Monday Bulletin: Gunpowder opening in Lisbon and Sarap crowdfunding

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

Luke Selby to Le Manoir

Luke Selby has been announced as the new executive chef at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, a restaurant he first worked at more than a decade ago. Selby, who currently oversees Evelyn’s Table alongside his brothers Nathaniel and Theodore, will start the role on 2 January, replacing Gary Jones who stepped down earlier in November after 20 years. Selby started his career as a commis chef at Le Manoir in 2009, under the mentorship of Raymond Blanc. Then, Blanc told peers that Selby would ‘go far’, describing him as a ‘protégé’. More here, including words from Blanc. 

Exclusive: Jacuzzi will open on 20 January

Big Mamma, the French group behind the Italian-themed party restaurants Gloria, Circolo Popolare, and Ave Mario, will open its latest venue, Jacuzzi, on 20 January, CODE can reveal. Jacuzzi, a glittering cove of mirrored walls and parmigiano foam, appears to be the company’s most ambitious London project yet, set over four storeys and 4,000 sq ft on Kensington High Street. More here.

Small Plates

• Sandwiches at Sons + Daughters (bar specials) will drop from £11 to £6.50 from today as founders James Ramsden and Sam Herlihy look to ensure greater accessibility during the cost of living crisis. The same fillings will be worked into crusty rolls rather than wedge-like slices of white bread.
   
• The latest big name chef to announce a move into London? France’s multi-award winning Yannick Alléno. He’ll be opening a restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel at Park Lane sometime in the summer of next year.
   
• The Turkish restaurant Sheesh in Chigwell, Essex, is popular with the likes of Cheryl (no surname these days), Russell Crowe, Harry Kane, Millie Bobbi Brown, Rod Stewart, and Tyson Fury. The brand is finally roaring into London and a site will open opposite The Wolseley in the next few months.
   
• The death of industry ‘giant’ Richard Shepherd was announced last week. A trailblazer, Shepherd was one of the first British chefs to win a Michelin star, and helped turn Langan’s into a truly iconic Mayfair brasserie. We’ll be publishing an obituary via our sister title The Good Food Guide this week.
   
• Evelyn’s Table founders Zoë and Layo Paskin have announced that James Goodyear will be the restaurant’s new head chef following the departure of Luke Selby. Goodyear has worked at the likes of Above at Hide, Mugaritz in Spain, and Maaemo in Oslo.

Gunpowder overseas

Gunpowder, the growing group of Indian restaurants founded by Harneet Baweja, is expanding overseas with an opening in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. The restaurant ‘will be a place of refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city’, said an announcement. 

The perks of hospitality

Last week, we launched our annual Happiness in Hospitality report. It asks one simple question: why do you work in hospitality? We asked Hawksmoor co-founder Will Beckett to write the foreword. Read it here.

Budgie Montoya

The chef Budgie Montoya will launch a crowdfunding drive to help open a permanent site for his Filipino restaurant Sarap. On Instagram, a statement from the restaurant said: ‘From supper club to permanent restaurant, the journey has been long but chef Budgie Montoya’s dream of opening a restaurant that is the beacon of modern Filipino cuisine in London is almost there. We’ve found a site and we’re so excited! But we’ll need your help. We will be launching a crowdfunder soon to give you our most loyal of customers a chance to invest in Sarap and help secure our future.’

Myles Donaldson

Ex-Noble Rot head chef Myles Donaldson has moved to The Garden Museum Cafe to take on the same role at the Lambeth restaurant. The appointment follows the departure of George Ryle. Donaldson said: ‘I’ve long been an admirer of Garden Museum Café. It’s been a pleasure to join the team and pursue our shared interest in providing down-to-earth dishes that celebrate the very best seasonal produce we can source. I’ve received a warm welcome from Christopher, our GM Albert, and the whole team and now look forward to pushing forward together.’

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