Monday Bulletin: A new Malaysian café-restaurant and Pip Lacey at Clarkson’s Farm

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

Sudu

The restaurateur and sibling duo Fatizah and Irqam Shawal, whose parents founded the much-loved Satay House in Paddington 50 years ago, have launched Sudu in Queen’s Park, a Malaysian café-restaurant with a ‘modern twist’. On the menu will be classics such as beef rendang and nasi goreng, alongside modern, London-influenced Malaysian street food. Dishes include grilled mackerel with a tamarind dip, and a noodle stir fry with tofu, prawns, beef, peanuts, egg, potato and lime. Not far from their parents’ acclaimed Satay House in north-west London, Fatizah and Irqam say Sudu is a ‘mix of old charm with contemporary Asia’, and a natural step as they look to expand their family business. More from Fatizah and Irqam. 

Exclusive: Jason Atherton to leave The Biltmore

The chef Jason Atherton will officially part ways with The Biltmore hotel in Mayfair in September ‘to concentrate on his own restaurant group’. Atherton launched The Betterment restaurant at The Biltmore in autumn 2019, though it has been closed since March 2020. He opened Café Biltmore, a more casual offering, in April last year. ‘I was brought in to oversee the food and I think we did a great job,’ he told CODE. ‘But now’s the time to move on and focus on The Social Company. We have new openings to work on. It’s been amicable [with the hotel]. We’re on good terms. I just want to concentrate on other things now. I wish The Biltmore all the best and every success in the future’. 

£3,000 dish

Miro, the latest restaurant from the Cream Group and headed up by Toby Burrowes, will serve a £3,000 dish called the ‘sunken treasure chest’, containing a kilogram of caviar surrounded by blinis and croissants. A rare list of rare and vintage cocktails, meanwhile, will range between £500-£50,000 each. Burrowes, previously of Zuma London and Elystan Street, recently became the executive chef for the group and told CODE previously that he is putting together dishes that represent a ‘Mayfair interpretation of global favourites’. Miro is set to launch on Friday.

Small plates

Salt Bae’s London branch of Nusr-Et has taken its Instagram famous gold leaf-wrapped steaks off the menu entirely. CODE understands the decision was taken internally and said the gold leaf was pulled due to issues with the supply chain.

Crouch End favourite Florians 2, every sense a neighbourhood Italian restaurant, has closed indefinitely. The fixture was a second iteration to a long-standing first, called Florians, serving solid Italian classics to north Londoners. 

Clapham institution Roti Joupa has also closed. The Trinidadian roti shop, opened by Savitri Parey more than a decade ago, shut in June, much to the dismay of locals. An announcement on Instagram said Joupa will relocate and will remain in south-west London.

Cateys

Jeremy King, Robin Sheppard, and Lisa Goodwin-Allen were among the winners at this year’s Cateys. King was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Sheppard, of Bespoke hotels, was given the Special Award for his work in driving up accessibility in hospitality. Northcote’s Goodwin-Allen won the Chef Award, having continued to inspire diners at her restaurant in Lancashire. She was joined by Hélène Darroze, one of the most successful female chefs in history, who scooped the International Award. Rockfish founder Mitch Tonks took home Restaurateur of the Year, and many other winners were announced at the ceremony last week. Caterer editor James Stagg said: ‘It has been striking to witness just how imaginative hospitality businesses have been in delivering exceptional guest experiences over the last 12 months, despite battling incredibly challenging trading conditions and a full-blown staffing crisis.’

Pip Lacey at Clarkson’s Farm

Hicce’s Pip Lacey is in charge of the food at Jeremy Clarkson’s new restaurant at Diddly Squat Farm. The chef confirmed the news to CODE on Sunday, but couldn’t tell us more. For now, all we know is a 40-cover restaurant has opened for bookings, with a £49 menu using produce from Clarkson’s Oxfordshire TV farm. Word is guests have to consent to being filmed for Amazon Prime and will need to sign an NDA before sitting down to dine. Clarkson said: ‘I’m thrilled to announce that you now have a chance to try the amazing food we grow and rear on my farm at the brand new (but quite rustic) Diddly Squat Restaurant. You can’t just turn up I’m afraid, but you can make a booking’. 

Robbie Lorraine

Robbie Lorraine has been named head chef at Boys Hall in Kent. Lorraine, who started out at the workplace catering firm Grazing before opening his nostalgic Brixton restaurant Only Food and Courses, will be in charge of a restaurant at the hotel, set to launch in September. Lorraine’s menu will be inspired by classic British comfort food, with dishes such as lobster doughnuts, and cider-braised belly of pork with pork ‘quavers’, bacon jam, and black pudding. There will also be a changing ‘blind tasting menu’ at £75 per head. He said: ‘I want the food at Boys Hall to evoke lasting memories for the guests. It’s going to be a real treat moving from a tiny shipping container to having a full team and brand-new kitchen!’

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