Nottingham chef-entrepreneur Nichola Thompson is opening her second private dining venue, Chapter 2 – a follow-up to Table 47, which regularly has a four-month waiting time for bookings.
Neither is a traditional restaurant for walk-in customers: instead, they offer pre-booked dining for parties of various sizes, with bespoke or tasting menus and open-kitchen cooking as part of the service.
Nottingham-born Nichola, who worked for Gary Rhodes and Gordon Ramsay early in her career, said the new venue, in West Bridgford, will take her approach to “the next level”, accommodating up to 80 diners or 200 people for events. She opened Table 47 two years ago in the city centre, with room for up to 30 guests at a sitting.
“Prepare for another dynamic addition to Nottingham’s exclusive dining scene. Chapter 2 will be a destination restaurant and bar, with an emphasis on locally sourced quality food, sustainability and exclusivity, but with a twist.”
Decorated speakeasy-style following a £250,000 investment, the basement venue features a long table to showcase at-table cooking, a secluded courtyard, wraparound bar and a cigar room hosted by Long Eaton’s House of Holmes Cigars, with dehumidifiers installed to allow for cigar tasting sessions.
Nichola added: “These really are exciting times. I never expected to reach this stage in the business’s development so soon, but I also did not expect to have a four-month waiting list for Table 47 at this point.
“Initially, people did not quite understand what we were trying to achieve with the bespoke dining concept. Now it has proven itself, there was a gap in the market for such a venue, and it has been a huge success.
“This is only chapter two in the business’s story. We have more chapters planned and maybe even a plot twist to come.”
Booking is now open for Chapter 2, including a Jazz & Poetry opening night celebration on 29 May, at £45 a head.
