Eleanore announces refurbishment and plans to reopen as a neighbourhood bistro

Roberta Hall McCarron and Shaun McCarron’s award-winning restaurant, Eleanore, is closing at the end of January for a refurbishment. It will reopen a month or so later, in a different format, reflecting its origins, as a neighbourhood bistro.  

Diners will have the choice of either a two or three-course menu, with snacks such as oysters with rhubarb ponzu and hot sauce, and ox-cheek croquettes with salsa verde also available, as additions.  Starters will reference bistro classics, recreated with a modern edge, in the form of dishes such as beef tartare with kale and kohlrabi or mussel Thermidor.

Main courses will be hearty: guests can expect to see confit duck leg with puy lentils and watercress on the menu. Desserts will be crowd pleasers such as sticky-toffee profiteroles.  A special lunch menu will be served on Sundays.

The refurbishment will include a full kitchen refit and a reworking of the dining room. The kitchen counter will be removed to make way for a bar – a space for pre-or-post dinner drinks or for walk-in guests to enjoy snacks and a glass of wine. The décor will feature warm, dark-wood tones and touches of oyster white. The restaurant will still just have 20 covers – 16 table seats and four stools at the bar, in addition to some standing space for guests to enjoy their drinks before sitting down to dinner.

Roberta Hall McCarron said: “We wanted to take Eleanore back to its roots, giving guests the freedom to shape their own experience, from how long they stay to what they spend. There’s a lot of nostalgia tied up in this restaurant for us, and this felt like the right moment to reinterpret that in a way that reflects how people want to eat now.

www.eleanore.uk 

Photography: Christin and Amelia Masters