The team behind Shoreditch restaurant Nest will relaunch it next week as a ‘British bistro’ called Tavern, while Mayfair restaurateur Samyukta Nair has revived her Thai restaurant Koyn under the name Miko Mei Fair – as hospitality owners shuffle their packs in response to customer demand.
Nest established the reputation of chef Johnnie Crowe with his seasonal set menus based around a single theme. He and his team followed up with restaurant St Barts, their high-flying flagship by Smithfield Market, but Nest closed after a nine-year run at the end of March in the face of difficult financial conditions.
Tavern will take a more relaxed approach, with drinks such as a pigskin and pickleback martini reflecting its name – although with a kitchen headed by Brendan Appleby and Kirsty Easterbrook, former head and sous chef at St Barts, the cuisine will remain ambitious.
Meanwhile, the new Miko Mei Fair has taken over the basement below Chinese restaurant Mimi Mei Fair, with a kitchen led by Koyn Thai’s head chef, Soonthorn Apaipat. Koyn, which included a Japanese restaurant, closed down after three years last summer. Much of the original Koyn Thai menu remains in place, although the link with Mimi upstairs is reflected in a Peking duck Penang curry.
Samyukta says of the venture, “It is a celebration of Thailand’s energy and generosity, expressed through layered interiors, vibrant ingredient-led dishes and heartfelt hospitality.”