News

The GFG Briefing | 6 April 2018
Published 06 April 2018

Michael Wignall makes a one-off appearance at The Typing Room

One-off London appearance for former Gidleigh Park chef, ex-Barrafina chef opens new tapas bar and the pie's the limit in Holborn

Michael Wignall returns for a one-off collaboration at The Typing Room

After successful events with Peter Sanchez-Iglesias of Bristol’s Casamia restaurant and Tommy Banks of The Black Swan at Oldstead, The Typing Room is hosting another one-night collaboration dinner. Former head chef of Gidleigh Park, Michael Wignall, will appear at the restaurant in Bethnal Green’s Town Hall Hotel on April 25. Tickets are £100 per person and available from here

Head chef Larry Jayasekara leaves Pétrus

Larry Jayasekara, the head chef of Pétrus, has left the restaurant after three years. Before working for Gordon Ramsay at Pétrus, Sri Lankan-born Jayasekara worked at the Waterside Inn, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons and Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley. A replacement at Pétrus has yet to be announced.

Ex-Lords of the Manor chef takes up the reins at Cotswold pub

Former Lords of the Manor chef Matt Weedon has been appointed head chef at the Fox Inn in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. Owned by the Hook Norton brewery, the 16th century pub-with-rooms cooks modern British food and utilises a network of Cotswold producers. Dishes include pork and smoked bacon terrine with chutney and chargrilled bread, and venison and boar sausages with red cabbage, mash, greens and red wine gravy.

Former Ivy chef launches new pie room at London hotel

The Holborn Dining Room has opened The Pie Room in the former deli area, with an open kitchen for diners to watch a range of hot and cold pies being made throughout the day to eat in or take away. Head chef Calum Franklin, who previously worked at Roast and The Ivy, has created a number of new sweet and savoury pies for The Pie Room, including chicken, girolles and tarragon, and a hand-raised pork pie.

Barrafina chef opens new Spanish tapas bar in Elephant & Castle

Former Barrafina Drury Lane head chef Javier Duarte Campos has opened a new tapas bar in London’s Elephant & Castle. Called Abel, it’s part of the Mercado Metropolitano street food market on Newington Causeway and there are no bookings taken. New dishes created by the Barcelona-born chef include hake pil-pil with capers and lime, and pork ribs glazed with Oporto wine and pistachios.

Anglo team’s new Mayfair restaurant to open this month

Emma Underwood of Stockport’s Where The Light Gets In has been named as the restaurant manager of Stem, the delayed Mayfair opening from the team behind Anglo and Neo Bistro. Due to open later this month, the 35-cover Stem will feature ‘modern seasonal British’ menus created by Mark Jarvis and Sam Ashton-Booth, with dishes including smoked eel, celeriac and white chocolate, and pigeon, coconut and salted peanut.

Missed last week's briefing? Read it here