Fine Dining

Fast thinking: how restaurants are avoiding festive food waste

17-Dec-2020 By Ella Doyle

Closed for eat-in with just one day’s notice, hospitality businesses across London and large swathes of the South East are facing an unprecedented festive food waste challenge.

David Muñoz’s Mayfair restaurant StreetXO closes permanently

17-Dec-2020 By Restaurant

Spanish chef David Muñoz’s Mayfair restaurant StreetXO has become the latest high-profile casualty of the Coronavirus pandemic in the capital.

How I Got Here: Sunaina Sethi

17-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

The JKS Restaurants director on working with her bothers, making hospitality a more attractive career move, and her love of Eastenders.

Chester Grosvener's Sam Griffiths is crowned National Chef of Wales

16-Dec-2020 By Ella Doyle

Sam Griffiths has secured his crown as the National Chef of Wales by winning the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW) competition.

Prominent Edinburgh restaurant site seeks new tenant

16-Dec-2020 By Joe Lutrario

A tenant is being sought for the former Tower Restaurant, a rooftop space above the National Museum of Scotland with views of Edinburgh Castle.

Manchester operators hold breath ahead of latest tier announcement

16-Dec-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Close to 4,000 Greater Manchester restaurants, pubs, bars and cafés are anxiously waiting to see if the region will move from Tier 3 to Tier 2 after infection rates fell below the average for England.

Dayashankar Sharma to open Heritage in West Dulwich next year

15-Dec-2020 By Restaurant

Grand Trunk Road head chef Dayashankar Sharma is to open a fine-dining Indian restaurant in West Dulwich in January 2021.

Simon Rogan’s London Roganic will not reopen

15-Dec-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Simon Rogan’s Roganic in Marylebone will not be reopening in its current location, the L’Enclume chef has revealed.

Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards Sessions

Meet the chefs championing fun dining not fine dining

14-Dec-2020 By Stefan Chomka

The latest video in the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards' Sessions series features Brad Carter, Tom Brown, and Peter Sanchez-Iglesias discussing their attempts to make fine dining a more fun experience.

Flash-grilled: Kimberley Hernandez

11-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

Chef Kimberley Hernandez, who previously oversaw the stoves at XU in London’s Chinatown and Kym’s in the City, now heads up the kitchen of Chiswick's recently opened The Silver Birch.

Opening of the month: Robin Wylde

10-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

West Country-born chef Harriet Mansell has relaunched her Lyme Regis pop-up Robin Wylde as a permanent restaurant that shines a light on the region’s local ingredients.

Book review: Fäviken: 4015 Days, Beginning to End

09-Dec-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Magnus Nilsson closed his remote Swedish restaurant Fäviken last year at the very height of its success. This book sets out why.

Tommy Heaney on toughing out Wales’ restrictions

09-Dec-2020 By Cameron Henderson

Unable to sell the hard stuff and forced to close at 6pm, many Wales-based operators have simply shut up shop. But Cardiff-based chef Tommy Heaney is pushing on.

Mattia Gerundio named as head chef at The Drunken Butler

07-Dec-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Mattia Gerundio has been promoted to the role of head chef at Yuma Hashemi’s Clerkenwell restaurant The Drunken Butler.

Graeme Cheevers chooses Glasgow for solo debut

07-Dec-2020 By Cameron Henderson

Former Isle of Eriska head chef Graeme Cheevers has chosen his home city of Glasgow for his first solo restaurant project.

Roux at Parliament Square announces permanent closure

07-Dec-2020 By Restaurant

Michel Roux Jr has closed his Westminster-based restaurant Roux at Parliament Square as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Arros QD undergoes CVA following unanimous stakeholder approval

04-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

Arros QD, the rice-focused restaurant in London's Fitzrovia owned by legendary Valencian chef Quique Dacosta, has undergone a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) following unanimous stakeholder approval.

