Chef Nathan Brewster to re-open Tate Britain's Whistler restaurant
Brewster will head up a team of eight chefs at the new-look restaurant, which will serve a menu based on historic British dishes when it re-opens for business on 19 November.
The head chef, who ho worked at Le Deuxieme and The Forge before moving to Tate Modern, has been working with food historian Joanna Cheetham to devise Whistler's menu which will focus on traditional dishes from London boroughs which will feature nettles, cherries and coddling apples from Hampstead as well as the Chelsea bun.
Produce used will be seasonal and sourced from local and specialist providers with fish to be delivered daily from Newlyn in Cornwall and meat supplied by Donald Russell in Scotland. Menus will start at £21 for two courses and £27 for three and will be matched with wines chosen by Tate wine buyer Hamish Anderson.
Brewster said inspiration had also been taken from the menu of the original Whistler restaurant which first opened at the Millbank museum in 1927 and became known as 'Most amusing room in Europe'.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the opening of the renowned restaurant and am excited to have the opportunity to be involved from the word ‘go.'," he said. "It is such an exciting time for me and the team and I can’t wait to put my own experiences and techniques into action. We have designed the menu with a strong focus on availability of ingredients and are keen to maximise the flavours in each dish, to give diners the ultimate taste of the 20th century, with a modern edge.”
Refurbishment
The restaurant, which has been closed for 18 months, will re-launch as part of the £45m refurbishment of the Grade II Listed art gallery, which includes the re-opening of the gallery's main entrance, a new archive gallery and new Djanogly Café.
Andrew Downs, head of operations at Tate Britain, said: “We are most excited by the imminent opening of the Whistler Restaurant. After 18 months of continuous restoration and development, we are delighted to have finalised the new menus which have been designed with careful consideration to include elements of Tate’s history as well as bringing in up-to-date trends.”
