Mark Hix joins Brown's hotel and plans own restaurant

Former Caprice Holdings chef-director Mark Hix has been appointed as restaurant consultant to London's Brown's Hotel, Caterer can reveal.

Hix, who left Caprice Holdings at the end of last year, joined the Rocco Forte-owned property in January and has been working on relaunching the Grill at Brown's hotel restaurant. He has been working with the restaurant's head chef, Lee Streeton, and plans to relaunch the eaterie officially next month under a new name.

Hix told Caterer his aim was to return the restaurant to "what it was always meant to be", a traditional British grill.

"That means a meaty menu, with a lot of it served on the bone, plus oysters and some classic fish dishes and the revival of some old classics, such as blackface mutton and turnip pie," he said. "We've already changed the menu but at this point it's still very much a work in progress."

Separately, Hix has confirmed plans to open his own restaurant in the heart of Smithfield market in the City of London. Located on a site that was previously occupied by Rudland & Stubbs, Hix Oyster and Chop House will be a 60-cover restaurant with bar that is scheduled to open in late April.

"The name really says what it is," Hix said. "We'll have a large list of British oysters and be working with unusual cuts of meat such as veal T-bones, bacon chops, Porterhouse, fillet steak-on-the-bone and venison cutlets."

Hix refused to comment on rumours linking him with another property in the South-west of England, following the collapse of a deal last year to buy the Riverside Restaurant in Bridport, Dorset.

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By Joe Warwick

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