Marco Pierre White to launch first of new chophouse brand in Birmingham

Marco Pierre White is launching a chophouse restaurant brand, which is to debut within the 174-bedroom Hotel La Tour in Birmingham in November.

Mr White's English Chophouse will become the fourth restaurant brand for White's company Black & White Hospitality alongside Steakhouse Bar & Grill, Marco's New York Italian and Wheeler's of St James's. It will be operated by Hotel La Tour under a franchise agreement, replacing the property's existing Aalto restaurant.

Inspired by White's love of British food, the brand will operate a menu featuring steaks, grills and chops and include a butcher's block with four cuts of steak. It will also serve classic dishes such as Welsh rarebit, grilled oysters, trout tartar and roast chicken and leek pie.

Nick Taplin, chief executive of Black & White Hospitality, said the aim of the new brand was to conjure up "homely images of succulent joints" within warm, enjoyable surroundings.

"We've been working on the concept for some time but it was always on the understanding that we would need to find exactly the right home for it. We know that Birmingham has a real appetite for affordable glamour; restaurants that offer top quality dishes in a sumptuous environment, at a price to suit all budgets.

"The final piece of the jigsaw fell into place when we discovered the Hotel La Tour. The venue itself and the team behind it give us enormous confidence that Mr White's will be a major success."

White added; "Chophouses were created in London in the 1700s and became fashionable in the 1960s. Our past is our foundation, let's not forget that. As my dear mother used to say: ‘a tree without roots is a piece of wood.'"

Black & White Hospitality currently operates 21 restaurants: 10 Steakhouse Bar & Grill, 10 Marco's New York Italian and one Wheeler's of St James. Yesterday the group announced that a Marco's New York Italian will be developed within the new Ibis Styles hotel in Leeds.

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