Michelin-starred Ormer restaurant renamed Samphire

Michelin-starred Ormer restaurant renamed Samphire

Ormer is changing its name to Samphire, while the former Don Street Deli next door that is also run by the company is to be rebranded as Street, an informal eatery that will serve food in a similar style to tapas.

Head chef Lee Smith is to remain in charge of the kitchen, which was formerly run by Shaun Rankin.

In November the owners announced that Mr Rankin had been ‘removed’ from the business, adding that it was time to move forward with a refocused vision.

Mr Rankin, meanwhile, said that a newly formed shareholder group at Ormer wanted to take the restaurant in a direction which was ‘incompatible’ with his ‘food philosophy’.

Mr Smith said the new offering would provide a more relaxed style of dining. ‘The key is to cook simple food really well,’ he said. ‘We have an abundance of really good ingredients in Jersey and what we want to do is take these and create dishes that are unfussy and yet are worthy of our excellent reputation and our Michelin star.

‘Great food does not have to be over-complicated – you should just let the ingredients do the talking.’

He added: ‘Eating out should be a pleasurable, relaxing experience, whether it’s dropping in for a quick snack while you catch up on emails, if you’re visiting the Island and want to try our great produce, meeting friends or colleagues for a quick lunchtime bite or celebrating a major event with friends and family.

‘The new combination of different eating and meeting possibilities under one roof creates a unique offering in the Island.’

Chula Whelan, chief executive of SRNB Holdings, which owns Samphire, said: ‘Samphire is evolving to embrace the growing trend towards food and service excellence in an informal, relaxed environment.

‘Absolutely we want to maintain our Michelin-starred reputation, but we intend to do that by moving with the times and offering a thoroughly modern dining experience.’

The rebrand is scheduled for ‘mid-March’.

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