Mononi chain makes debut in Leeds
Blue Herring Leisure has opened the first of a planned national chain of mixed-use café-bar restaurants. Mononi, in Greek Street, Leeds, serves as a piano/café-bar by day, a 70-seat restaurant in the evening and a dance floor-driven bar by night with a total capacity of 480 people. It serves more than 50 cocktails and a world-influenced menu offering new dishes each week devised by head chef David Swade. The venture is headed by Mike and Daniel Smart (Daniel was involved in the development of the Parisa Café Bar chain). The plan is to open a new site every six months.
Wareing opens on former Pétrus site
Marcus Wareing has opened La Fleur in St James's Street, London, on the former site of his 50-seat Pétrus restaurant, which reopens in the Berkeley hotel on 7 September. Named after an enclave of vineyards in the Pétrus wine region in France, Fleur offers a more informal version of Wareing's modern French/European style, with main courses ranging in price from £11 to £24. Head chef is David Collard, who worked at Gidleigh Park, in Chagford, Devon, and Jamin in Paris before joining Pétrus.
Italian job at Cedar Lounge in Chelsea
Vahe Melkomian, owner of the Trattoria Matriciano Italian restaurant in London's Brompton Cross, has opened a new restaurant in the capital at 2a Pond Place in Chelsea. The 70-seat Cedar Lounge offers modern Italian dishes devised by chef Mario Cancila and the bar is managed by Italian award-winning mixologist Agostino Perrone.
Brighton breezy for Terraces Bar & Grill
Glendola Leisure, owner of Waxy O'Connor's and the Rainforest Café, opens the Terraces Bar & Grill this month in Madeira Drive on the Brighton seafront. The ground floor has a 300-capacity bar and an open kitchen serving Mediterranean dishes and gourmet grills. The upstairs rotunda area will hold 120 people and serve coffees, pâtisseries and toasted sandwiches. Both levels have open-air terraces for up to 100 people each. The bar will also offer free wireless broadband internet access.
Oriental fusion on offer at Zimzun
Peter Ponnampalam, who owns the Footlights chain of Italian restaurants in Kensington, Wimbledon, Bath and Cambridge, has opened an Oriental fusion restaurant called Zimzun in London's Fulham Road. It comprises a 100-cover restaurant with large, canteen-style teak tables and a separate bar for 10 people. Ponnampalam is seeking new sites in London.