Monday Bulletin: Blacklock opening in Birmingham & Hakkasan on Hanway Place closes

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

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Blacklock Birmingham

EXCLUSIVE: Blacklock will open a restaurant in Birmingham this autumn. The popular chophouse group, founded in Soho in 2015, and known for its “all in” chop platters, Sunday roasts, and addictive white chocolate cheesecake, will take over the ground floor of St Philip’s House, a Victorian building overlooking Cathedral Square in the centre of the city. Blacklock, which achieved B Corp certification in 2023, will continue to use sustainably sourced meat from family farmers and butchers Philip Warren in Cornwall, while working with new suppliers from the Midlands. Diners can look forward to all the usual Blacklock signatures, as well as some new creations exclusive to Birmingham. The new 100-cover restaurant and bar will take the group to seven sites in total, with five in London and its newest, opened in 2024, in Manchester. The move puts Blacklock in the company of Dishoom, which branched out to Birmingham in 2020, and the Big Mamma Group, which opened La Bellezza in the city in late 2024.

Hakkasan Hanway Place

The original Hakkasan on Hanway Place off Tottenham Court Road in central London served its last scallop shumai on Friday night after nearly 25 years in business. The groundbreaking London restaurant founded by Alan Yau was an instant hit, adored for its theatrical design, night club ambience, and inventive Cantonese cuisine. Sister restaurant, Hakkasan Mayfair, opened in 2010, continues to thrive, as do Tao Group Hospitality’s ten other Hakkasan sites globally. News of the closure set off a wave of noughties nostalgia for those wo were there at the time. Robbie Bargh, co-founder of hospitality agency Gorgeous Group, was involved with Hakkasan at inception. “Alan led me down some steps into this cavernous basement off Hanway Place and I thought ‘what the hell have you done?’,” recalls Bargh. “He convinced me it was going to be amazing. He had this incredible vision from day one.” Read more here.

Small Plates

• Rob Tecwyn and Adam Symonds of North London gastropub The Baring are opening a second site. Launching April, The Kerfield Arms in Camberwell will do modern British food, Sunday roasts, keg beers and classic cocktails and – borrowing from The Baring – a £15 midweek lunch.
   
• Nathan Davis, formerly chef patron of Aberystwyth’s SY23 and Ynyshir head chef, will open Vraic (meaning ‘seaweed’) in Guernsey in July. Front and centre, fire-led cooking and foraged ingredients.
   
• The line-up for this year’s Rambutan & Cousins series has been announced. Denai Moore, Abby Lee and New York food stylist Tyna Hoang are among those joining Cynthia Shanmugalingam for the monthly events at Rambutan in Borough. First up: Tamila’s Prince Durairaj on 16 April.
   
• D&D London is to become The Evolv Collection in April. Martin Williams, former head of Rare Restaurants, has been appointed CEO.
  
  
• Josh Eggleton, Shona Graham and a team of Bristol businesses are bringing the “Anti Banquet” back to Bristol’s Ashton Gate Stadium on 27 March. The charity event which sees CEOs and business leaders doing the cooking hopes to raise £100,000 to fight food insecurity in the city. Tickets available here.
  
  
• Taylor Bonnyman’s acclaimed restaurant The Five Fields has closed its doors. The announcement came this week after more than 12 successful years in Chelsea.
  
  
• It’s the debate that will not die. Pineapple on pizza, yes or no? Fatto a Mano says ‘si’ and are giving away a ‘Bella Disgrazia’ pancetta and pineapple special to every customer who comes in with a pineapple before 30 March.
  
  
• Tirami-what? Pastaio in Soho may be Italian-inspired but it’s celebrating St Patrick’s Day with a Guinness tiramisu. Available 14-17 March.