Tom Kitchin to expand Edinburgh restaurant

MICHELIN starred chef Tom Kitchin is to expand his Edinburgh restaurant following the closure of next door venue Chop Chop - which was itself lauded by TV cook Gordon Ramsay as one of Britain’s best Chinese restaurants.

Tom Kitchin. Picture: Contributed

Kitchin said he would grow the successful Leith eaterie into the restaurant adjacent to his existing premises, around doubling the size of the venue.

Chop Chop’s Leith branch - the second in the stable of the brand which featured on Ramsay’s The F Word programme - closed last month.

The Chinese restaurant chain, which still has one branch in Edinburgh’s Haymarket area and which became famous for its dumplings which are currently being trialled in Aldi stores, said it is searching for a second city centre venue to replace Leith and revealed plans to open in Glasgow and expand across the UK. It is offering customers the chance to invest in the venture by purchasing £100 packages which include shares and restaurant vouchers.

Kitchin, who has operated from the site since 2006 and became the world’s youngest ever Michelin-starred chef when he received the prestigious award aged 29, said: “The new space will allow us all to grow. For me and our team in the kitchen, it will mean more space and more importantly, the dining space will be more comfortable for our guests. It’s a really exciting time for us all.”

Chop Chop founder, Changchung-born Jian Wang said: “We have been good neighbours with Chef Tom Kitchin and the team at The Kitchin for over four years and we’re delighted that this agreement fits so well with both companies’ expansion plans. In a way, we’re sad to leave as Chop Chop Leith has been a great success but we’re now focusing on busier, city-centre sites.”

The refurbishment work and expansion will take place during The Kitchin’s annual closure after Christmas and the restaurant is set to re-open again in January 2015.