Harden’s launches Platinum membership scheme

04-Dec-2020 By Restaurant

Restaurant guide Harden’s has launched a membership scheme that offers members benefits in top restaurants and with suppliers.

Maos 2.0: this time it’s personal

03-Dec-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Under the direction of executive chef Edoardo Pellicano and general manager Charlie Sims, Shoreditch restaurant Maos is aiming to become the capital’s most singular dining experience.

How I Got Here: Luke Garnsworthy

02-Dec-2020 By James McAllister

Luke Garnsworthy, previously chef de partie at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, is the founder of fine dining group Crockers, which operates restaurants in Tring and Henley.

Sat Bains to launch Punjabi food business with his mum

25-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

Sat Bains is to launch a Punjabi food business in partnership with his mother, which will be available at a handful of chip shops across the UK from this weekend.

Layo Paskin: “It’s a horrible feeling to be haemorrhaging money”

24-Nov-2020 By Joe Lutrario

The Palomar and The Barbary founder on what it feels like to close a brand new restaurant after just two day’s trading, pivoting to retail and why he’s not taking bookings for his places just yet.

Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards Sessions

Jose Pizarro: "I had one day off in five months"

23-Nov-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Jose Pizarro says he had only one day off in five months as he fought to continue running his restaurant business during the Coronavirus pandemic.

People on the move: November 2020

23-Nov-2020 By Restaurant

A roundup of the biggest personnel changes in the hospitality sector over the past month.

Flash-grilled: Taiji Maruyama

20-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

Taiji Maruyama is executive chef at Japanese restaurant Taka, which recently opened its second London site in Marylebone.

Andrew Wong: “Carrying on would have been a recipe for disaster”

20-Nov-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Andrew Wong on the closure of Kym's, the lease of his flagship A Wong coming to an end, and his research into the effect of Covid-19 on Chinese hospitality around the world.

Chutney Mary at 30: how one restaurant changed London's Indian dining scene

18-Nov-2020 By Joe Lutrario

As it celebrates its 30th birthday, Chutney Mary's founders Camellia Panjabi, Namita Panjabi, and Ranjit Mathrani reflect on how they helped shape Indian fine dining in the capital.

Tommy Banks to head up Lord's Cricket Ground restaurant The Edrich

17-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

Chef Tommy Banks is to head up a brand new restaurant at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London as part of a three-year partnership with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

Lorraine Copes: “Diversity drives businesses”

17-Nov-2020 By Stefan Chomka

The founder of BAME in Hospitality on what the hospitality sector can do to be more inclusive, and how her organisation can help.

Tom Kemble on swapping fine dining for a Neapolitan pizza van

16-Nov-2020 By Joe Lutrario

The former Hedone, Fäviken and Bonhams chef has left The Pass restaurant near Horsham to launch high-reaching mobile pizzeria SOPI.

Updated: Restaurants offering nationwide meal kits

11-Nov-2020 By Stefan Chomka

From Michelin-starred meal boxes from James Lowe, Jason Atherton, Michel Roux Jr and Simon Rogan to vegan DIY taco kits and Sri Lankan dinners, here are the latest nationwide restaurant meal kits.

Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards Sessions

Liz Cottam: “It is time Home lives in a place in which she deserves to be"

09-Nov-2020 By Stefan Chomka

Leeds-based chef and restaurateur Liz Cottam talks about what she got up to over lockdown, developing a more artistic cooking style and the possibility of moving her flagship restaurant Home.

Flash grilled: Merlin Labron-Johnson

09-Nov-2020 By James McAllister

The chef proprietor of Osip in Bruton and former Portland chef on his admiration for Fergus Henderson, almost getting run over and wanting Simon Hopkinson to cook him his final meal.

Brett Graham partners with Wiltshire Truffles

06-Nov-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Brett Graham is collaborating with Wiltshire Truffles to produce a range of The Ledbury-branded truffle-based products.

