Chef Dominic Chapman to open Henley restaurant
Located within the Relais Henley hotel, the as-yet-unnamed 60-cover restaurant will offer breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner to guests and will have a ‘strong focus’ on British produce.
The restaurant is due to open early next year and will be headed up by Chapman as executive chef, and long-term colleague David Thompson as head chef.
Dishes will include smoked eel, beetroot, horseradish cream; soused sardines; rabbit and bacon terrine with Cumberland sauce; Cornish turbot with samphire, monks beard, cockles, mussels, lemon butter; Lancashire hot pot, pickled red cabbage; and chocolate fondant with toffee sauce, almond biscuit and coffee ice cream.
The new follows the former The Fat Duck chef's departure from The Beehive pub after nine successful years.
The venue has been a regular on the Top 50 Gastropubs list (it is currently ranked 16, but has been listed as high as six), received a cooking score of six in the Good Food Guide, two AA Rosettes and dining pub of the year in the Good Pub Guide.
Chapman will continue to run the nearby The Crown at Burchett’s Green, which he acquired last year from fellow chef Simon Bonwick.
The Relais Henley is a 40-room boutique hotel, managed by The Relais Retreats group - a two-strong hotel business headed up by owners Grace Leo and Tim Hartnoll.
“We’re all incredibly excited about the opening of the restaurant,” Chaopman says. “Henley is a beautiful town, and the perfect setting for the style of food we want to introduce to the area. For me, food needs to be uncomplicated and ingredient-led. We know the area really well and will be working closely with local suppliers to make sure we can utilise the brilliant produce we have on our doorstep.”
Leo added: “We are delighted to welcome Dominic to the area and cannot wait to share his wonderful cooking with our local community. We share a common passion in providing excellence in the English art of living and dining.”
