CODE Bulletin Catch Up

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

Cook for Ukraine 

The heartening Cook for Ukraine campaign is in full swing. The new appeal was founded by the food writers Olia Hercules, Alissa Timoshkina, and Zuza Zak – a Ukrainian, Russian, and Polish dream team – alongside Unicef, to which all proceeds will be sent, and the influencer extraordinaire Clerkenwell Boy. At the time of writing this, more than £70,000 had been donated. The aim is to raise awareness and to raise funds, but to also shine a light on Ukraine’s rich culture and history, which for so long has not been given the attention it deserves. The first of many planned events includes a talk from Olia and Alissa at Layla Bakery in Notting Hill tomorrow. The pair will discuss “food, women, Ukraine and Russia, peace and friendship”, and there will be drinks from the Ukrainian spirits company Dima’s Vodka. “I feel like with any war that’s going on anywhere in the world, people can get fatigued quite quickly and disassociate themselves from it”, Olia said. “So it’s really important to keep the human element of it, and what’s more human than sharing food together?” Donate here and read more about the industry’s efforts to support Ukraine here. Lots more to come. 

The Connaught Grill

The famed Connaught Grill has reopened after a two-year closure. The restaurant relaunched initially in 2020, but then came the pandemic. Now, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and team have a 46-cover, casual grill serving a pie of the day – chicken, perhaps, or venison – an elegant-looking sea bass en croute, and shepherd’s pie. Vegetarian dishes include roasted and grilled aubergine topped with grilled goat’s cheese, and it is hard to look beyond the chilled, raw Scottish langoustines when considering seafood. On Sundays, diners will see their traditional roast carved on a silver trolley, harking back to the glamorous days of an era bygone. The Connaught Grill first opened in 1955 and soon became a celebrity haunt until its original closure in 2000. It is rejuvenating to observe its noble persistence.

Mãos

After four years of trading, the East London restaurant Mãos will close on April 30. Owner James Brown said in a note to customers that the restaurant had “outgrown” its intimate, 16-cover site in Shoreditch and added the people involved felt they had “achieved all that we set out to do and more”. Brown founded Mãos with the chef Nuno Mendes in 2018. At the time, their mission was to “redefine the traditional restaurant experience”, and the concept then was more supper club than high-end dining room. Mendes moved on in 2019 and executive chef Edoardo Pellicano took charge. “Edoardo pushed the restaurant to new heights with a level of cooking that to me is unparalleled in London,” Brown said. “The success of Mãos is in no small part thanks to our senior sous chef Danny Hoang and junior sous chef Warren Smith, who quietly bring Edoardo’s vision to life in the kitchen every day. It is a brotherhood that works in harmony, we never hear raised voices, or see disappointment in the kitchen – only pure rigour, attention to detail and passion for the project with an unwavering work ethic.”

Small plates

Professional aid workers have advised CODE that donating money to organisations such as Unicef, the Red Cross, and Médecins Sans Frontières is the best way to support vital work in Ukraine. 

And the Ukrainian restaurant Albina in East London has asked that donations be made directly to the National Bank of Ukraine, which has set up a designated account to support its armed forces and the purchase of humanitarian supplies. “We won’t give up. The fight goes on.” 

There are a handful of other Ukrainian restaurants in London, all of which have become mouthpieces for the country. They include Dnister in Forest Gate, Prosperity in Twickenham, and Olenka Ukrainian Kitchen in Bow. 

Bob Bob Ricard City is hosting a fund-raising dinner in support of Ukraine on Sunday March 13, with all money raised on the night going to Unicef. Chef Larry Jayasekera, alongside the restaurant’s head chef Ben Hobson and his team, will present a four-course menu inspired by Ukrainian cuisine. The dinner, which includes champagne, canapes and wine, is priced at £195 per person. Book via SevenRooms.

Albert’s Schloss

The Bavarian beer hall-inspired restaurant group Albert’s Schloss will open in Liverpool after being granted planning permission by the city council. Mission Mars, which also owns Rudy’s Pizza, will invest £3m converting Radiant House on Bold Street and plans to launch the venue in the autumn. Group CEO Roy Ellis said a 500-cover restaurant, two bars, a bakery, and a fresh beer tank system are all in the works, and added: “We’ve designed a beautiful space, restoring a 1,000 square-foot glazed atrium… We also have plans for a roof top terrace and a large open air Biergarten around the back. As in other cities, Schloss will recruit the best artistic talent available and offer entertainment seven days a week.” The new site in Liverpool follows the Manchester original, and a location in Birmingham, which opened in December. Ellis said both are trading “phenomenally” and told Propel the latter has been doing a net turnover of £180,000 a week. Rudy’s Pizza, meanwhile, is also on the up, having made its London debut last year. There are now seven further sites in legals, including in Preston and Sheffield. 

Carl Wild 

Carl Wild has been appointed head chef at The Samling in Windermere, Cumbria, where he will work under executive chef Robby Jenks. Wild arrives at the hotel after almost seven years at the nearby Gilpin, where he was also head chef. Wild said: “I’m incredibly excited about joining the Samling, and working in a such a beautiful location, using the wide array of wonderful local and seasonal ingredients – many grown in the Samling’s extensive kitchen garden. I am looking forward to producing an exciting and innovative menu.” Jenks added: “We are delighted to welcome Carl and know that he will help elevate the Samling’s already strong reputation for dining. It signifies just one of the innovative changes we have made to the Samling’s offerings and positions our culinary experiences as some of the best in the UK.”

Laura Leaver

Laura Leaver, a Somerset-based chef and teacher, is encouraging pubs and restaurants to put Chicken Kievs – now more commonly called Chicken Kyivs – on the menu in an effort to raise money for humanitarian aid. “Kievs4Kyiv” is a simple idea whereby all or part of the money made from selling the dish is donated to a crisis charity. Laura said she wanted to do something “immediate and accessible” and said the response has been “fantastic”. Businesses already involved include Oscar’s in Cartmel, Cumbria, Tutto Apposto in Birmingham, and Il Portico in London, whose owner James Chiavarini said: “We’re serving it for the first time in 40 years and we’re selling out every day. £5 of every sale goes to the Red Cross in Ukraine.”

To get the CODE Bulletin direct to your inbox every Monday morning sign up here