Ex-Firmdale Hotels chef to launch debut restaurant in Tunbridge Wells

Ex-Firmdale Hotel Group executive chef Robin Read will open his debut restaurant, the Counter, in Kent on 2 May.

The Counter is housed in a 200-year-old Georgian building in the centre of Tunbridge Wells, which Read has taken on alongside his wife Greta Boccia, who will lead the wine programme.

The site will consist of a main restaurant with table and counter dining, a private dining room, and a small wine bar and courtyard garden.

It will be the first permanent restaurant for Read, who trained with the Roux brothers and left Firmdale in 2021 after 16 years with the group.

A choice of five, eight and ten-course tasting menus, costing £60, £95, and £125 respectively will be on offer, while produce will be predominantly sourced from a network of independent suppliers in Kent and Sussex.

The launch menu will include cured mackerel croustade with broccoli puree; cavolo nero cavatelli; lobster mousse; and steamed brill. On the sweeter side, the menu will offer rosemary and fennel granita, and chocolate cremeaux with bitter orange gel.

Boccia's wine list will consist of a mix of English and European wines, alongside English spirits.

A ten-course menu will also be available at the counter, where diners can watch Read and his chefs cook and plate up dishes at the pass. This menu will be more experimental, taste-testing the next month's dishes which are in development.

During his 16 years at the Firmdale, Read oversaw the new openings of four hotels, a bakery and training academy. Prior to this, he was head chef under Marco Pierre White at Mirabelle when the restaurant retained its Michelin star.

Read began his cooking career aged 16 at Roux Brothers' London Patisserie and has also worked in the kitchens at Le Gavroche, the Square and Restaurant Paul Heathcote.