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Urban
Turban Winds Up
Expansion Plans
Less than a year Michelin chef
Vineet Bhatia opened Urban Turban W2 as a new 'value' concept. The
Westbourne Grove restaurant is now "struggling to stay
open", according to the Evening Standard and plans to open a
second branch in Richmond have been scrapped.
According to The Standard, the
restaurant reports it has been hit by the downturn -and whilst this
is doubtless true, there is a danger that the downturn will allow
restaurateurs to persuade themselves that it is the economy which is
the problem, rather than their 'offer'.
Last spring, their reporters were
suggesting, as reported in Harden's London Restaurants 2009, that
Urban Turban was "an unexpected disaster".
Differing
Opinions On Refurbished Bombay Brasserie
Opinions seem to differ on the
newly re-furbished Bombay Brasserie which re-opened in mid January.
Restaurant Guide Harden's comment
was "OMG, what have they done to it?"
"As soon as we entered
the bar of this (Taj Group) South Kensington Indian - which was quite
a place of the moment, when it launched a quarter of a century ago -
we knew something was wrong. In the old days, you got an enticing
glimpse of the pretty and characterful dining room. Now you come in
to an ill-proportioned bar with little furnishing, and zip in the way
of charm - yes, this is dentist's waiting room territory.
Perhaps the old, famously
romantic conservatory had escaped 'improvement'? No chance, of
course. The feel is now Travelodge de luxe. It seemed preferable,
however, to the hommage à Louis XIV going on next door.
We'd like to report that the
whole depressing experience was saved by the food, but it wasn't. The
cooking was mundane, the prices (most notably on the wine list) were
absurd, and the kitchen gave the impression that it was manned by snails."
Others were more complimentary,
particularly focusing on the excellence of Chef Hement Oberoi's food
:- "The Brasserie won me over but, even allowing having to
pay for quality, space and all those attentive staff, the bill lost
me again.
It made me feel more slumdog
than millionaire. the only crunching being of my credit card as the
little machine dragged £512 out of it for dinner for four adults
and three children, none of whom was unusually greedy. The bill
whacks you for the extras - £3 for a nan - while buying mineral
water, for which you are then clubbed at £4.60 a bottle, is
virtually a command."
In the past The Bombay Brasserie
has won just about every award there is for its food service and
ambience as well as personal award for General Manager Arun Harnal.
Flagship
Bincho Yakitori To Close
The flagship Oxo Tower branch of
Bincho Yakitori, the Japanese skewer-specialist, is to close.
The group, currently has only one
other branch, in Soho, which is generally considered much inferior to
the flagship in every way. Plans are said to be afoot, however, for
further expansion of the concept.
Aaya
In Trouble
The ambitious Soho Japanese
restaurant Aaya W1 has called in the administrators.
It's too early to say whether the
restaurant will survive. Especially with the benefit of hindsight, it
was a 'brave' opening, with all that that implies.
The restaurant, run by Alan Yau's
brother Gary, adopted its own style resulting in food writers that
wine prices "tend, somewhat unnervingly, towards a tenner a
glass - rather than a bottle - and, even at lunch, you could easily
spend £50 a head in total".
Business
Rates Cause Closure
Restaurant owner Ali Jayaheri
says he has been forced to close by high business rates and a lack of parking.
Le Chateau Ali, in Warser Gate,
Lace Market, Nottingham will close within the coming week.
Owner Ali Javaheri said:
"We're closing due to the recession and due to car parking
problems - there are no facilities at all for customers to come
around here." He also said business rates and rent were also too high.
Lack
Of Feelgood Factor Causes Closure
Restaurateur Mr Fu, who was set
to become the next president of Blackburn Chamber of Trade has closed
his business, blaming the lack of a "feelgood factor"
brought on by the credit crunch.
Ming Fu has shut the doors on Mr
Fu's Chinese Restaurant, Preston New Road, claiming a
recession-fuelled drop in trade has forced his hand.
He said: "The restaurant
has closed, and it won't be reopening."
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