Simon Hulstone closes The Room in The Elephant

The chef said the decision reflected ‘modern eating out trends’ and would improve working conditions for his staff by removing the pressure of running two restaurants.

The Elephant - which has held a Michelin star for 11 years - opened The Room on the first floor in 2008. 

The ground floor brasserie began serving simpler, more ‘accessible’ dishes while The Room served a formal tasting menu between April and October.

However, Hulstone said he felt the time was right to combine the two in to a 55-cover ground floor space.

“The Elephant originally started out as a ground floor restaurant and we only introduced The Room so that we could make the ground floor more accessible to those didn’t necessarily want a tasting menu experience,” said Hulstone.

“With dining becoming less formal, even at the highest standards, we felt the time was right to create a dining space that reflects modern eating out trends and gives our guests a wider food offering throughout the year but maintaining our ethos for quality ingredients and fantastic service.”

Hulstone has previously spoken about the challenges of running a seasonal hospitality business in Torquay,​ with staff ‘rushed off their feet’ during the summer.

“Working at this level is always hard work so moving back to one restaurant will also provide welcome relief to the team during the busy summer months,” he said.

The Elephant is currently running a guest chef series,​ with Mark Sargeant, Luke Tipping and Adam Bennett among those taking part.