The Greenhouse, London

The Greenhouse is a very interesting restaurant indeed. Since it began business back in 1977, under Brian Turner, it has been the stage from which a serious succession of seriously skilled chefs have showcased their talents. This was where Gary Rhodes – back when his spiky hairdo was still considered cool – made a name for himself with his Michelin star-winning born-again British classics. His successor and protégé, Paul Merrett, possibly the only person to win a star without having somewhere to show it off – his restaurant, Interlude on Charlotte Street, was bought and closed by investors as Le Guide Rouge went to press – returned to the Greenhouse to win his second star in 2003. Then, just six days after Merrett learned of this reward, Marcus Abela and his MARC restaurant group (who also own Umu) purchased the property from the Levin family (owners of the Capital), immediately closing it for a four-month refit. Before reopening, Merrett left to set up his own, less formal venture, the Farm in Fulham. In his stead, Antonin Bonnet, who was Abela’s man at Morton’s private members club, stepped in briefly before Bjorn van der Horst was found to take the helm. He held onto the Greenhouse’s star in 2004, even earning an espoir ranking in 2006. In spite of this, that year van der Horst left to join Ramsay’s empire at La Noisette; with his departure the espoir evaporated, but Bonnet reappeared.