New autumn openings…

Now that the summer holidays are over, the UK restaurant and hotel industry is gearing up for a spate of new launches. A lot of the activity centres around London, thanks largely to the continuing buoyant economy, but there are some exciting new ventures around the rest of the country too. Neil Gerrard rounds up the best

 

Star Inn the City
Opening 22 October, 2013
Location Museum Gardens, York
Owner/operator Andrew Pern & Justin Brosenitz
Covers 130 (with 70 outside by the river)
Style British (showcasing Yorkshire produce)

 

Three-time Catey award winner Andrew Pern has teamed up with his fellow chef and former rugby teammate Justin Brosenitz to open Star Inn the City in York in autumn this year. The name of the 130-cover restaurant, in the converted Engine House in York's famous Museum Gardens, plays on that of Pern's renowned pub the Star Inn at Harome, where he will continue to devote the majority of his time. However he will oversee the menu at the new venture, which is to be run by Brosenitz with head chef Matt Hunder in the kitchen. Dishes will showcase the best produce Yorkshire has to offer and will serve food and drinks all day from dinner through until breakfast. Average spend will be £30-35 and a daily market menu offfering two courses for £20 and three courses for £25 will be available. Meanwhile, the bar will offer local ales and the Two Chefs beer made by Pern and with former Star Inn chef and owner of the Pipe and Glass Inn, James Mackenzie

 

Unnamed Angela Hartnett venture
Opening October 2013
Location 33 St James's Street, London W1
Owner/operator Angela Hartnett
Covers 80
Style Regional-focussed fine dining

 

Michelin-starred Murano chef Angela Hartnett is set to return to the former site of Gordon Ramsay's Petrus, where she trained as a chef under Marcus Wareing before its move to the Berkeley Hotel in 2003. The restaurant, which has no name as yet, will offer "regional focused dishes at an accessible price-point", in a relaxed environment. Head chef will be Sam Williams, who has worked with Hartnett at Murano for the past two years. Current Murano head chef Diego Cardoso will also oversee the launch of the new site. Interiors at the new restaurant will be designed by Russell Sage. The launch comes after The Crown Estate announced details of a £500m investment programme for the St James's area.

 

Manchester House
Opening 18 September 2013
Location Tower 12, 22-28 Bridge Street, Manchester
Owner/operator Living Ventures & Aiden Byrne
Covers 76
Style Modern British

 

Living Ventures and Aiden Byrne have a modest aim to win back Manchester's first Michelin star in 30 years. This September sees that attempt begin, as the 32-strong bar, pub and restaurant group run by Tim Bacon and Jeremy Roberts, and the renowned chef team up to launch fine dining restaurant Manchester House. The restaurant itself will occupy the second floor of Tower 12 in Manchester's Spinningfields district, while a separate lounge will sit on the 12th floor. Byrne has spent nearly a year perfecting dishes for the venture in a development kitchen, and plans to serve fine dining in a relaxed environment.

 

London Edition hotel
Opening 12 September
Location Berners Street, London W1
Owner/operator Marriott International
Bedrooms 173
Restaurant Jason Atherton's Berners Street Tavern

 

Marriott International is poised to launch the London Edition hotel in Berners Street, featuring not only interiors by hotel design icon Ian Schrager, but also a restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton. The 173-bedroom hotel was acquired by Marriott International in November 2010 and it has since been developing it as part of the Edition brand in partnership with Schrager, who also launched the Sanderson and St Martins Lane hotels in the city. "The London hotel is a gem of a site, a rare Grade II-listed property where we have retained the original features of the building (which date back to 1835) and introduced modern furnishings and sensibilities," says Tim Miller, managing director of Edition. Meanwhile, Jason Atherton will take his global tally of restaurants to 10 with the launch of the 120-seat Berners Street Tavern. Atherton is no stranger to Marriott, having created Maze for Gordon Ramsay Holdings at the Grosvenor Square Marriott. His long-term colleague Phil Carmichael has been appointed head chef at the new restaurant, which will reintroduce the concept of sharing that Atherton was famed for at Maze.

