Angela Hartnett at The Connaught Hotel
| Angela Hartnett at The Connaught | |
|---|---|
 The location of The Connaught Hotel in London
|
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 2002 |
| Closed | September 13, 2007 |
| Chef | Angela Hartnett |
| Food type | Modern European |
| Rating |
 (Michelin Guide 2004–07) |
| Street address | Carlos Place |
| City | London |
| Postal/ZIP code | W1K 2AL |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°30′36″N 00°08′59″W / 51.51000°N 0.14972°W |
| Seating capacity | 65 |
Angela Hartnett at The Connaught, also known as MENU, was a restaurant owned by Gordon Ramsay Holdings and run by chef Angela Hartnett. It was located within The Connaught in Mayfair, London. The restaurant was opened following Ramsay's successful opening of Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, within the Claridge's hotel, which is owned by the same equity group. Ramsay had originally been asked to move Restaurant Gordon Ramsay into the space, but suggested that Hartnett should run a new operation there instead. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in the 2004 guide, and held it until it closed in 2007.
Following the successful opening of Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's, Gordon Ramsay was invited to attend a public relations event for the Savoy Group in New York. It was there that he heard that The Connaught hotel in London was looking for a chef to take over the restaurant operation, and had recently been showing around a chef from the United States. The Connaught restaurant had previously been run by Michel Bourdin for 26 years. His father in-law and business partner Chris Hutcheson spoke to Blackstone Group, the owners of The Connaught at the time, and also of Claridges. They were immediately interested in Ramsay running the restaurant there. However, they wanted Ramsay to move his three Michelin Star restaurant at Royal Hospital Road into the hotel. Ramsay was opposed to this as he wanted to specifically keep that restaurant independent of any hotel operation.
The negotiations with Blackstone continued, who wanted a female chef to be brought in. Ramsay suggested Angela Hartnett, who was running his restaurant in Dubai and had worked with him since he ran Aubergine. She was brought back to the UK to meet with Blackstone alongside Hutcheson, and hit it off with members of the investment group immediately. Following the meeting, Blackstone agreed that she should be the one running the restaurant at The Connaught. It took six months to refurbish the main restaurant, but the hotel was also partially closed for refurbishment of many of its rooms. The restaurant's kitchen was gutted and refitted with new appliances, and vermin infestations were dealt with. New carpets were laid throughout the restaurants, although due to wear and tear, they needed to be replaced after only eleven months. It made a loss from the first month when it opened in 2002, and would take two years to turn a profit – far longer than the initial estimates of six months. The opening of the restaurant was filmed for a BBC television series, Trouble at the Top.
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