Two prominent chef-led neighbourhood restaurants in London are to close after more than a decade. Chef-patron Bryn Williams will serve his last dinner at Odette’s in Primrose Hill tomorrow, 25 May, while L’Amorosa near Hammersmith will close its doors on 13 July.
Announcing that he had sold Odette’s after 16 years, Bryn said “It’s been my cooking home and I’ve loved every minute of it. Now it’s time to move on and explore new adventures.”
The Denbigh-born chef said was looking forward to spending more time in his native north Wales, where he recently announced he will open a restaurant in Theatr Clwyd in Flintshire next year. He already owns a beachfront restaurant at Porth Eirias in Colwyn Bay, north Wales, as well as a hotel restaurant in the Swiss Alps.
There is no news yet on the new owner of Odette’s, which has established a reputation over almost half a century as one of the most atmospheric restaurant venues in London.
Meanwhile, chef-patron Andy Needham shadowed Rishi Sunak with an announcement in an email to regular customers: “Just like the prime minister, we have called a date.“
The former Zafferano head chef said it was “time to reclaim our lives” for him and his wife Lynn, who opened L’Amorosa near Ravenscourt Park tube station 14 years ago to fit in with their children’s schooling. The restaurant is an anagram of the family’s names – Lynn, Andy, Morgan and Rosa.
Hailed as a “lovely local Italian” with a “beautifully executed menu” in the 2024 Harden’s guide, L’Amorosa has had a bumpy ride in recent years, with a disastrous flood on the premises delaying its rebound after the pandemic shut-down.
Andy added: “The pleasure of creating fabulous food in a relaxed environment was always our passion and the reason we built L’Amorosa all those years ago, and there are many reasons for reaching our decision, but the primary one for us is that when push comes to shove it’s just not fun any more.“
He indicated he’ll be moving into private catering work with the occasional weekend restaurant pop-up – “we are not bailing on you, and we’re not moving away.”
L’Amorosa has been sold, but there is no word as yet on its buyer.
