Friday five: the week's top hospitality stories
- Brett Graham’s Notting Hill restaurant The Ledbury has been awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2024. A further six new two Michelin star restaurants were announced at this year’s star revelation ceremony - The Peninsula London’s rooftop restaurant Brooklands, led by chef director Claude Bosi; Indian restaurants Opheem and Gymkhana; Trivet; The Glenturret Lalique; and Terre at Castlemartyr Resort.
- Restaurants including Hakkasan’s two London venues, Peter Sanchez-Iglesias’ Paco Tapas in Bristol, and Paul Foster’s Salt in Stratford-upon-Avon have lost their star in the latest Michelin Guide. A total of 18 restaurants lost their star rating, the majority as a result of having closed in the last year. These included Michel Roux Jr’s Le Gavroche in Mayfair, and Michael O'Hare’s Leeds restaurant The Man Behind The Curtain, which is preparing to relaunch under a new concept called Psycho Sandbar.
- Elliot and Helen Moss have closed their eight-cover ‘micro fine dining restaurant’ Plu citing difficult trading conditions and a lack of recognition from Michelin. Plu launched in London’s affluent St John’s Wood area in 2019 and was the debut solo restaurant project for chef patron Elliot, whose CV includes Mayfair’s Le Gavroche. Announcing the closure on their website, the pair appeared to question Michelin's unwillingness to recognise their efforts with 'at least one' star.
- Robert Thompson has announced he will close his Isle of Wight restaurant Thompson's later this month after nine years and reopen it in a new location. The chef opened his eponymous restaurant Thompson’s in 2015 in Newport and the restaurant has won acclaim for its modern cooking of classic dishes offered in a la carte and tasting menu options. The restaurant will close its doors after service on the 17th of February before reopening in a new location in the autumn. Thompson also has plans for another restaurant, which will open in March.
- Kansas City-style barbecue restaurant Prairie Fire has announced it will permanently close its doors this weekend. The brand, which operated as a street food trader at markets and festivals across London before launching as a permanent restaurant at Wood Lane Arches in White City in early 2020, confirmed it would close this Sunday (11 Feb).
