Atul Kochhar to launch Hawkyns restaurant later this month
Chef and restaurateur Atul Kochhar is to open his first restaurant serving British fare, called Hawkyns, at the Crown Inn in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, in partnership with Old Amersham Hotels.
The new venue is due to launch on 15 January. It will feature a 50-cover restaurant and a 15-cover Hawkyns bar.
Hawkyns is the first restaurant within Kochhar's international portfolio of Indian and Peruvian establishments to offer British fare, which will be combined with the chef's own culinary heritage.
The name of the restaurant takes its inspiration from Sir William Hawkyns of the East India Company, who attempted to secure the first English factory in Surat, India.
"I'm incredibly excited about the opening of Hawkyns. This is going to be my first restaurant offering a modern approach to traditional British cuisine. It's something I've always wanted to do," said Kochhar.
A spokesman for Old Amersham Hotels said: "We are delighted that Atul has agreed to partner with us at The Crown Inn. It is going to be a very exciting time for us all and we know that our guests will be delighted."
Kochhar has named Ross Bott as the head chef of the venue. Bott has worked with Kochhar at his Michelin-starred Benares restaurant in London and prior to this he held the position of head chef at One Canada Square in London's Canary Wharf.
Typical dishes will include: scallops with leek terrine, burnt leek and apple purée; tamarind duck with salt baked celeriac; chicken tikka pie and the Hawkyns fish & chips.
The Crown is a former Elizabethan coaching inn with 38 rooms, re-imagined by designer Ilse Crawford in 2009. It is famed for played the backdrop to the romantic tryst between Andie McDowell and Hugh Grant in the film ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral.'
In addition to Benares and this new restaurant, Kochhar also runs Benares Madrid, Sindhu at the Compleat Angler hotel in Marlow, Rang Mahal in Dubai, NRI in Mumbai, Lima in Mumbai, and Indian Essence in Petts Wood, south east London.
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