Casamia owner Peter Sanchez-Iglesias closes Pi Shop pizzeria
Casamia chef/owner Peter Sanchez-Iglesias has announced that he is closing his Pi Shop pizzeria on August 4. The Bristol restaurant, which occupies the space between Casamia and Paco Tapas, built up a strong local following with innovative pizzas such as the anchovy, olive and basil ‘JR’ named in memory of his brother, Jonray. Sanchez-Iglesias says the closure is ‘sad’ news but that he plans to turn the Pi Shop space into a new ‘creative kitchen’ which will be used for ‘epic future projects’.
Tommy Banks to launch new ‘farm to fork’ restaurant in York
Tommy Banks and the team at The Black Swan at Oldstead are launching their new restaurant, Roots, in York this September. A collaboration with restaurateur Matthew Lockwood, the 50-cover restaurant will bring Banks’ unique ‘farm-to-fork’ philosophy to the city for the first time. The new restaurant will be aligned with his debut cookbook in which he redefines the seasons into three main parts: The Hunger Gap, Time of Abundance and The Preserving Season. The daily menu will be centred around preservation, serving dishes such as lamb and fermented turnip; cured trout, fennel kimchi and Meridian apple, raw beef with chilli ferment and smoked eel doughnuts.
Third restaurant from The Clove Club to open in Shoreditch
The Clove Club is planning to launch its third London restaurant this autumn. Called Two Lights, the Kingsland Road restaurant will be led by American chef Chase Lovecky, who is currently head chef at The Clove Club. The menu at Two Lights will have a modern American influence and dishes will include Hereford beef tartare and togarashi; lemon sole with charred tomatoes and seaweed, and grilled mackerel with cherries and black olives. It’s due to open in September.
Alex Dilling named as new executive chef of The Greenhouse
Mayfair restaurant The Greenhouse has announced the replacement for executive chef Arnaud Bignon, who moved back to Greece earlier in the year. The new chef at the helm is Alex Dilling, who was previously at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught and Caviar Russe in New York. Dilling takes over at The Greenhouse on August 16 and says he will introduce a new menu with a focus on ‘refined modern-classic cuisine’.
Ottolenghi’s new restaurant reopens after false start
Rovi, the new restaurant from Yotam Ottolenghi, has reopened its doors after a false start earlier in the month. The Fitzrovia restaurant was forced to close soon after it launched due to problems with its green heat recovery system, a state-of-the-art extraction method. A new, more conventional extraction has been installed and it’s business as usual for the vegetable-focused restaurant with its wood-fired grill.
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