Chef Kieren Steinborn-Busse is to open his first restaurant. The Falcon will launch in Buntingford, Hertfordshire, in November.
Steinborn-Busse plans to serve “British comfort food and rustic recipes using seasonal, local produce”. His wife Natasha will lead the front of house team.
The venue sounds charming. The Falcon is a Grade II-listed Tudor property featuring original wooden beams and exposed, original brickwork. But it’s small, with just 28 covers; though there are two private diningrooms.
Will the food be good? Steinborn-Busse was previously executive chef of Vinoteca. Readers found the restaurant-cum-wine bar “surprisingly good”, “reasonably priced”, and with a “terrific selection of wines”. We hope, then, The Falcon will curate an enviable list.
The chef was also executive head chef at The Swan at Shakespeare’s Globe. Allan Picket, formerly of Piquet (RIP), steers the ship there, and reviews have been positive. Steinborn-Busse was also head chef at Thackeray’s restaurant in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, where “superb, complex dishes” were let down by service.
Steinborn-Busse trained under Marco Pierre-White at Quo Vadis, and Alain Ducasse at The Sanderson.
The chef said: “We want to provide a great local dining destination, offering a space for people to interact, dine, drink and relax.”
