Orrery by Pierre Minotti makes an unapologetic pitch for Michelin stars

You know it's all such hooey when chefs say they don't care about Michelin stars. So we applaud the new chef taking over Marylebone stalwart Orrery, who is making no apologies for saying that his ambition is to get Michelin recognition.

Pierre Minotti (formerly at Alex Dilling at Hotel Cafe Royal) is so convinced of his offering that he's putting his name on the restaurant and it'll now be known as Orrery by Pierre Minotti. And now we can exclusively reveal his grand plans for the restaurant.

To start with, there will be a promenade element, as we've seen in places like Row on 5 (two stars) and Restaurant St Barts (one star). Guests will begin in the Salon du Vin, where they'll enjoy Champagne and canapes surrounded by the restaurant's 800-bottle collection.

After this, you'll head into the main dining room for the full tasting menu experience - they'll be doing both five and seven-course options.

Orrery was always a classic French restaurant and clearly they want to honour that legacy, so they describe the food offering as Escoffier-inspired using British produce. In practice, that means Bouillabaisse made with Cornish mackerel and Isle of Wight sea urchin, while the quail, which comes from the Pyrenees, is served with foie gras and English asparagus.

The showiest dish of the whole affair will be the Trou Normand. Traditionally, this 'Norman hole' would be a pause in the meal for a shot of Calvados to help create a hole or space in your stomach for more food (we love that). Here, Minotti will serve it in the form of a lovage sorbet with galanga-infused jelly and then a ceremonial pouring of Green Chartreuse. For this, you'll leave your table and take a seat at the marble-clad bar counter before the meat course. Guests will be offered a choice of either green or yellow Chartreuse and their choice is then used to finalise the dish in front of them.

Longtime fans of Orrery will be relieved to hear that despite all the changes planned, one thing will remain in place: the restaurant's legendary cheese trolley.

We're very much up for a bit of classic French showboating, and it sounds as though Pierre's plans for Orrery are all that and more. As he puts it, "Fine dining should never feel rigid: it's possible to enjoy fine dining food whilst still having fun." Allons-y!

The exceptionally green Trou Normand that'll be a key part of the new menu.