Promoted content

Recipe: Tenderstem® brococli, miso aioli and sesame

03-Nov-2020 By Restaurant

Chantelle Nicholson gives Tenderstem® the Japanese treatment and explains why chefs need to work harder to get more plant-based dishes onto their menus.

Long Read

Band of brothers: The Selby trio on Evelyn’s Table

27-Oct-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Hotly-tipped former Hide head chef Luke Selby and his younger brothers Theo and Nathaniel are confounding expectations by taking over the tiny counter restaurant beneath Layo and Zoë Paskin’s Soho pub The Blue Posts

Stephen Harris on terroir, growing his own and the future of The Sportsman

23-Oct-2020 By Joe Lutrario

The Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards' Sessions series kicks off with a detailed look at seminal North Kent gastropub The Sportsman.

Promoted content

Recipe: Tenderstem® broccoli, onion, cheddar and caper tarts

23-Oct-2020 By Restaurant

Chantelle Nicholson creates a delicate yet punchily-flavoured tart using Tenderstem® and discusses sustainability.

Scottish hospitality sector launches Save our Jobs campaign

21-Oct-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Some of the biggest names in Scottish hospitality have launched a ‘Save Our Jobs’ campaign calling for urgent support from Westminster and Holyrood to safeguard up to 100,000 jobs before the UK-wide furlough scheme comes to an end on 31 October.

Andreas Antona launches home delivery service

19-Oct-2020 By Joe Lutrario

High profile chef restaurateur Andreas Antona has launched a nationwide delivery service that brings together his three Midlands restaurants.

Santiago Lastra on finally opening the doors at Kol

16-Oct-2020 By Joe Lutrario

The former Noma Mexico chef is at last in the kitchen at this eagerly awaited Marylebone restaurant giving top-notch British ingredients the high-end Mexican treatment.

Promoted content

Recipe: Tenderstem® broccoli with chickpeas, salsa verde and créme fraíche

16-Oct-2020 By Restaurant

Chantelle Nicholson's dish showcases Tenderstem® broccoli's ability to be the star of the show.

Selby brothers to relaunch Evelyn's Table later this month

15-Oct-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Hotly-tipped chef brothers Luke, Nathaniel and Theo Selby will finally relaunch Layo and Zoë Paskin's Soho counter dining restaurant Evelyn’s Table later this month.

The long read

Akoko: "It’s time to show people what West African cuisine is about"

15-Oct-2020 By James McAllister

A year later than planned, Akoko has finally opened in London’s Fitzrovia on a mission to shake up the capital’s West African dining scene with its ‘progressive and elevated’ approach

GQ Food & Drink Awards winners named

02-Oct-2020 By Joe Lutrario

Tom Brown, Adam Handling and Skye Gyngell are among the winners of the GQ Food & Drink Awards, which were revealed yesterday evening (1 October).

Flash-grilled: Sameer Taneja

02-Oct-2020 By James McAllister

The executive chef at Indian restaurant Benares in Mayfair on his admiration for Pierre Koffmann, wanting to be a stand-up comedian and his dislike of smart phones.

Matt Worswick named executive head chef at the Savoy Grill

01-Oct-2020 By Restaurant

Former Pennyhill Park chef Matt Worswick has joined the Savoy Grill as its executive head chef.

Flash-grilled: Kerth Gumbs

21-Sep-2020 By James McAllister

The executive chef at Ormer Mayfair on his love of dancing, Great British Menu and what he thinks is the most overrated food.

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Community Heroes: Clare Smyth and her team

14-Sep-2020 By Restaurant

During the restaurant lockdown the Core by Clare Smyth chef-patron and her team cooked thousands of meals for people who were hit badly by the pandemic, as our new video series Community Heroes shows.

The Dairy to live again after securing Bermondsey site

04-Sep-2020 By James McAllister

Robin and Sarah Gill's highly influential The Dairy restaurant, which permanently closed the doors to its original home in Clapham last month, is to reopen in London's Bermondsey next week.