A New York restaurateur claiming to be a descendant of Vlad the Impaler is set to open a £4million restaurant in London’s Mayfair.

Nello Balan plans to open a branch of Nello, his Italian restaurant on Manhattan’s Madison Avenue known for its outrageously expensive food.

Mr Balan famously does not disclose the prices of his specials at his already expensive restaurant, and recently charged an unsuspecting diner £175 for a portion of truffle pasta.

He has signed a £2million lease for a venue on exclusive Mount Street in Mayfair, where family run Italian restaurant Serafino recently closed after 40 years.

The 20 year lease has a rent of £100,000 a year, but David Rawlinson, director of Restaurant Property who brokered the London deal, believes that Mr Balan will have no problem paying on time.

Mail Online – 13th June 2013 – [read article]