Nick Beardshaw, who will be in charge of the kitchen at the Coach in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, aims to use his time at both Roux brothers’ restaurants – Le Gavroche in London and the Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire – and Paul Bocuse’s brasseries in Lyon, to create “strong ingredient-led cooking, looked at in the traditional way but served with a more modern touch”.
Beardshaw is currently senior sous chef at Kerridge’s two Michelin-starred Hand & Flowers, also in Marlow.
He has been working with Kerridge on the pub’s tapas-style menu format, which will move customers away from traditional three-course meals to sampling different dishes.
The Coach is due to open before mid-December.
Menu format
Kerridge said enjoying a mixture of different dishes and flavours is a “great way to eat”.
He added: “I want the Coach to be a place for people to take pleasure in anything from a drink and a snack through to a full lunch or dinner.
“It offers something for everyone – it is flexible, a public house for all to enjoy.”
The Coach, which is an Enterprise Inns lease, will have capacity for 40 covers and a no booking policy. It will offer an evolving menu that reflects the time of day, and dishes will be presented as and when ready rather than at the same time. Prices will range from £6 to £15.
Menu options
Dishes such as smoked haddock kedgeree and waffles with truffle honey will feature in the morning, along with ‘to go’ options such as roast bacon bagels and a breakfast hot dog.
Lunch and dinner dishes include potted Cornish crab with cucumber chutney, moules mariniere with warm stout and brown bread, and whole rotisserie roasted stuffed quail.
A ‘cake of the day’ will be available for those looking for a mid-morning snack or afternoon break. To allow a “seamless flow” of interaction between guests and staff, the Coach will have an open kitchen with a counter that snakes the entire room, and orders will be taken and served by all members of staff.
Rotisserie
A key feature of the pub’s open kitchen will be the rotisserie. Here, a selection of meats as well as the morning bacon will be roasted in the traditional rotation style.
Designed by Tibbatts Abel, the kitchen will be bordered by upholstered leather bar seats, which provide the bulk of the seating.
The pub has signed a deal with Sky, and small, muted TV screens will be dotted around the circumference of the room.
Front of house will be run by Claire Kreigenfeld and the bar will be managed by James Shaw. Both currently work at the Hand & Flowers.