Openings: Fhior, Henrietta Bistro and Room2 Southampton

All the restaurant and hotel openings from this week's issue.

 

Fhior
Scott Smith, the chef-patron behind Edinburgh's Norn, has opened a new restaurant in the city's Broughton Street called Fhior (‘true' in Gaelic), with the help of his wife Laura and members of the original Norn team.

 

The restaurant, which is divided into a main dining room and a café/bar, is a refreshed and refocused take on Smith's previous establishment, serving modern Scottish food. The 32-cover main dining room offers a set four- or seven-course tasting menu four evenings a week, as well as lunch on Friday and Saturday, when diners can also choose a few dishes from the menu, à la carte-style.

 

The more relaxed café/bar/shop at the front of the restaurant seats 12 for coffee and fresh pastries, and pre- and post-dinner drinks. It also serves a range of bar snacks throughout the day and offers a global wine list.

 

Smith's menu relies on local suppliers and foragers. Anything seasonal that isn't used at the time is preserved by means of fermentation, tinctures and drying.

 

Opened 1 June
Covers 44
Chef-patron Scott Smith
Typical dishes Mackerel, smoked broth, sweet cicely, spinach; asparagus, wild garlic, spruce, sorrel; chicken thigh, mushroom, barley, lovage
Website www.fhior.com

 

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The Duke of Richmond
Chef-restaurateur Tom Oldroyd has opened the Duke of Richmond in London's Hackney, restoring the site under its 1841 name. The pub and dining room menus are strongly influenced by French cuisine.

 

Head chef Rory Shannon
Design Meryl Fernandes
Typical dishes Cornish crab soufflé, crab bisque and Gruyère toast; Violetta artichoke, haricot bean and confit garlic cassoulet
Website www.thedukeofrichmond.com

 

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Garden Secret Spa
Ringwood Hall Hotel and Spa in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, has opened the Garden Secret Spa. It features a Himalayan salt sauna, steam rooms and ice fountains, and is the first in the UK to use Lola's Apothecary collection, Salt of the Earth and Little Butterfly in its treatments, as well as the Ytsara range for its facial treatments.

 

Treatment rooms Seven
Spa manager Jemma Whitney
Website www.ringwoodhallhotel.com

 

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Henrietta Bistro
Ollie Dabbous' restaurant at the Henrietta hotel in London's Covent Garden has been replaced with a bistro serving a sharing plates menu inspired by French, Basque and Catalan cuisine. The wine menu focuses on the Mediterranean.

 

Covers 80
Head chef Sylvain Roucayrol
Typical dishes Galician octopus with herb relish; asparagus with razor clams and wild garlic
Website www.henriettahotel.com

 

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High Mood Food Spitalfields
High Mood Food has launched a second café, in the Kitchens at London's Old Spitalfields Market. Focused on gut health, the exclusively vegetarian menu includes low-sugar treats such as buckwheat banana bread, chestnut flour fudge brownies and egg pots.

 

Founders Ursel Barnes and Joey O'Hare
Typical dish Tempeh, pea and basil cake with roasted broccoli, green vegan kimchi, tamari-maple seeds and miso-tahini dressing
Website www.highmoodfood.com

 

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Room2 Southampton
New brand Room2 has opened its first ‘hometel' in Southampton. Guests can check in online and access their room from their phone; self-check-in kiosks will be added later. Lockers are provided for guests working away from home for long periods, and there are in-room kitchens, living rooms and desks, a gym, a bar, laundry facilities and a shop.

 

Bedrooms 71
General manager James Nichols
Website www.room2.com

 

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Viet Lounge
Former Hakkasan Mayfair head chef Jeff Tan has opened a new cocktail bar in London's Soho above Viet Food. It serves Asian fusion cocktails alongside Vietnamese small plates.

 

Covers 22
Chef-owner Jeff Tan
Bar manager Alexi Looi
Typical dishes Sweetcorn crab balls with homemade chilli sauce; Hanoi beef braised with homemade fish sauce and bone marrow
Website www.vietnamfood.co.uk

 

 

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