Romy Gill is going to helm The Pem.
The restaurant will now offer regional Indian flavours.
It opens on 17 September.
Romy Gill takes the helm at The Pem, bringing a personal take on India’s diverse regional cuisines.
London’s dining scene is constantly reinventing itself, and this September, Romy Gill takes the helm at The Pem, marking a new chapter for the restaurant. Once known for Sally Abe’s modern British cooking, The Pem is now taking a different culinary direction, turning its focus towards the diverse cooking traditions of India.
Located inside Conrad London St James in Westminster, the restaurant carries a name steeped in history. The Pem takes its name from Emily Wilding Davison, the suffragette whose family called her “Pem”. Its feather emblem pays homage to her story, while the restaurant has long placed female voices, creativity and authorship at its heart. With Romy Gill now at the helm, that spirit continues in a new and deeply personal form.
The dining room retains its art-deco-inspired character, with rosy tones, soft lighting, banquettes and curved tub chairs. Yet beyond the room, almost everything is changing. For Romy Gill, the move marks a return to restaurant cooking and her first permanent kitchen in six years. Her menu draws on the food cultures that have shaped her life and career, travelling across India while bringing together regional traditions, British produce and contemporary technique.
Rather than presenting Indian cuisine as one singular tradition, Romy Gill explores its regional diversity. Her cooking is personal and rooted in memory, formed by journeys across India, the flavours she grew up with and the women who have influenced her culinary identity.
The menu is designed for sharing and includes Samosa Chaat, Gobi Masalam, Tandoori Lamb Chop, Panch Phoron & Tamarind Octopus, Sukha Crab, Lamb Biryani, Hake Moilee and Prawn Masala. For dessert, there’s Saffron & Black Cardamom Pear and Fennel & Ajwain Churros to name a few. The drinks menu follows suit, with cocktails incorporating ingredients and flavours such as cardamom.
For those unfamiliar with her work, Romy Gill is a chef, broadcaster and author originally from West Bengal who has spent years championing India’s regional food traditions. She has written three cookbooks, appeared across BBC television and radio, and was awarded an MBE for services to hospitality in 2016. She has also previously cooked at The Pem as part of its The Pem Presents series, making this new chapter feel less like an arrival and more like a homecoming.
The Pem by Romy Gill opens this month, bringing a personal and distinctly regional perspective on Indian cooking to Westminster. So if you’re looking for regional Indian flavours in London, this is where you ought to be.
Where: Romy Gill at The Pem, Conrad London St James, Westminster, London, SW1H 0BH
When: Opening 17 September 2026
Contact: https://romygillatthepem.com