Mark Sargeant reveals Great Northern hotel menu and brigade details
The names of Mark Sargeant's senior kitchen brigade at Plum + Spilt Milk has been revealed, as he returns to the London restaurant scene on 18 July to take over the food and beverage operations at the Great Northern hotel in King's Cross.
Mike Denman, previously executive chef at Hix Soho, has been named executive chef at the restaurant, while the head chef position has been filled by Matt Laville, formerly senior sous chef at Jason Atherton's Pollen Street Social.
In addition to running the hotel's 90-cover all-day dining restaurant Plum + Spilt Milk, Sargeant will be responsible for the GNH Bar and sandwich shop Kiosk.
The menus at Plum + Spilt Milk are expected to be based on British ingredients cooked "simply yet creatively", with such dishes as: red mullet with braised fennel (£19); monkfish curry with pilaf rice (£19.50); Salt Marsh lamb shank hotpot (£18.50); and whole roast Goosnargh chicken with bread sauce (£48, for two people).
There will also be a number of classic dishes given a "luxury" spin, an "on toast" section, and a range of fresh shellfish including Dorset crab and native lobster.
Located on the first floor, the restaurant features three-metre high, floor to ceiling sash windows, 120 hand blown glass pendants and banquette based furniture, handmade by Boffi of Milan.
Sargeant's remit at the 100-capacity ground floor GNH Bar begins with breakfast and runs through to 1am. The menu is made up of ‘small bits', such as Black Pudding Scotch eggs with HP sauce (£6) and Crispy baby squid with harissa mayonnaise (£8); ‘big bits', including oak smoked salmon club sandwich, paprika fries and dill pickle (£11.50); and ‘sweet bits'.
The international menu has been created to complement the bar's design, which aims to evoke a combination of twenties Art Deco and the Belle Époque.
The offering at Kiosk will serve hand-carved hot roast meat sandwiches including a Salt Beef Reuben (£7.25) and pork belly with stuffing and apple sauce (£5).
The venture is the celebrated chef's first in London since leaving Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's and launching restaurant Rocksalt in Folkestone, Kent in 2011, as revealed by Caterer and Hotelkeeper in April.
Great Northern Hotel owner-operator Jeremy Robson commented: "I am delighted to have Mark on board. An exceptional space deserves an equally outstanding chef and I am thrilled to offer this exciting combination to both our guests and local residents alike."
Sargeant added: "It's great to be back in London and really exciting to be involved in the culinary evolution that's taking place in the King's Cross area."
Mark Sargeant to launch restaurant at London's Great Northern hotel >>
