Nathan Davies heads to Guernsey
Big news for Guernsey as Welsh chef Nathan Davies announces he’ll open a new restaurant, Vraic, on the north shore in July. Davies, a former head chef at Ynyshir, made his name at the helm of SY23 in Aberystwyth (rated Exceptional in the Guide) which closed in December 2023 after his departure. The new restaurant will serve a tasting menu for just 25 guests, with a focus on cooking over fire using the top-quality local ingredients from the land and sea.
Clare Smyth and Daniel Boulud join Admiralty Arch project
Clare Smyth (Core by Clare Smyth) and international restaurateur Daniel Boulud have both been named as chef partners at the Waldorf Astoria Admiralty Arch, a new hotel, set to open in 2026. The chefs will each open a restaurant in the eminent Grade I listed landmark with views down The Mall to Buckingham Palace. The hotel will be the first Waldorf Astoria in Britain, as the Hilton group transform the building into a luxury 100-bedroom hotel.
Hjem set closing date
After six years in the Northumberland village of Wall, co-founders Alex Nietosvuori and Alexandra Thompson have announced that their restaurant Hjem will close at the end of this year. In an Instagram video, the couple discuss how Hjem started as notes on the back of a napkin, but has now reached the end of its journey. At the end of the year their focus will shift to Freyja, their new purpose-built venue with rooms on the Close House Estate in nearby Wylam, set to open in late 2025.
New openings for Bristol's Harbourside
The team behind Cor in Bristol’s North Street will open a second venue this spring, Luca’s. Named after co-owners Mark and Karen Chapman’s son, the Whapping Wharf restaurant will aim to celebrate the food and hospitality of Italy in a sharing plates format. Luca’s joins neighbours Gambas and Cargo Cantina, of which co-founder Mark Chapman used to be executive chef. Also opening at Whapping Wharf this spring is Lapin, a contemporary French restaurant from the team behind Bank.
