A sophisticated thief targeting London's elite dining scene has struck again, making off with £800 worth of premium meat from Michelin-starred Galvin La Chapelle in what appears to be a coordinated campaign against high-end restaurants.
The Spitalfields Incident
Security footage from November 4 shows a woman dressed in a white hoody, black trousers and trainers boldly stealing bags of expensive meat from outside the celebrated Spitalfields restaurant. The suspect was captured on camera darting up and down stairs and rummaging through delivery boxes before escaping with her valuable haul.
The theft came to light only after staff at Galvin La Chapelle reviewed their security footage following a similar incident at Elystan Street in Chelsea. Earlier this week, that restaurant had shared viral video of a "porch pirate" stealing langoustines from their premises on November 25.
Restaurant Industry Concerns
Chris Galvin, owner of Galvin La Chapelle, expressed his frustration at the timing and nature of the crime. "It's devastating to see this happening in the run-up to Christmas, the busiest and most crucial period for the hospitality industry," he stated.
Galvin highlighted the unusual quality of the stolen goods, noting: "The produce taken from us wasn't everyday groceries - it was high-quality, premium meat, and for Elystan Street it was langoustines. These are items that simply don't end up in someone's home kitchen."
The restaurant owner raised serious concerns that the stolen goods might be finding their way into other commercial kitchens, suggesting an organised operation rather than random theft.
Connection to Chelsea Langoustine Theft
The earlier incident at Phil Howard's Elystan Street restaurant saw the theft of expensive langoustines, with the chef taking to Instagram to express his outrage. Howard posted: "Caught stealing our precious langoustines this morning – you low-life scum bag. Hope you rot in hell with your other hard working mates."
Becky McLaughlin, restaurant manager at Elystan Street, emphasised the financial impact of such crimes on struggling hospitality businesses. "It's a cost that somebody just doesn't realise, where it's now going to have to be swallowed," she explained. "In these times it's incredibly different for restaurants so things like this can be so damaging which people don't realise."
McLaughlin also noted the thief's apparent knowledge of high-value ingredients, suggesting they targeted specific boxes based on their contents and recognised the substantial value of their haul.
London's Metropolitan Police are investigating both incidents amid growing concerns that a serial "fine dining bandit" is systematically targeting the capital's top restaurants during their most vulnerable delivery periods.
