Harden’s co-founder Peter Harden was a key contributor to a Radio 4 programme broadcast last weekend that examined the failure of Jamie Oliver’s restaurant chain Jamie’s Italian. Quoting from the annual Harden’s surveys, Peter said that the apparently successful group was failing to deliver the goods several years before it went bust. The first Jamie’s […]
St John restaurant is decamping to Fortnum and Mason in Piccadilly next month while its base near Smithfield Market is refurbished. The residency – the first in Fortnums’ long history – brings together two icons of British gastronomy: the victualler to royalty, most famous now for its afternoon teas, was founded as long ago as 1707, […]
A group of chefs and food-writers including Sami Tamimi, founding partner in Ottolenghi deli-restaurants, and Ravinder Bhogal of Jikoni are hosting a Souk el Salam or peace market in London next Sunday, 28 January, to raise funds for aid to Gaza. The souk is to be hosted by Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, whose owner, Imad Alarnab, […]
One of London’s last remaining traditional pie and mash shops, Manze’s in Deptford, is expected to close down next year when its owner George Mascall retires to Norfolk. George is the grandson of Michele Manze, an Italian who settled in London and founded a pie-shop dynasty. The Deptford shop opened in 1914 and is now […]
Peter Sanchez-Iglesias is planning to bring celebrated Bristol restaurant Casamia back to life – 18 months after closing it down permanently as ‘financially unviable’. Posting on Instagram, he announced: “Casamia will reopen again. Unfinished business.” The restaurant was originally launched in 1997 by Peter’s parents as a relatively modest suburban trattoria, before being transformed by […]
Michael Sager of Hackney wine bar Sager + Wilde is opening a new venue near Victoria Park this month. Bar Bruno is set in a cute Victorian stable, and will serve natural wines alongside small plates with a focus on Swiss-style filled pretzels. The venture will operate as a shop by day, with everything on […]
An Italian steakhouse from Lecce in Puglia has opened a London branch in Chelsea – with little in the way of introduction or promotion. Tabisca has taken over a site near Sloane Square long occupied by Como Lario, and more recently by short-lived restaurants Liv and 1771. Tabisca’s menu showcases a selection of Italian raw and […]
Much-travelled Aussie chef Scott Hallsworth opens the second permanent venue of his pan-Asian project, Freak Scene, in Balham, south London, next week. Freak Scene Sushi & Grill launches on Thursday 18 January, and follows the first permanent Freak Scene in Parsons Green, which opened last spring in “fine form“, according to the 2024 Harden’s guide. […]
James Close is to close down his acclaimed Co Durham restaurant the Raby Hunt after 14 years and join nearby Rockliffe Hall as culinary director. An ex-pro golfer, James taught himself to cook in the kitchen of the former pub and quickly earned a reputation as a standard-bearer for gastronomic excellence in the Northeast. The […]
Highly rated Manchester pasta specialist Sud is relaunching its four restaurants as Rigatoni’s – less than a year after their last name change. Brothers Alex and Mike de Martiis (pictured above) founded the group as Sugo in 2015 with a single site in Altrincham, adding further branches in Ancoats, Sale and most recently the city centre’s […]
