A traditional City chophouse originally founded in 1757 reopens next week under a new guise and new ownership – but with its historic interior painstakingly restored.
Simpson’s Tavern in Cornhill closed down four years ago following a dispute with its landlord. It is being relaunched by the team behind Cloth in Smithfield as Cloth Cornhill – and with new schedules, serving lunch and dinner during the working week instead of its traditional breakfast and lunch.
Until its closure, Simpson’s had a good claim to be the oldest restaurant in the UK – an accolade usually granted to the considerably younger Rules in Covent Garden, which dates from 1798. The new team – Joe Haynes, Ben Butterworth and chef Tom Hurst – have a track record of operating in historic buildings, having opened Cloth two years ago in a townhouse on Cloth Fair that survived the Great Fire of 1666 and was later home to poet laureate Sir John Betjeman.
The trio say of their new project: “We’ve worked extremely hard over the past year, preserving all 269 years of this beloved institution’s history, whilst pouring new life into it – and we can’t wait to show everyone the restored space in all its glory.”
The opening menu at Cloth Cornhill manages to be both ‘modern British’ in its approach while also paying tribute to its chophouse origins. There’s a venison, bacon and prune pie, a Suffolk pork chop and, for two to share, a Somerset Barnsley chop with anchovy and rosemary butter, while steaks are served with bone marrow. It’s not clear yet if you can finish your meal with Simpson’s famous signature, ‘stewed cheese pudding’ – perhaps it will be revived by public demand.
The venue can seat a total of 105 guests in two restaurant dining rooms, with another 40 standing in Amy’s Bar and (from 1 November) another 24 in two private dining rooms. Opening next Thursday (1 October), it will operate from 11am-11pm Monday-Friday (closed at weekends).
