Monday Bulletin: Jay Rayner moves to the FT and Dynamic Vines opens wine shop & bar

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

Financial Times

The Financial Times has staged quite the coup in securing the services of the Observer‘s long-time restaurant critic Jay Rayner — arguably the UK’s most famous — and former Sunday Times critic Marina O’Loughlin, who will write a monthly food column for the weekend magazine. The new roles were announced last week alongside another major move that sees the current restaurant critic Tim Hayward move to food writer, where he will focus on home-cooking and culinary deep dives. Wine writer Jancis Robinson will remain in situ. The FT’s move to broaden its food coverage underpins the demand for genuine, traditional restaurant writing at a time when social media reviews and video content is growing. It follows CODE’s sister title The Good Food Guide in appointing Jimi Famurewa as its monthly columnist. And, of course, we’ll have to see who takes over Rayner’s role at the Observer.

Dynamic Vines

One of the UK’s leading importers of organic wines, Dynamic Vines, has opened its first wine shop and bar. Nestled next to Mons Cheesemonger, Moxon’s fishmonger and Bora & Sons greengrocer in East Dulwich, the wine bar focuses on independent producers, with a catalogue of vintages that maps out biodynamic viticulture by way of rotating bottles and — as promised by the appropriately named founder Frederic Grappe — premium wines by the glass, accessibly priced. Grappe, who has supplied the likes of Trullo, Frog and the Clove Club, said: ‘There’s this romantic notion of the passing of time with wines. Nowadays we are in such a hurry to make wines that are good to drink immediately. Instead, what we are trying to do is offer various back vintages to enhance the consumer’s relationship with a wine.’

Small Plates

• Shoreditch restaurant Leroy has closed after almost seven years. Ed Thaw and Jack Lewens opened in March 2018 and earned accolades almost immediately. ‘It has been quite the ride but sadly nothing lasts forever,’ a message on Instagram read. ‘We fought hard against the dying of the light but sometimes there is a time to let go. Our heart breaks not to be able to continue the journey but we can leave knowing that we did all we could. Despite what our government may think this is a noble profession and indeed any small business owner has our enduring respect.’
   
• The team behind Lebanese restaurant Aline has opened a rotisserie concept three doors down. Expect spiced chicken, sea bass and octopus at Tarek and Monika Farah’s new venture. Downstairs, yet another basement listening bar. Encore is run by top Lebanese mixologist Jad Ballout.
   
• One of Milan’s best and most ludicrous sandwich shops, De Santis, is coming to London. Founded in 1964, a branch is to open in the church crypt below Mercato Metropolitano in Mayfair, bringing sandwiches that play on regional Italian produce such as mortadella from Bologna and anchovies from Cantabria, in typical Milanese fashion.
   
• A new all-day restaurant inspired by the Savoy’s first chef, the great Auguste Escoffier, has opened in what was the hotel’s Thames Foyer. On the menu at the new Gallery restaurant, consomme — served when the hotel opened 135 years ago — a classic omelette Arnold Bennett, and a traditional club sandwich.
   

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