Inside The Chester Grosvenor's eagerly-anticipated new Arkle restaurant

The five-star hotel's new fine dining restaurant is being headed up by recently appointed Chester-born executive chef Elliot Hill

The Chester Grosvenor's eagerly-anticipated new fine dining restaurant is open for business.

Arkle, based at the city's popular five-star hotel and headed up by newly-appointed executive chef Elliot Hill, served its first guests this week.

The venue was previously known as ‘Simon Radley at The Chester Grosvenor ’ but has undergone a £250,000 revamp and rebrand after temporarily closing last summer.

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Former executive chef, Simon Radley, departed in October last year following more than 30 years working at the city centre hotel.

The focal point of the launch offering is its tasting menu - also available as vegetarian and plant-based options - and includes dishes such as chicken en gelée, blanc of wild turbot, fillet of beef and Tatws Pum Munud – new Chester-born executive chef Elliot’s take on a traditional Welsh dish, and inspired by his father.

Elliot, a National Chef of the Year finalist in 2021 who was formerly head chef at Liverpool's Panoramic 34 and Oddfellows Chester, has a hugely experienced team around him.

Joining him in the kitchen team is head chef Raymond Booker, who has been in place at The Chester Grosvenor for more than 17 years, head pastry chef Declan O’Driscoll and senior sous chef Sam Griffiths.

The front of house team includes restaurant manager Aga Szopa and Head Sommelier Boris Filip.

Richard Grove, general manager of The Chester Grosvenor, said: "We’ve had a fantastic opening week for the Arkle, with the reception and feedback from guests being extremely positive.

"I am so proud of the team who have done a marvellous job – both in getting us ready for opening and then successfully delivering on that vision.

"It’s been tremendous to see and I’m grateful for their hard work as well as the guests who’ve been in to dine with us, all of whom have been wonderfully supportive of what we’re looking to achieve."

Last month, we reported that The Chester Grosvenor - and Cheshire as a whole - was no longer home to a Michelin star restaurant for the first time in more than 30 years.

As a result of the temporary restaurant closure to allow for the Arkle rebrand, the five-star hotel missed out on this year's prestigious Michelin Guide.

Richard added: "With the restaurant closed for a prolonged period, it simply wasn’t possible for the Michelin inspectors to assess our offering.

"With the Arkle now fully open and boasting a team that’s been immersed in our 30-year history of Michelin-standard fare, we are excited to be delivering the same exceptional standards of service and food for which we have always been known.

"It’s an exciting time at The Chester Grosvenor across our entire food offering, and we’re delighted to be back open and welcoming guests.”

To book visit chestergrosvenor.com or call 01244 324024.