Fine dining restaurant at Eastside Inn to become a lounge bar

Bjorn van der Horst, chef-patron of the Eastside Inn, is to close the fine dining side of the restaurant in Farringdon, east London, and turn it into a lounge bar.

The former Greenhouse head chef opened the Eastside Inn last May together with his wife Justine, who is the restaurant director, dividing it into two sections, a 36-seat fine dining venture and a 55-seat casual bistro, each with a separate entrance.

However, van der Horst has now decided to transform the fine dining room into a lounge bar and will close the restaurant from 18 May to the the beginning of June for building works. The bistro will continue to operate as normal during the refit.

“We are closing in on our first year of operation and realised that having two beasts in one cage was a huge challenge for both me and Justine,” van der Horst told Caterersearch.
 
“We are very excited about the remodelling of the restaurant and we will rejig the menu in the bistro to incorporate some of the dishes from the fine dining offer. This means you will see some of my signature dishes served in a less formal environment.”

The lounge bar, which is being built off-site, will serve a sophisticated menu of hors d’oeuvres and “appa-teasers”.

“We will offer eight to 10 tapas-sized dishes from the main menu and there will also be a menu of cocktail-inspired desserts and a list of food-inspired cocktails,” van der Horst explained.

Van der Horst headed up the Michelin-starred Greenhouse in Mayfair before joining Gordon Ramsay Holdings in 2006 to launch La Noisette in Knightsbridge, which closed after just 18 months.

Video: Bjorn van der Horst talks about his new Eastside Inn   >>

Bjorn van der Horst unveils new restaurant >>

Gordon Ramsay Holdings closes La Noisette restaurant >>

Bjorn van der Horst to join Gordon Ramsay stable >>


By Kerstin Kuhn

E-mail your comments to Kerstin Kuhn here.

If you have something to say on this story or anything else join the debate at Table Talk - Caterer's new networking forum. Go to www.caterersearch.com/tabletalk

Caterersearch.com jobs
Looking for a new job? Find your next restaurant job here with Caterersearch.com jobs