SO tara then to Michael O’Hare, who has quit as culinary creative director for Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs’ GG Hospitality Group.
From the start it has always felt an odd marriage of convenience to sprinkle the possibility of Michelin stardust over the pair’s ambitious projects. His departure – ostensibly to concentrate on his own one-star Leeds restaurant The Man Behind Curtain – will not impact on those GG mainstays with no high falutin’ aspirations, Hotel Football at Old Trafford and Cafe Football at Urbis.
And it appears that the recently relaunched Rabbit In The Moon (below) at the top of that building is in safe hands. It will continue to operate under head chef John Granaghan front of house Charlotte Rasburn (both brought from Man Behind Curtain, indeed Charlotte’s husband Adan is head chef there).
Which is great news. Because after a troubled period when head chef Luke Cockerill was mysteriously dispensed with and the place later shut for a rethink it hae re-emerged as arguably the best restaurant in the city (read our 5 star review).
The real question mark hangs over the dining direction of GG’s major project, converting the old Stock Exchange on Norfolk Street into a destination boutique hotel. O’Hare’s had plans for two restaurants there – The Man Who Fell To Earth and Are Friends Electric. These are likely to be replaced by a single dining space, one not in the extravagant rock and roll creative image of the man who once dubbed himself Hair Metal Chef.
A statement from GG Hospitality said: "Michael O’Hare has stepped down as culinary creative director of GG Hospitality. Michael made the decision to focus on his critically acclaimed restaurant, The Man Behind The Curtain in Leeds.
"Fine dining restaurant The Rabbit in The Moon will continue to operate under the guidance of head chef John Granaghan and front of house Charlotte Rasburn, both formerly of one Michelin star The Man Behind The Curtain.
"Plans for Stock Exchange Hotel’s restaurant, which is set to open early 2019, will be revealed over the next few months."