Latest openings: Duke Street Market, Chucs Café Kensington, Wood Chester and more

Duke Street Market

 

Duke Street Market has opened in Liverpool, aiming to become a culinary tourism destination, with a focus on quality, sustainability and artisanal methods.

 

Following the multimillion-pound restoration of a three-storey, 100-year-old warehouse, the venue houses a 50-cover showpiece restaurant, Pilgrim, which appeared on BBC Two's My Million Pound Menu earlier this year and earned the investment to bring the restaurant and bar concept to life. The venue also includes three bars and a terrace.

 

Opened 7 June
Covers 500
Operator Graffiti Spirits Group
Traders Pilgrim, Cinder, Cucina di Vincenzo, Finca, Indigo Greens, Ginger and Bone and Block
Website www.dukestreetmarket.co.uk

 

 

Chucs Café Kensington

 

Modern European restaurant and café collection Chucs has launched a new casual café concept in London's Kensington. The café is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as offering takeaway options, including paninis, salads, smoothies and coffee.

 

Executive chef director Simon Henbury
Design Fettle Studios
Typical dishes Burrata, flat peaches, chilli and mint; fennel risotto and black olive pangrattato
Website www.chucsrestaurants.com

 

 

The Coconut Tree

 

Sri Lankan street food restaurant group the Coconut Tree has opened in Cardiff City Centre. The glass-fronted restaurant boasts a cocktail menu of Sri Lankan spirits, including Arrack, made from coconut flower nectar.

 

Covers 120
Founders Praveen Thanginah, Dan Fernando, Shamil Fernando, Mithra Fernando and Rodrigo Rashinthe
Typical dishes Hot battered spicy cuttlefish; hoppers; Jaffna goat curry with potato
Website www.thecoconut-tree.com

 

 

The Cross Keys

 

Mo Gherras, former restaurant manager at the Royal Oak in Paley Street, Berkshire, has refurbished and reopened the Cross Keys in Sherborne, Dorset, with his wife, Hannah. The 17th-century building now has four boutique bedrooms and a 75-cover pub focused on local produce.

 

Head chef Alec Hollingsworth
Typical dish Duck breast, confit leg fritter, spiced aubergine and courgette
Website www.thecrosskeyssherborne.com

 

 

Hide and Fox

 

Former Acorn Award-winner Allister Barsby and Hotel Cateys Food and Beverage Manager of the Year 2018 Alice Bussi have opened their first solo restaurant together, Hide and Fox in Hythe. Returning to his native Kent, Barsby has designed a modern British menu with a focus on seasonal ingredients and fine wines.

 

Head chef Allister Barsby
Typical dishes Risotto, Kentish asparagus, broad beans; beef fillet, oxtail, lettuce, pickles, red wine
Website www.hideandfox.co.uk

 

 

Saorsa 1875

 

The former Birchwood hotel in Pitlochry, Perthshire, has been relaunched as a boutique vegan hotel dedicated to "showcasing ethical luxury". The business is named after the Scottish-Gaelic word for freedom or liberty and the year the property was built. The hotel is entirely free from animal products and powered by green energy company Ecotricity.

 

Bedrooms 11
Owners Jack, Sandra and John McLaren-Stewart
Website www.saorsahotel.com

 

 

Wood Chester

 

2015 MasterChef winner Simon Wood has opened his second fine dining Wood restaurant at the new Hotel Indigo Chester. The restaurant serves an à la carte menu, a Sunday lunch menu and blind five-, seven- and 10-course tasting menus.

 

Covers 96
Typical dishes Belly pork, cider, apple, sage, onion; monkfish, Wye Valley asparagus, wild nettle and white beetroot
Website www.woodrestaurantgroup.com/chester