Rusacks St Andrews to launch trio of new dining concepts under new chef

The Rusacks St Andrews hotel will be launching a trio of dining concepts under new executive head chef Derek Johnstone (pictured) this summer as part of its relaunch under the Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts collection.

The 120-bedroom hotel, which overlooks the 18th green at the Old Course, is undergoing a major renovation of its accommodation and food and beverage offerings ahead of its relaunch in July.

This will include 18, a rooftop restaurant offering open flame-cooked dishes using a robata grill, particularly game and seafood. 18 will sit on the fourth floor of a new extension to the property.

The ground floor will house the Bridge, a more casual all-day dining option that will champion Scottish produce, while the One Under Bar will serve pub favourites, beers, whiskies and cocktails underground, as well as hosting live music.

Johnstone joined Rusacks St Andrews from Borthwick Castle, where he was head chef and twice runner-up in the National Chef of the Year competition. He also won the inaugural BBC MasterChef: The Professionals television competition in 2008, aged 24.

Johnstone said: “My philosophy of cooking beautiful Scottish produce – showing it the respect it deserves and letting the food do the talking – will run through the menus at 18, the Bridge and One Under Bar. I’m delighted to join the team at Rusacks St Andrews and look forward making it one of the best hotels in the country to eat and drink at.”

The outlets will be developed and operated by White Rabbit Projects, which has a hospitality portfolio including Lina Stores, Kricket and Island Poké and is overseeing the development of F&B concepts at the UK’s first Graduate Hotels opening this summer, also owned by Adventurous Journeys (AJ) Capital Partners.

The Marine & Lawn Collection is set to relaunch the Marine North Berwick in July with the Marine Troon relaunching in spring 2022.