18/06/2026
A message from my ivory tower - it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, so a quick update from me.
First up, we’re throwing our name behind the campaign.
If you enjoy eating out and would like to see independent restaurants survive, it’s well worth taking a look and adding your support. This isn’t about asking for a handout or sympathy. It’s about pushing for change at an industry level. Hospitality is being squeezed from every direction and every day feels like a relegation battle. I’ve got 20 people here whose livelihoods depend on our businesses surviving and there are thousands more owners across the industry in exactly the same position.
There are people explaining the campaign far better than I ever could but if you care about independent restaurants, pubs, cafés and bars please consider supporting it.
We are fighting survival with a big venue that needs to work harder for us, so we have to switch up the way we do things. It can get confusing with all the moving parts, so I’d like to explain in simple terms what’s changing and what’s not.
First up we’ve got . Our restaurant partners at Field 28 already had a bakery producing great bread and pastries for the farm and wholesale, so this one was a no brainer.
We are first and foremost a coffee shop and bakery where you can pop in for a coffee and pastry, grab a loaf and head home, or stay for breakfast. We’ve got a great manager, Rob, making brilliant coffee and drinks from ceremonial-grade matcha to handcrafted hot chocolate and a cracking selection of interesting teas. From the kitchen we have a small but strong menu with breads at the forefront using ingredients from the kitchens and a growing deli fridge and pantry section to take home or for your lunch. We will keep growing as our customer base increases so please visit, have a chat and let us know what you’d like to see.
Next up is the middle bit - . We’ve switched this up to make better use of the space and bring it closer to what we always hoped it would be, with its own identity to Chef’s Table, somewhere built around premium ingredients but with less structure, formality and fuss than a tasting menu. We’ve got some beautiful food coming out with lighter options like salads and open club sandwiches, refined small plates, oysters and lounge classics like fried chicken & caviar and a wagyu burger. The space feels intimate with a great vibe at night, perfect for a date or just to pop in for a drink. We started small but are expanding hours and are now open for lunch on Friday & Saturday, so if you’re knocking around town and want something really decent, stop by.
Chef’s Table is Chef’s Table. We’re always changing dishes seasonally, tweaking menus and trying to improve the experience. We’ve made a few adjustments to the room recently, mostly around the atmosphere - softer lighting, warmer colours and a more intimate feel. If you haven’t been in for a while, you might be surprised by how different it feels.
Anyway, that’s enough from me.
Thanks, as always, for supporting what we do. We’ll keep adapting, keep improving and keep trying to make these businesses worth visiting.
