The pair opened Mãos, which means ‘hands’ in Portuguese and revolves around an ‘immersive and intimate’ dining experience served at a single 16-seat communal table, within hybrid gallery and retail space Blue Mountain School in 2018.
It went on to win a Michelin star last year.
In a statement regarding Mendes’ departure, Brown said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Nuno, and wish him the best of luck with his ventures.
“We’re thrilled that [executive head chef] Edoardo Pellicano, who has been with us since we opened and has led the kitchen creatively since early 2019, will continue to push the project alongside his talented kitchen team, our original front of house team, and general manager Alex Casey.”
In October last year it was reported that Mendes was returning to Portugal to launch five ‘dining destinations’ in his native Lisbon, under his new role as food and beverage creative director at the luxury Bairro Alto Hotel in the city.
These include the hotel’s flagship BAHR fine dining restaurant, which focuses on Portuguese produce with a menu including iberico pork from the Alentejo with bivalves, coriander and garlic; and wild seabass with turnips and creamy rice canja.
Mendes, who is also executive chef at Chiltern Firehouse in the capital, previously ran London restaurants Viajante and Taberna do Mercado, which are both now closed.
In a statement, the chef has said he will continue to split his time between Chiltern Firehouse and the Bairro Alto Hotel.
