, it’s a lot more advanced than people think.
But we all know Australia’s the best, right?
Australia has so many different climates within a country that can produce so many different fruits, vegetables, breeds of meat, amazing seafood. It’s different here, [but] I’ll tell you now, the scallops in Australia come nowhere near the scallops we get off the coast of Scotland. Scottish shellfish is second to none. There are fish that are unique to these waters. And the grass-fed meat that we get here, which I use in the restaurant, from those beautiful green pastures, is some of the best meat I’ve ever eaten in my life.
By the time this is published, you’ll know if Bonheur has been awarded a Michelin star. That must be stressful.
When you win certain accolades it gives you an understanding of where you are at within the industry, and it gives the guests an understanding, but it’s not at the forefront of my mind. We’re just doing what we’re doing.
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