The group owns and operates The May Fair London hotel and Radisson Blu Edwardian brands as well as a few other restaurants. This first Great British Fish Co. will offer a takeaway option as well as having around 50 seats outside, giving customers a view over the square.
The director of Food and Beverage at the Edwardian Group London Russ Brown informed BigHospitality that the group intend to take the new brand further, and believes that a couple more will open relatively quickly, though the locations of these are yet to be released.
Leicester Square site
The new site is situated overlooking Leicester Square, and the seats outside are turned facing it to offer customers the choice of people watching.
When asked why the group had decided to turn the space into a fish and chip shop, Brown explained: “To be honest it started with having the space available. It had always been something of a struggle because it’s actually quite small and there are only so many things that you can actually put into a space like that.
“The funny thing was it had been a successful fish and chip shop a couple of decades ago. We had conversations about what we could do there and what would fit in with the brand, because we do try and use British produce wherever possible. Of course you don’t get much more British than a fish and chip shop.”
The group have had the space completely refurbished with bespoke equipment and a new extraction system to make sure no cooking smells reach the hotel. There is driftwood effect tiling on the floors and a number of pictures on the walls.
Quality food
The Great British Fish Co. serves fish and chip shop classics and fresh market fish alongside a range of choices such as pork and leek sausages, handmade steak pie, vegetable quiche, battered corned beef hash cake and more.
“The pure quality of the food will make us stand out,” said Brown. “For our fish, we’ll speak to the fish monger and ask what’s great at the time, and what’s sustainable. I think the handmade pies and quiches will also give the restaurant a quality feel. After all there are chefs in a five star hotel making these up in the morning and they look the part as well as tasting great.”
The restaurant will serve takeaway food in traditional British ‘chippy’ style boxes, which include a bespoke flag.