The restaurant, which opened to the public on 3 December, follows the opening of Amini's first sustainable restaurant Henry’s Kitchen in May this year. Amini is also considering opening a third site in the spring of 2015.
Henry’s Grill is located on the High Street in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey. It has 150 covers, an open kitchen and a rotisserie charcoal grill. It serves a mixed menu of British and Mediterranean food made using seasonal ingredients from local suppliers.
The restaurant has a focus on sustainability and is a member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
Amini told BigHospitality that he believed everyone should do their bit to help the environment.
“It has become more apparent in recent years that people are starting to be concerned about what goes inside their food, and where it comes from,” he said.
“That’s the reason behind me opening a sustainable restaurant. I wanted to help the environment and address the concerns of customers who want to know more about their food at the same time.”
Sustainable design and menu
The restaurant has an eco-friendly design, with interior features including LED lights and lighting with motion sensors in all the toilets and corridors, reclaimed timber for cladding and table tops, and a glass design on the bar made from recycled bottles. Local tradesmen were used during the build to reduce the restaurant’s carbon footprint.
“We believe that we should be supporting local businesses as much as possible,” explained Amini. “This idea started with the design and carried on when we came to putting our menu together.
“Our coffee beans are roasted two miles down the road, we get our sausages from a butcher in East London, all our meat is British and we get our chicken from a farm in Windsor.”
The restaurant serves a number of meat dishes from the grill, as well as pastas, salads, and other Mediterranean dishes. It is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and serves breakfast on weekends.