 

Shangri-La at the Shard
Opening Autumn 2013 (delayed from June 2013)
Location The Shard, London Bridge, London SE1
Operator Shangri-La Group
Bedrooms 202
Catering Three sites - gourmet deli, destination restaurant on 35th floor, bar on 52nd floor

 

One of the major hotel launches of 2013, the Shangri-La will occupy levels 34-52 of the 310m-high Shard skyscraper in London, one of Europe's tallest buildings. The 202 rooms are expected to be some of the biggest in London, at an average of 450 sq ft, and will feature iPod docking stations, complimentary Wi-Fi, coffee machines, and butler service in all suites. Three dining options will be available, including a gourmet deli on the ground floor, a destination restaurant and lounge on level 35, and a signature bar on level 52. Level 52 will also feature an infinity swimming pool and fully-equipped 24-hour gym. A meeting and events space on level 34 will also be able to accommodate 110 people. A precise opening date for the hotel, which was originally scheduled to be opened in June this year, has still not been announced.

 

OTHER OPENINGS

 

Boulestin
Opening 5 September
Location 5 St James's Street, London SW1
Covers 90
Joel Kissin, former business partner of Sir Terence Conran, resurrects the name of the world's first TV chef, Marcel Boulestin, at this St James's eaterie.

 

Ace Hotel
Opening 9 September
Location Shoreditch, London
Rooms 265
The Ace hotel will occupy the former Crowne Plaza site on on Shoreditch High Street. Expect quirky vintage interiors and the Hoi Polloi restaurant overseen by David Waddington and Pablo Flack of Bistrotheque fame from this US brand, which operates four hotels across the pond.

 

Gymkhana
Opening 10 September
Location 42 Albemarle Street, London W1
Covers 100
Karam Sethi, chef patron of the Michelin-starred Trishna restaurant, has taken colonial Indian gymkhana clubs as inspiration for this new venture. Sethi's menu is modern Indian with a focus on the tandoor oven and sigri charcoal grill.

 

Marianne at 104 Chepstow Road
Opening 10 September
Location 104 Chepstow Road, London W2
Covers 14
MasterChef: The Professionals 2009 finalist Marianne Lumb is to open her first venture, one of the smallest fine-dining restaurants in London.

 

Mr Cooper's House and Garden
Opening 12 September
Location Midland hotel, Manchester
Covers 150 (plus a 50-cover bar)
Following on from his launch of The French at the Midland hotel in Manchester, Simon Rogan is to open this restaurant, which will have a more international flavour and be the biggest site he has done so far.

 

The Park
Opening 16 September
Location Sutton Park, Yorkshire
Covers 14
Adam Jackson, who helped the Black Swan at Oldstead win a Michelin star, is launching a small-scale fine-dining restaurant at stately home Sutton Park near York, which will open four nights a week.

 

Union Street Café
Opening 16 September
Location Union Street, London SE1
Likely to be one of London's most high-profile openings in 2013, this project sees celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay open a restaurant backed by footballer David Beckham. The daily changing menu at the Borough Market site will focus on British seasonal ingredients, which will be complemented by Mediterranean produce.

 

James Martin Manchester at Manchester235
Opening Early September
Location Manchester235, 2 Watson Street, Manchester
Covers 170
Chef James Martin, well-known for his regular TV appearances, is to open his eponymous restaurant in the Manchester235 casino. The food will be modern British.

 

Five Guys
Opening September
Location Unit 1, Oracle Shopping Centre, Reading
Covers Unknown
US-based fast-food chain Five Guys, backed in the UK by Carphone Warehouse tycoon Charles Dunstone, will open its second UK site.

 

MEATliquor
Opening September
Location York Place, London Road, Brighton
Covers Not known
MEATliquor co-founders Yianni Papoutsis and Scott Collins are set to open a new Brighton site, which will be the second restaurant to hold the MEATliquor name. The restaurant will also serve fish to reflect its coastal location.

