Christmas has come early for Mark Hix and Richard Corrigan as they scooped two of Fork Magazine’s awards for 2009 today. Hix’s Brewer Street restaurant picked up the gong for Best Restaurant, while Richard Corrigan won Best Chef. Another London restaurant, Polpo, picked up an award for the city’s Best New Opening.
It’s not such good news for The Connaught’s Helene Darroze whose restaurant came und…
Read more: Fork magazine tips Corrigan and Hix in 2009 Awards
So it’s official - not only does the crap weather ruin your day (or your winter if you’re unfortunate to live in the Lake District) but it’s also responsible for a downturn in restaurant takings. According to a story today on Big Hospitality, the unseasonably soggy weather in November saw key restaurant chains experience their first dip in takings for seven months. On the plus side, bookings for p…
For many top London restaurateurs, it's now a case of 'recession, what recession?' as tables at the best restaurants on a Friday night at 8pm prove incredibly elusive to all but the best organised/connected. But for two London restaurants this week, the cumulative effect of the past 12 months proved too tough to survive.
Gordon Ramsay announced in his interview with Bloomberg that he was closing d…
Gordon Ramsay's woes continue this week with the breaking news that his chief financial officer, Nick Fletcher had quietly resigned more than three months ago. The Sunday Express is reporting today that Fletcher, who was brought into Gordon Ramsay Holdings in May 2008 to help shore up the ailing business, resigned his directorship back in September 2009.
Earlier this week, Ramsay's chief executive…
Read more: Ramsay's financial officer resigns from Ramsay Group
It's going to be a very merry Christmas this year for seven homeless youngsters whose raw talent and enthusiasm scooped them jobs with Wahaca who've teamed up with the Prince's Trust. Warms the very cockles of your heart, doesn't it?
Sadly, the festive season isn't quite so merry for Gordon Ramsay. El Gordo this week admitted defeat as he pulled out of New York - apparently high staffing costs wer…
Read more: Christmas cheer at Wahaca while Selfridges keep rooftop restaurant open
The Spanish restaurant Camino is a rare thing indeed in King's Cross - a decent bar and restaurant. Happily doing business for a few years in the Regent's Quarter (opposite the old Scala), Camino is now expanding just across the courtyard.
Launching on 19 March is Bar Pepito, a small Andalusian 'bodega', which specialises in Sherry. Of course, the stuff on offer at Pepito will be a damn sight be…
In Marylebone last night for the launch of Simon Hoggart's new book (more of which later), Hot Dinners took a detour by way of posh kitchen store Divertimenti. There we bumped into another book promoter, Atul Kochhar, who was there with copies of his latest title, Fish Indian Style.
Things are looking up for Kochhar, who's been on enforced leave since a fire closed down his restaurant Benares, bac…
It’s been six of one, half a dozen of the other for the Michelin Guide this week. On the positive side, the guide was given a huge boost when the latest Hong Kong version came out, awarding one of its precious stars to a hole-in-the-wall joint where a tasty dish could be had for as little as 78p. On the downside, a second well-known Italian chef made the news for handing his stars back and refusin…
One of the biggest pieces of restaurant-related news this week was Mark Sargeant resigning from Gordon Ramsay Holdings to work as creative director at The Swan Collection, which runs the Swan at the Globe and the Swan at West Malling, Sargeant's home town.
Who is Sargeant, you may well be asking? Well, while he may not be known to the average restaurant-goer, he's been Gordon's right hand man and…
Read more: Sargeant's parting from Ramsay and more of the week's news...
Gary Rhodes has been widely touted as being a frontrunner to take over the iconic revolving restaurant at the top of the BT Tower, but it seems the Evening Standard jumped the gun this week when they said the chef was already in talks with BT.
Hot Dinners called up Gary’s agent, Caroline, to clear up the confusion. She told us: 'It's very early days for BT. If they do decide they want to go ahead…
Join 40,000 other Londoners getting exclusive news and restaurant offers from Hot Dinners
See our previous newsletters here
