Nearby hotel works prompt Paradise Garage closure

Chef and restaurateur Robin Gill has blamed extensive building works near his Bethnal Green restaurant Paradise Garage for its closure last week.

The London restaurant launched in July 2015 and enjoyed a strong start along with some very favourable reviews.

However, speaking to The Caterer at the Food on the Edge in Galway, Ireland, Gill said that the construction directly opposite the restaurant of a Holiday Inn Express had made recent trading much more difficult, and ultimately resulted in his decision to close the restaurant.

"We had an incredible start at Paradise Garage and it was our easiest and smoothest opening. We had great reviews and received a Michelin Bib Gourmand," he said.

"We had an phenomenal first year but the congestion and inconvenience caused by the hotel development just became too much. Suddenly it was just not busy enough anymore.

"We've got some amazing opportunities coming our way in 2018 and it was time to re-think Paradise with these in mind."

He added that he has an "incredible talent pool" taking him through to his projects next year.

Gill started his culinary career in Dublin before moving to London to work as a demi chef de partie at the Oak Room in London in 1999 when it had three Michelin stars.

He moved on to become junior sous chef at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons for four years before becoming chef de cuisine at Sauterelle, the Royal Exchange, London in 2008.

In 2013, after a series of stages in the UK, Europe and Scandinavia, he opened the acclaimed Dairy in Clapham in London, following it up with the Manor in Clapham in 2015. In August 2015 he was named Good Food Guide Chef of the Year, before launching Counter Culture in Clapham in April 2016.

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