Heston Blumenthal's historic Hinds Head restaurant in Bray set for major redesign this spring

Heston Blumenthal

Heston Blumenthal

Other 17th February 2017
Heston Blumenthal

Heston Blumenthal's historic Hinds Head restaurant in Bray set for major redesign this spring

Heston Blumenthal's one Michelin star restaurant The Hinds Head in Bray is set to close its doors from Monday March 27th, when it will undergo a major, three week long, transformation.

This latest incarnation in the building's evolution will encapsulate its rich unique history, with playful, quirky design references to its origins as a hunting lodge and coaching inn.

The Hinds Head will offer a choice of 3, 4 and 6 course menus that will change and evolve on a monthly basis, celebrating British cooking and the consummate eclectic style that it has become known for over the past 11 years.

On the ground floor, the space will be remodeled to create a larger more cossetted dining area. The Grade II listed oak paneling, antique beams and open fireplaces will remain and enhanced with deep, button-backed leather banquettes, heavy wooden tables and eccentric curiosities.

The wine collection too will be expanded and housed in its own private cellar with a glass wall temptingly overlooking the dining room. Isa Bal, Head Sommelier of The Fat Duck Group will curate the extended list, comprising of approximately 120 bins, from more well known vineyards around the world to lesser known ones, producing great wines.

Venturing upstairs, guests will be invited to explore the newly created lounge. With its own bar, the space will be an opulent, handsome retreat filled with comfortable sofas, armchairs, rugs, fantastical trophies and dim-glow candle light, providing the perfect backdrop to indulge in a drinks list of artisan cocktails, classic and small batch gins, champagnes and wine. A smaller menu of bar snacks will also be available from the kitchen.

The private dining room, The Vicars Room, will remain but undergo a dramatic redesign, with teasing, tongue-in-cheek references to the building's association with Simon Aleyn, the infamous Vicar of Bray. A monolithic dining table hewn from a single trunk of oak will dominate the room, under a pair of parlour chandeliers depicting the heads of Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I of England.

The team at Bray worked with Stephen Saunders, from interior designers Fabled Studio, to reawaken the hidden history of The Hinds Head, in a playful and eccentrically British manner. This latest chapter promises to deliver a truly unique guest experience in one of Britain's most quintessentially English villages.

www.hindsheadbray.com

Sunday, March 26th will be The Hinds Head final service before the renovations begin.

The restaurant is set to reopen to the public on Thursday, April 20th.

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