Wright Brothers Spitalfields appoints Richard Kirkwood as head chef
Seafood restaurant Wright Brothers Spitalfields has appointed Richard Kirkwood as new head chef.
He joins from his role as head chef at London restaurant J Sheekey, and has also worked at Le Caprice, the Ivy, and Coq D'Argent. He is set to revamp the Wright Brothers menu while maintaining its "East End seafood legacy" and keeping the dishes modern and original.
Robin Hancock, co-owner of Wright Brothers, said: "We are thrilled to have Richard Kirkwood join us with fresh new ideas for the menu and restaurant, whilst building upon David Cook's excellent work to date."
Commenting on his appointment, Kirkwood said: "I first met Robin Hancock and Ben Wright when I was working at Coq d'Argent and I have been lucky enough to cook with their fantastic produce for the past 12 years. I'm very excited to take on this new challenge and look forward to working with some of the best seafood the British Isles has to offer."
He takes over from former chef David Cook, who had previously worked at Moro, Bocca di Lupo and 40 Maltby Street.
The 60-cover Wright Brothers Spitalfields opened in January this year, and offers over 10,000 live molluscs and crustaceans. It features a 20-metre-long counter on which seafood platters, lobster, crabs and oysters are prepared, and also has a drinks bar, booth seating, and a 26-capacity outdoors market terrace.
It is the newest branch in the Wright Brothers portfolio, which was first founded in 2002 as a seafood wholesaler by brothers-in-law Hancock and Ben Wright. The group also runs Oyster House sites in London's Soho, and Borough Market, plus a restaurant named the Ferryboat Inn in Cornwall.
It sources millions of oysters from its own Duchy oyster farm, on the Prince of Wales' estate, and is a wholesaler to over 150 restaurant and chefs across the UK.
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