Today's Evening Standard is reporting that the re-opening of celeb hangout Eight over Eight is being delayed by wrangling over the insurance payout. The King's Road restaurant has been shut since October following a fire. Owner Ricker tells the Standard he runs 'a small chain of neighbourhood restaurants and this amount means a great deal to us. I sincerely hope that this matter can be resolved.'
It's been quite a year for restaurant fires - what with the Sea Shell ablaze in August, Benares being shut down due to a kitchen fire in September and Battersea's Little Bay being gutted on New Year's Day. It's obviously an industry hazard - the London Fire Brigade reported no fewer than 166 fires in restaurants in the capital the year before.
