Openings this week: The Pier, Tang, Chocolate Box and more
A look at the latest restaurants, hotels, pubs and bars to open their doors
The Pier
The Pier hotel in Harwich has reopened following a five-month, £1.5m refurbishment. The venue, owned by Milsom Hotels & Restaurants, now has a new first-floor brasserie, serving modern classics, fresh fish and shellfish, with an extended balcony for outdoor dining overlooking the harbour.
On the ground floor is new bar Navyärd, offering cask ales, craft beers, Prosecco-based cocktails and an extensive gin list. The drinks are complemented throughout the day by Nordic-inspired, small-plate food.
The stripped-back interior has been designed by Geraldine Milsom and makes reference to the industrial Harwich port. The Navyärd bar and terrace takes its name from the shipyard, where more than 60 vessels were built between the 17th and 19th centuries.
Reopened 23 May 2016
Bedrooms 14
Starting room rate £125 a night
Operator Milsom Hotels & Restaurants
Design Geraldine Milsom
General manager Chris Beardsmore
Head chefs John Goff and Ben Rush
Typical dishes San Daniele ham, handmade mozzarella; crispy duck and watermelon salad; Harwich lobster (grilled, Thermidor or cold-poached); and Dingley Dell pork schnitzel, poached egg and gentleman's relish butter
Tang
Tang noodle bar has opened in London's Great Russell Street, serving organic, Asian-inspired dairy-free noodle soups, drawn from head chef Chen Ng's Singaporean heritage.
Covers 40
Chef-patron Chen Ng
Business partner Abigail Tan
Typical dishes Prawn tang (spicy prawn and pork broth, tiger prawns, beansprouts and six-minute egg)
Chocolate Box
The family behind Bournemouth's Chocolate Boutique hotel has launched this B&B on West Cliff Road. It offers chocolate-inspired rooms, daily deliveries of chocolate, and a private hire venue. Owner Leoni Wilton's father Gerry Wilson is a chocolatier who helped introduce chocolate fountains to the UK.
Bedrooms 13
Owner/operator Leoni Wilton
Starting room rate £70 per night
www.thechocolateboxhotel.co.uk
Hyatt Place
The Hyatt Place London Heathrow/Hayes marks the introduction of the brand in the UK. It joins three Hyatt Place hotels in Europe: Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport, Hyatt Place Jermuk and Hyatt Place Yerevan.
Bedrooms 170
Features Free breakfast for guests; 2,066 sq ft of meeting space; 24-hour gym; and ‘Odds & Ends', where guests can borrow forgotten items
General manager Sarru Swanni
londonheathrowhayes.place.hyatt.com
May Fair Kitchen
May Fair Kitchen in the May Fair hotel on London's Stratton Street has reopened after a two-week closure, offering small plates of Spanish and Italian cuisine. Creative director Rob Steul has redefined the restaurant, installing floor to ceiling windows to create a more open space.
Service excellence director Amir Jati
Covers May Fair Kitchen: 172; private dining: 60; May Fair Terrace: 80, reception-style
Rasoi
Steventon House hotel, a country house hotel in Oxfordshire, has launched a new modern Indian restaurant called Rasoi. The restaurant will offer traditional Indian dishes as well as fusion cuisine.
Owner Sunny Gill
Typical dishes Scallops mango coriander; tandoori bharwan mushroom; grilled sea bass; nagi chilli pork belly; and chicken Chettinad
1901 Wine Lounge
Andaz London Liverpool Street has launched the 1901 Wine Lounge. It will offer a selection of international wines from established vineyards and lesser-known producers, as well as sharing platters and small plates.
Wine list 160 wines with 18 by the glass
Head chef Sam Dunleavy
Typical dishes Beef bourguignon croquettes; cured Loch Fyne salmon with crispy salmon crackling; and Dedham Vale venison sliders
