News

The GFG Briefing | 1 January 2018
Published 05 January 2018

Tom Kitchin

This week's news from Tom Kitchin, Gidleigh Park, Indian Accent and more...

Fourth Edinburgh opening for Tom Kitchin

Edinburgh chef Tom Kitchin has revealed plans to open a fourth restaurant in the city. Kitchin says the new venue in Edinburgh's Bruntsfield area will be a different style to the rest of his eateries, which include his flagship fine dining restaurant in Leith, The Scran and Scallie and Castle Terrace. The new, as yet unnamed, restaurant is currently under refurbishment and is due to open in the summer. thekitchin.com

Ex-Restaurant Nathan Outlaw chef joins Gidleigh Park

Former Restaurant Nathan Outlaw chef Chris Simpson is to join Gidleigh Park as executive head chef, replacing Michael Wignall, who left at the end of 2017. Having held the position of head chef at Restaurant Nathan Outlaw for seven years, Simpson enjoys a reputation for outstanding cooking with the very best of local ingredients. He said: ‘It’s a privilege to have been offered the opportunity to take up the reins at Gidleigh Park, somewhere I’ve admired since I very first started cooking. Moving with the support of Nathan, I’m excited to be heading up my own kitchen and am ready for this next challenge in my career.’ gidleigh.co.uk

New opening for Cinnamon Club founder

The founder of the Cinnamon Club and Roast has confirmed that he is opening a new restaurant in North London. Iqbal Wahhab and his backers have secured a site in Angel for Atticus - a Southern US-style restaurant named after Atticus Finch, a character in Harper Lee's classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Dishes will include fried chicken, ribs and barbecued meats. If Atticus is successful, Wahhab hopes to roll out a chain of restaurants around the UK. cinnamonclub.com

Smoking Goat closes its Soho site

Smoking Goat closes its Soho site on January 14 to allow for Denmark Street’s redevelopment. Having first opened on a shoestring in 2014, Smoking Goat Soho built a cult following with its interpretation of Thai barbecue dishes. The team has gone on to open the award-winning Kiln on Brewer Street in 2016 and, more recently in November 2017, Smoking Goat on Redchurch Street, Shoreditch. Ahead of its closure, the team celebrates its time on Denmark Street with a series of ‘Last Days of the Goat’ dinners, which include free plates of the infamous fish sauce wings for each table and menus featuring popular dishes like fish head curry and khao soi smoked goat. smokinggoatbar.com

Indian Accent opens in Mayfair

After the success of its original branches in New York and New Delhi, Indian Accent has opened on Mayfair’s Albermale Street. The new two-story venue, close to Gymkhana, specialises in ‘nostalgic Indian dishes’ such as soy keema, quail egg and lime leaf butter pao, and Kashmiri morels and walnut powder with parmesan papad. Standard and premium wine pairings and whisky flights are also available. indianaccent.com/london/

Read our interview with Ben Chapman from Smoking Goat and Kiln