Launch date confirmed for Gary Usher’s fifth restaurant
Gary Usher has confirmed the launch date of his new restaurant in the Merseyside town of Prescot. Pinion is Usher’s fifth restaurant after Wreckfish, Sticky Walnut, Hispi and Burnt Truffle. The bistro, which Usher crowdfunded, opens on September 28 and dishes on the menu include crispy pig’s head croquette with aubergine and barbecue sauce; whole roast duck, buttered potatoes and salsa verde, and whipped fromage blanc, roasted apple, rosemary meringue and honey. Usher also plans to open a further restaurant, Kala, in Manchester later this year.
Lee Wescott to open first solo venture in Worcestershire
Former Typing Room chef Lee Wescott is opening his first solo restaurant on a country estate on the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border. Called Pensons, it’s a collaboration with Peta Darnley and will be located on the Netherwood Estate, which will supply much of the seasonal produce. Pensons is due to open in January 2019. pensons.co.uk
Intimate new Nuno Mendes restaurant opens in Shoreditch
Nuno Mendes has opened his latest restaurant in Shoreditch. Mãos is a joint project between Mendes and James Brown, founder of Blue Mountain School, where the restaurant is located. With just 16 covers and diners served 14 courses around a communal table, Mãos is an intimate experience which Mendes describes as ‘more like a dinner party than traditional restaurant’. Drawing influences from Europe and beyond, dishes and snacks will include smoked celeriac dashi with wasabi leaf oil; slow-grilled Iberico pork with nukazake carrots and sour carrot jus; and aged turbot grilled in magnolia leaf, seaweed and Roscoff onion soubise.
Trio of top chefs lined up for guest dinner series at The Hind’s Head
The Hind’s Head has announced a new series of guest chef dinners for autumn. The series kicks off on September 12 with Adam Byatt of Trinity and he is followed by Richard Bainbridge of Benedict’s and Simon Hulstone of The Elephant. The dinners will be a collaboration with The Hind’s Head’s Peter Gray and feature a special tasting menu showcasing some of the guest chefs’ signature dishes.
