From Chet’s London residency to summer rosé, here is the latest hospitality news from the CODE Bulletin

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

Chet’s

One of LA’s hottest chefs, Kris Yenbamroong, has arrived in London for a residency at Rondo La Cave at the Hoxton Hotel in Holborn. Kris is behind the Thai restaurant group Night + Market, where ‘boldly seasoned food’ is designed to ‘inspire the drinking of natural wine and cocktails’. Fans in the US include Gwyneth Paltrow and Leonardo DiCaprio. The London pop-up, Chet’s, follows a similar vein, and blends American classics with Thai techniques and flavours. Pad rigatoni is pasta cooked with prik tum, shrimp, egg, onion and golden mountain sauce, and Kris’ smashburgers see pork and beef patties topped with American cheese, chilli, pickles and coriander. It’s by far one of the coolest new menus in the capital. The residency goes on for four months, though apparently Kris and his team are looking for a site in West London to open something permanent next year.

Rosé, shmosé?

When Kylie Minogue jumped on the rosé train, releasing her own wine a couple of years ago, it became the latest in a long line of celebrity rosé brands. Today, the pop star’s natty signature is in supermarkets everywhere – a little taste of the Loco-Motion for £9. From Jon Bon Jovi to Drew Barrymore, with a bit of Sarah Jessica Parker and John Legend thrown in, demand for celeb-backed rosé remains undimmed. It is not the most ‘serious’ of wines in the vinous scheme of things, but there’s something undeniably thrilling about glasses of blush in the sunshine. Zeren Wilson, AKA Bitten & Written, talks us through the rosé trend, and recommends five bottles that may or may not be cheaper than everyone’s favourite brand. Read more.

Artfarm

Hospitality group Artfarm is opening a new pub and restaurant in Mayfair this autumn, taking over a five-storey Victorian property on the corner of Mount Street and South Audley Street. The Audley Public House, described as a ‘traditional community pub’, will sit at street level and Mount St. Restaurant will occupy the floor above. The rest of the building will be turned into four spaces for private hire, showcasing ‘extraordinary and important works’ curated by Hauser & Wirth who also own Manuela in LA and The Fife Arms in Braemar. This is the group’s first restaurant opening in London. 

Small plates 

Kian Samyani and JKS Restaurants have announced their new Berenjak in Borough Market will open on Wednesday May 25. The menu is inspired by Kian’s childhood and a number of dishes, including chelow kebab with tahdig, and rotisserie chicken with saffron, will be exclusive to Borough.

Richard Corrigan is launching a monthly beef and oyster club at Bentley’s. The series begins on Sunday June 5 and will be the first of ‘ever-evolving menus’. The first will include hot and cold oysters, crab cakes, and roast beef with all the trimmings. Four courses, with an aperitif, will be £65. Decent. First Sunday of every month. 

Oklava will celebrate kebabs this summer, kicking off with a Kebab Flight Night on June 7. Selin Kiazim will be joined by Anna Hansen (formerly of the Modern Pantry), Shuko Oda (Koya), John Chantarasak (AngloThai), and Phillip Juma (Juma Kitchen) for a seven-course dinner before the various kebabs appear on changing menus over June and July.

Daastan heads north

Chefs Nand Kishor and Sanjay Gour, who met during their time together at Gymkhana, are opening a second location of their lauded Surrey restaurant Dastaan in Leeds. Both have impressive fine dining CVs, with Kishor having worked with JKS to open its first restaurant Trishna before moving on to Gymkhana’s kitchen as head chef. Gour was trained as a pastry chef, and has stints at Murano, the Corinthia Hotel, and Tamarind Collection under his belt. They’ve poured their vast joint experience into Dastaan, which was awarded a Bib Gourmand in 2017. In the words of Marina O’Loughlin, it’s ‘Mayfair cooking at mundane prices’. Good news for Leeds.

Experimental Group

The Paris-based Experimental Group, known for its hotels, restaurants and cocktail bars around the world, has bought Cowley Manor in the Cotswolds, its first UK property outside of London. The hotel has 31 rooms and 55 acres of lakes, Victorian cascades and woodland, and already has a spa, swimming pools, and gym. The English countryside is a marked move for the company, which currently operates in the likes of New York, Paris, and Ibiza. ‘We will continue to operate the hotel in its current guise,’ said Experimental Group, though there are plans to refurbish the interior over time, update the food offering and bring in a sommelier.

Impossible

California’s plant-based meat brand Impossible Foods has finally announced a UK launch date after years of speculation. The arrival of its ‘chicken nuggets’ and ‘sausage patties’ marks a European debut for the company and both products will go on sale on May 19 at restaurants across the country. Ready to launch in cities such as London, Brighton and Leeds are the likes of Chicken Cottage, cult burger joint MeatLiquor, modern kebab shop Le Bab, and the vegan group Halo Burger, which will sell a new ‘sausage and egg mockmuffin’. Read more.

Pablo Urain

Peckham Cellars in Peckham has announced the appointment of Pablo Urain Alfonso as head chef. Pablo, 33, is originally from San Sebastian in the Basque Country and moved to London in 2015. He held positions in the capital at Crispin (Spitalfields), Nordic Bakery (Covent Garden), and the community Italian restaurant Morso on London’s iconic Abbey Road before joining Peckham Cellars as sous chef in 2021. The restaurant and wine bar said Pablo will ‘continue to offer a broadly modern-British menu’ but diners can also expect some Spanish-influenced dishes on the menu from now on.

Nathan Eades

The Montagu Arms in the New Forest has appointed Nathan Eades as executive chef of the hotel’s restaurant, The Terrace, and its country pub The Monty’s Inn. He joins from The Wild Rabbit in Oxfordshire, where he led the team for more than four years and scooped a number of awards and guide listings. ‘I am thrilled to take on the role,’ said Nathan. ‘The Hampshire larder is one brimming with fantastic produce and I am excited to develop a menu using ingredients from the hotel’s kitchen garden. I look forward to working closely with my new colleagues to produce a memorable experience for our guests.’

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