Monday Bulletin: Berbere Pizza in Kentish Town and Gaucho heads to Liverpool

Catch up on the latest industry news stories of the week from the CODE Bulletin

Casa

Exclusive: The chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias is finally ready to share more on his new restaurant, Casa, which will replace Casamia, his now closed and much-missed Bristol flagship. Casa, which means ‘home’ in Italian, marks a return to the food that Peter and his family first cooked when they started out in 1999. Then, his parents Sue and Paco opened a simple neighbourhood Italian on the outskirts of Bristol before it was developed over time by Peter and his late brother Jonray. Casa is a reimagining of the original restaurant, and will serve a ‘contemporary, accessible, yet refined take on traditional Italian dining’ next door to the excellent Paco Tapas that sits next to the River Avon in the city centre. Casa will open on 16 November. Read more.

Björn again

The Swedish chef Björn Frantzén will launch Studio Frantzén at Harrods on 28 November. The restaurant, rooftop terrace and bar will span two floors as a ‘neo-Nordic concept infused with Asian influences’. For Frantzén, one of the world’s most celebrated chefs cooking today and whose self-named restaurant in Stockholm is widely regarded to be among the world’s best, it marks his first foray into the UK dining scene. Read more.

Small plates

• The casual Japanese noodle brand Marugame Udon has announced plans to open six new restaurants in the next six months, including its first outside London. More.
   
• Our sister title The Good Food Guide first reported the news that Adejoké Bakare was planning to relocate her Brixton restaurant Chishuru in September. She’s now closed the site and will reopen (hopefully in Soho) in 2023.
   
• The chef Simon Rogan has teamed up with photographer Cristian Barnett to create One Dish, a book celebrating 20 years of Rogan’s flagship restaurant L’Enclume in The Lake District.
   
• The team behind Soho’s Robata will open Edo Izakaya in Old Street this December. Expect dishes such as sushi rolls, fried squid, tataki and nigiri alongside a long list of beers and sakes. 
   
• Matteo and Salvatore Aloe will take their Berbere Pizza concept north to Kentish Town next month. A branch will open on Kentish Town Road on 15 November. 
  
  
• A new family-owned wine bar, 56 West Smithfield, or 56WS, has opened in Farringdon, ‘bringing delicious, award-winning wines from boutique producers at cave prices.’ It’s from the family behind the vineyard Château De La Cômbe in the South of France.
  
  
• UKHospitality has published its energy advice, guidance and costs calculator for all businesses. It was previously only available to members. It can be downloaded here.

Elite Bistros

The restaurateur Gary Usher has cancelled his Elite Bistros Seedrs crowdfunding campaign and will instead be launching a £200,000 Kickstarter this week. He said on social media: ‘I wanted to offer shares in the business, but it hasn’t worked. I’ve failed at that. Why has it failed? I’ve just got it wrong. Everything from the valuation at the start to the way that I got involved in the project. We gave it a go.’ On a more positive note, the group’s new pub appears to be coming along nicely, and we’re looking forward to seeing it open.

Gaucho

A branch of the steak restaurant Gaucho will open in Liverpool in November. The restaurant, in a Grade II-listed property on Walter Street, will be split between two floors and inspired, an announcement said, by the ‘passion-fuelled tango clubs that bring the streets alive at night in Buenos Aires, evoking an urban reflection of the Gaucho DNA… influenced by the majestic and atmospheric Argentinian landscape.’

Ifeyinwa and Emeka Frederick

Ifeyinwa and Emeka Frederick, who founded the Nigerian tapas restaurant Chuku’s in early 2020, have launched a six-week campaign to save their business from closure. The restaurant, in Tottenham, opened to rave reviews, but successive lockdowns and the cacophony of other challenges over the last two years have left the venue in need of support. The duo’s ‘Six Week Charge’ has been set up to encourage bookings and will run between 31 October and 11 December. ‘Chuku’s is the product of community belief – we were able to open our restaurant in the first place thanks to the support and love shown by supporters of our crowdfunding campaign and their faith in our vision of a homage to Nigerian culture,’ said Ifeyinwa. ‘Now, we’re asking people to come down, enjoy some jollof quinoa and a palm wine, so we can keep sharing everything beautiful about our culture for years to come.’ More plus booking details here.

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