 

Merchant's Tavern
Opening September
Location Charlotte Road, Shoreditch, London EC2A
Covers 130
Angela Hartnett, chef Neil Borthwick and Canteen founders Dominic Lake and Patrick Clayton-Malone plan to open the Merchant's Tavern, an update of the classic tavern, where Borthwick will head the kitchen.

 

Texas Joe's
Opening September
Location Brewdog, Shoreditch, London E1
Covers Unknown
Initially a pop-up in the basement of Brewdog in Shoreditch, this Texas barbecue concept, founded by Tom Humphries and Texas-born Joe Walters, aims to go permanent.

 

Rosewood, London
Opening 14 October
Location Rosewood hotel, London
Covers Unknown
Swiss-born chef Bjorn van der Horst is to return to the capital as director of food, beverage and kitchens at the Rosewood hotel in London, which will be rebranded from the Chancery Court hotel following an £85m refurbishment.

 

The Imperial
Opening 22 October
Location 577 Kings Road, London, SW6
Covers 50
Kate MacWhirter, formerly general manager at Quince restaurant in the May Fair hotel, has teamed up with Alan Turtill to revamp the former Imperial Arms pub to create a 50-seat restaurant and bar serving British food, with a strong emphasis on sustainability.

 

Burger & Lobster
Opening October
Location Fifth floor, Harvey Nichols department store, London SW1
Covers Unknown
As with its predecessors, Goodman Restaurant Group's fifth Burger & Lobster restaurant will offer a choice of a whole lobster with clarified or garlic butter; a lobster roll in a brioche bun with Japanese mayonnaise; or a handmade burger in a brioche bun, all served with chips and salad, at £20 each.

 

The Crown at Whitebrook
Opening October
Location Whitebrook, Monmouthshire
Covers 30 (plus eight rooms)
Raymond Blanc-trained Chris Harrod plans to reopen the formerly-Michelin-starred Crown at Whitebrook with a new 12-strong kitchen team. The restaurant was forced to close after its previous owner, Crown Hotels and Restaurants, went into administration in March this year.

 

Wahaca/Burrito Mama
Opening Late October
Location One New Change shopping centre, London EC4
Covers 150 in Wahaca, 30 in Burrito Mama
Wahaca, the Mexican restaurant chain set up by former MasterChef winner Thomasina Miers and Mark Selby, will inhabit a new 3,200 sq ft site at the One New Change shopping centre in London. Later in the year, the site is also expected to feature Burrito Mama, a takeaway concept aimed at City workers.

 

Crown and Thistle
Opening November
Location Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Covers 80 (plus 19 en suite rooms)
Oakman Inns and Restaurants is to re-open the Crown and Thistle, a 17th-century coaching inn, after a £1.8m refurbishment. The business will employ 60 people and be the largest investment Oakman has made on any of its eight sites.

 

Foxlow
Opening November
Location St John Street, London EC1
Covers 100
Hawksmoor founders Will Beckett and Huw Gott are set to open Foxlow, their fifth restaurant, in November. It will be smaller and more intimate than their existing sites.

 

Steak of the Art
Opening Autumn
Location Harbourside, Bristol
Covers 100
Steak of the Art in Bristol's Harbourside, is the brainchild of chef and former City worker Steve Bowen. The aim is to sell reasonably priced steaks alongside reasonably priced art. If it is successful, other outlets will follow.

 

Giggling Squid
Opening Various
Locations Marlow, Stratford-upon-Avon and Maidstone
Covers Various
Thai restaurant group Giggling Squid, owned by Andy and Pranee Laurillard, has several openings in the pipeline, including a site in Marlow set to open in November, one in Stratford-upon-Avon in the run-up to Christmas, and one in Maidstone in 2014.

 

London House (Gordon Ramsay)
Opening Unknown
Location 4-9 Battersea Square, London SW11
Covers Unknown
Gordon Ramsay is set to take over what was the Bennett brasserie and oyster bar in London's Battersea Square with Anna Kelly as head chef.

 

If you have a forthcoming opening that we haven't included, please email openings@catererandhotelkeeper.co.uk