From the storied Eastern & Oriental Hotel and newly opened Soori Penang to Michelin-selected restaurants, independent bookstores and intimate cocktail bars, George Town’s heritage scene is finding fresh energy. Source link
Côte launches exclusive menu for ‘truly special’ Father’s Day (Image: Côte Brasserie) Côte Brasserie has launched its Father’s Day menu with premium sharing dishes and free drinks for Dad – whether dining in one of its brasseries or enjoying a feast at home. There are now more than 60 Côte Brasserie restaurants across the UK, and this year the popular restaurant is going all out. Available on Sunday 21st June, Côte’s Father’s Day celebrations include free drinks for dads all day, alongside exclusive set menus and premium steak specials, designed for sharing. For those starting celebrations earlier in the day, Côte’s relaxed breakfast offering includes cooked breakfasts, eggs Benedict or lighter bites so every palate is catered for. From fluffy French toast to perfectly poached eggs, every dad dining for breakfast on Father’s Day will receive a free Bloody Mary or Virgin Mary. Dads will enjoy a free beer on the house (Image: Côte Brasserie) Later in the day, guests can enjoy Côte’s specially curated Father’s Day Set Menu, with two courses for £29.50 or …
It’s 9am on a weekday morning and although I’ve just finished my porridge, the chef Richard Wilkins is making my mouth water. “My signature dish is soft Scottish langoustines wrapped in very thin, crispy pastry, served with Japanese sushi rice and a langoustine bisque.” His other specialities include turbot in a spinach and champagne sauce, buttery wagyu steak with English peas, and raspberry millefeuille. Sadly, I won’t be able to sample any of them and neither will anyone else. At the end of April, Wilkins took the painful decision to close his west London Michelin-listed Restaurant 104 after seven years. “The financial pressures became brutal,” says Wilkins, who previously worked with Gordon Ramsay at Pétrus. “We were very small, with only 12 covers. So when things like business rates or VAT rates change, it’s the smallest people who are hit the hardest.” At the end of last year, Wilkins was determined to fight back. “I did a five-figure refurb. I upped my marketing, leafleting and talking to hotel concierges to ask them to recommend us. …
There is certainly a growing consensus on Wall Street that the tax-refund sugar high is fading just as consumers’ financial profiles deteriorate. The latest read-through comes from UBS analyst Dennis Geiger, the bank’s U.S. restaurants equity research analyst, who warns that a toxic cocktail of macro pressures is likely to crimp restaurant spending in the second half of the year. Geiger warned in a note that elevated gas prices at the pump appear to be offsetting tax-rebate benefits, while lower-income, younger, and Hispanic consumers remain among some of the weakest demand cohorts. “Challenged traffic and sales trends likely largely reflect depressed consumer sentiment across several cohorts, elevated gas prices, and other macro headwinds,” the analyst said, adding, “We are more cautious on restaurant industry trends into 2H26, assuming near-term headwinds persist, rebate check benefits fade, and risk that gas prices stay elevated.” He said that margin pressure will likely persist for restaurants through summer and into fall as commodity inflation remains a problem. Despite the negative backdrop, he pointed out valuations for restaurant stocks look …
A major UK restaurant chain has issued an update after warning all of its restaurants could close. The chain has been saved from administration following fears that all 44 sites could shut for good. Plans to rescue the Latin-American chain have been approved by a High Court judge. Iguanas Holdings Limited, currently operating dozens of Las Iguanas restaurants across the UK, previously revealed it was drowning in £37million of debt. The “heavily loss-making” company would “inevitably enter administration”, the company’s lawyers told a hearing on Friday, June 5. But they added the firm had been able to stay afloat thanks to a “turnaround strategy” by its parent company, The Big Table Group, which also owns chains including Frankie & Benny’s, Bella Italia, and Banana Tree. The restructuring plan was approved by the majority of the company’s creditors to wipe out debts and see Big Table inject £3million into the company. Representing the company, Ryan Perkins said the UK casual dining sector had suffered “substantial problems” in recent years because of high inflation, reduced customer spending, …
