Raymond Blanc’s pub-brasserie group is to be spun out into a national chain under new owners who plan to open as many as 50 new branches in the next few years. The French-born chef is understood to have sold his minority stake, but will remain involved in the business. Alchemy Partners, a London-based private equity […]
Vinoteca will open its latest wine bar and restaurant on Monday in the new Borough Yards development, adjacent to Borough Market. It will occupy two storeys in a red-brick Victorian railway arch, with views across to Southwark Cathedral. The venue will champion small, independent and innovative wineries, including its own Rodney & The Horse, which […]
Here’s our regular summary of what the national and local restaurant critics have been writing about in the week ending 6 February 2022. ***** The Times Giles Coren was in Mayfair, at newcomer BiBi, the Indian fine-dining restaurant from “genius head chef” Chet Sharma. He enjoyed his lunch so much that he had to call […]
The Butcher, a high-end European burger brand based in Amsterdam, has opened its first UK branch in Manchester. Billed as an “haute couture” take on the fast-food favourite, it launched this week at the new Urban Playground in the Arndale Centre. The brand has an ambitious mission statement to live up to, declaring: “The Butcher […]
Richard Caring is understood to be circling embattled restaurant group Corbin & King with a view to snapping up its prime assets, led by the Wolseley and the Delaunay. Corbin & King, which owns seven restaurants in London, went into administration last week when its main investor, Thai hotel giant Minor International, said it was […]
Highly rated chef Scott Hallsworth is to launch a pop-up restaurant in a former Clerkenwell pizzeria this month, where he will give his Japanese-inspired plates a new twist by cooking in a wood-fired pizza oven. Double Dragon, in a Victorian bank building on Rosebery Avenue, opens on February 16. The Aussie-born chef headed kitchens at […]
Top chefs including Asma Khan (pictured), Raymond Blanc, Phil Howard and Thomasina Miers have thrown their weight behind a new international campaign to encourage sustainable eating. Launching next week, One Planet Plates aims to serve 5 million sustainable meals this year through more than 2,000 participating restaurants of every type. The oneplanetplate.org website lists restaurants […]
Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham tops Harden’s 100 Midlands a powerhouse of culinary achievement this year Edinburgh is second restaurant city Top restaurants look to bounce back after Covid lockdowns A chef who started up a curry kit delivery service with his mother to keep himself and his staff busy under lockdown has seen his […]
Here’s our regular summary of what the national and local restaurant critics have been writing about in the week ending 30 January 2022. ***** The Observer “The sort of cookery that makes you pause, mid-conversation, and study the plate.” Jay Rayner was in Sheffield, debating whether it’s better to eat out at lunch or dinner. […]
The Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge is replacing pimped-up New York-style burgers with a hyper-trendy oriental import with today’s opening of The Aubrey in the space formerly occupied by Bar Boulud. Named after the decadent fin de siècle artist Aubrey Beardsley, the Aubrey pitches itself as an “eccentric Japanese izakaya experience”, offering upmarket food and cocktails […]