Nathan Outlaw to open Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen in Looe featuring ‘very exciting chef’

Planning permission has been granted to convert a local fish merchants unit into a 50-60 cover restaurant serving locally caught seafood, opening in early 2013.

“This is something I’ve been working on for almost two years now,” Outlaw told BigHospitality. “Looe is the place that I’ve always bought my fish from. And I’ve always had a really close relationship with the person who ran the fish merchants, Tim Alsop.

“Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen is not going to be anything like the two restaurants in Rock. It’s going to be like the Polpo style of restaurant but serving British seafood; it will be much more relaxed, serving smaller sharing plates in a more informal environment.

“It will have an open kitchen and a big bar area, which will offer a lot of shellfish dishes as well as the drinks. It’s located on the quay at the end of the market, so customers will be sitting next to the port where fishermen will be.”

‘Very exciting chef’​

Outlaw went on to reveal that the restaurant’s kitchen will be run by a ‘very exciting chef’ who will be ‘a big attraction to the area’.

“He’s probably one of the best fish chefs I know. He’s one of my former teachers - but it’s not Rick Stein. He taught me when I first got into the industry and he’s a great friend of mine.”

As well as Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, the 34-year-old chef is also currently preparing to open his first restaurant in London after agreeing to take over the restaurant space at The Capital hotel in Knightsbridge.​

But despite previously telling BigHospitality that being adjoined to a hotel has been key for his other restaurants’ continued successes,​Outlaw has confidence in what will be his first standalone venture.

“We’ve had so much great support from local people; lovely letters and emails saying that they would love a restaurant in Looe, so it seems that it could be successful just based on that interest alone. With the chef that’s going in there, I think it will be a big attraction for the area.

“It’s also funded from my own money which we generated from the two restaurants at the St Enodoc Hotel over the past four years. So I’m not under pressure from an investor or a bank, which makes it a lot easier.”

Owning a hotel​

Outlaw also reaffirmed an interest in moving into the hotel sector for his next business venture, adding “The biggest thing I really want is to own a hotel, but not The Capital in London!

“The next stage for me is to look at hospitality as a whole, not just in the kitchen. I’ve got a bit of time now to put my roots down firmly in one place.”

Speaking of how he will divide his time between the four restaurants, Outlaw said: “The fortunate thing about the two-Michelin-starred restaurant (Restaurant Nathan Outlaw) is that it only does five dinners, so that gives me a lot of gaps in my day to do other things. I’ll also be spending two days a week at the site in London.”

An opening date for Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen in Looe has not yet been confirmed but it is planned to open early next year. Outlaw’s Seafood Grill at The Capital will open on 2 October.