Meredith Group opens Portman in Marylebone, London
London-based gastropub operator the Meredith Group is opening its third venue this week, with the launch of the Portman in Marylebone, west London.
The company, which also runs Mayfair's the Only Running Footman and the the House in Islington which includes a cookery school, has refurbished the site in Portman Village which was previously called the Mason's Arms.
Spread over two floors, it features a bar and a a mix of wooden tables and leather banquette seating on the ground floor as well as a more formal dining room on the first floor.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, the Portman will serve a classic British menu overseen by head chef Rasheed Shahin, who has previously worked with Matthew Harris (Bibendum), Rowley Leigh (Kensington Place), and Mark Hix and Brian Sculley (Ivy and Caprice Holdings). He will serve a pub menu on the ground floor and a more refined menu in the dining room on the first floor.
There will be a focus on game as the Meredith Group has exclusive rights to a game farm in Northamptonshire which the group's chefs visit regularly to select venison, partridge, pheasant and teal.
Meredith Group owner Barnaby Meredith said that in a time where pubs are closing every day, he wants to offer customers what they want. "We're having to compete not only with restaurants and brasseries but also cafés, fast-food chains, fancy bars and big hotels," he said.
"We want customers to be able to have what they want, when they want, whether it's a cocktail or a coffee, fish and chips and a pint of real ale or a bottle of vintage champagne, all in our little building".
The Only Running Footman - The List >>
Average price for a pint hits £2.80 >>
By Kerstin Kühn
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