Restaurants and bars added 48,000 jobs in May, contributing to a solid month of employment gains. Local government and healthcare were also hiring last month. Brandon Bell/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Brandon Bell/Getty Images The labor market is finding its footing. U.S. employers added jobs for the third month in a row in May, according to a report Friday from the Labor Department. Job gains for March and April were also revised significantly higher. Restaurants and bars added 48,000 jobs last month in anticipation of strong summer demand, while the overall hospitality industry added 70,000 jobs. Construction companies and local governments were also hiring. Healthcare, which has been a steady source of employment gains, added another 35,000 jobs. Banks and insurance companies, meanwhile, cut jobs. The financial sector overall cut 22,000 jobs in May. Overall, the report shows hiring has picked up steam this spring after anemic job growth last year. Over the last three months, employers have added an average of 188,000 jobs each month. Meanwhile, the workforce grew slightly in May as …
Sign up to IndyEat’s free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Get our food and drink newsletter for free Until not long ago, diners seemed to have reached a consensus. Chains were out. Independents were in. The future belonged to neighbourhood bistros, family-run restaurants, chef-owner passion projects and hidden gems that somehow managed to be both fully booked and impossible to find. We celebrated local institutions, obscure cuisines and restaurants with stories. We wanted hand-rolled pasta in converted railway arches and waiters called Luca who knew a lot about fermentation. The villains were obvious. Corporate restaurant groups. Plastic menus. Homogeneous dining rooms. “Happy Birthday” was performed by staff with all the enthusiasm of hostages reading a ransom note. Places where the food arrived suspiciously quickly and every branch looked exactly the same. And yet, here we are. Dishoom now has 11 restaurants and four drink-led Permit Rooms across the UK, with more planned, lodgings being added and New York on the horizon. Flat Iron …
Eddie Huang is many things: author, chef, restaurateur, filmmaker, media personality. The list goes on, and Huang wouldn’t have it any other way. Born in Virginia to Taiwanese-Chinese parents, Huang opened his first restaurant, Baohaus, a cult-favorite Taiwanese bun shop, on New York City’s Lower East Side in 2009, later moving the shop to the East Village, where it remained until its pandemic-era closure in October 2020. Between then and now, Huang published two books, directed two films, and got married and started a family. Nowadays, he’s got plenty more on his plate: a Substack, a podcast (which he co-hosts with his wife, Natashia Perrotti), and his first novel, Come Undone, which hits shelves on June 16. He’s currently (superstitiously) rooting on his beloved New York Knicks in the finals. Oh, and just reopened Baohaus this past March, which is where he and I met up in late May. Huang didn’t expect to bring the restaurant back, but when he received a call—over the speakerphone in his car—from his trademark attorney asking him if he …
Daniel Patterson, the chef behind San Francisco’s Coi, who once helmed Alta Adams alongside chef Keith Corbin, has opened a new tasting restaurant in Hollywood, alongside his wife and former music journalist and producer Sarah Lewitinn. Jacaranda challenges stereotypes of stuffy or restrained fine dining restaurants with a Gen X playlist, casual service and lively conversations among guests. This approach, as Patterson told reporter Stephanie Breijo, better reflects the ethos of Los Angeles, where your next great meal is just as likely to come from a street vendor as it is from a 10-course dinner. The restaurant holds only one seating per night, to allow diners the opportunity to linger as you would at a friend’s dinner party, as well as a multi-course lunch on Sunday. Source link
The 50 Best brand, known for its set of prestigious global dining guides curated by over 1,000 culinary experts, just revealed its top 50 restaurants in North America, with nine California picks and four Los Angeles restaurants. The results were announced at an awards ceremony in New Orleans on Thursday night, with 50 restaurants ranked across the U.S. and Canada. Returning Los Angeles restaurants on the list include Holbox, Kato and Providence, as well as Atelier Crenn, Saison and Benu in San Francisco. New additions include Somni in West Hollywood, Addison by William Bradley in San Diego, and Sons and Daughters in San Francisco. Addison is featured on restaurant critic Bill Addison’s guide to the 101 best restaurants in California list, as well as Benu and Atelier Crenn. Somni, originally a collaboration between chefs José Andrés and Aitor Zabala, is praised for its intimate dining experience and Spanish-influenced tasting menu, earning a place on The Times’ most recent 101 Best Restaurants guide. Zabala reopened the restaurant as the sole proprietor in December 2024 after four …
