Fulham gets Aziz
Shahrokh and Zehra Parvin have opened an 80-seat Eastern Mediterranean restaurant, Aziz, in London's Fulham Broadway along with Del'aziz, a café, delicatessen and homeware and gift store. Average spend at Aziz is £30 a head, with meze dishes ranging from £3.50 to £5.50.
Searcy's to run 1802
Contract caterer Searcy's is to manage the 1802 Bar, Lounge and Dining restaurant that opened this week at West India Quay in London's Docklands. Offering modern British dishes, it has a bar for up to 70 people, a dining area for 60 and an alfresco area that will hold more than 100. The stand-alone bar is owned by the adjacent Museum in Docklands.
Ferrari expands
Italian-born restaurateur Gigio Ferrari and his wife, Andrea, have opened Waters Edge, a 120-seat Mediterranean restaurant overlooking the lake at the South Lakeland Leisure Village near Carnforth in Lancashire. When complete, the complex will have 265 holiday homes and leisure facilities. The Ferraris have been involved in both the Carriages and Mezzo restaurants in Blackpool and Portofino in Lytham St Anne's.
Edera is lucky 13th
A-Z Restaurants has opened its 13th London site with Edera, a 65-seat Italian restaurant. The name means ivy in Italian. Head chef Maximiliano Cotilli has worked for the group for the past four years while restaurant manager Stephane Chapotot has worked at both the Capital and Aubergine.
Zilli adds wine bar
Aldo Zilli has opened an Italian wine bar at his Zilli Fish Too restaurant in London's Covent Garden. The bar can seat 60 people and can be hired for drinks or canapé parties of up to 100. Based around an Italian wood-burning oven, it offers pizza and antipasti for £2.50-£6 and a large selection of wines by the glass, starting at £2.50.
Third Black & Blue
Alan Bacon and Nick Hill have opened their third Black & Blue steakhouse in London. The new 80-seat branch in Haverstock Hill, Hampstead, joins the restaurants opened last year in Notting Hill Gate and Gloucester Road and will be joined by a fourth in Chiswick by the end of the year.