Marco Pierre White to open restaurant in the Cube

RENOWNED chef and restaurateur Marco Pierre White is to open a new skyline restaurant on the top floor of Birmingham’s troubled Cube development.

Mr White, the youngest-ever chef to receive three Michelin stars will launch his Steakhouse Bar and Grill as part of a £10million development by Sanguine Hospitality Ltd. Sanguine will run the four-star Hotel Indigo on floors 23 and 24 of the building, as well as White’s restaurant and a health club under the luxury Health & Spa brand name.

All three phases are due to open in summer 2011.

Mr White said: “Our guests will not only enjoy magnificent food and drink, but also breathtaking views of the city, from Aston to Edgbaston, and we can’t wait to make our own mark on the city’s cultural landscape.”

The development continues White’s relationship with Sanguine, which runs two other Steakhouse Bar and Grill operations in Chester and Bristol, as well the Swan Inn near Orsmkirk.

Hotel Indigo is a boutique-style hotel concept new to the UK from the Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) brand stable and will be owned and operated by Sanguine. The Club & Spa mirrors award-winning venues in Chester and Bristol, featuring a wet area comprising a hydrotherapy pool, five thermal treatments rooms, a state-of-the-art gymnasium and a ten-room luxury spa.  

Cube developers Birmingham Development Company went into administration in March this year, raising fears about the completion of the iconic building next to the Mailbox complex. But administrators PwC kept building work on track and several units in the mixed use development are now occupied .

Sanguine managing director, Nick Taplin, said: “Birmingham has a fantastic tourism offer and we will benefit from the high volume of corporate and leisure visits. We have no doubt that The Cube will become the place to eat, sleep and be seen when visiting the city.”

Sanguine has 10 venues across the UK, but the Cube development is the company’s first in the Midlands, and was secured following a funding package by Downing Corporate Finance and Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets.  

Marco Pierre White added: “There is a clear appetite for affordable glamour and quality food in the West Midlands and we’re aiming to satisfy that desire in the very heart of Birmingham. The restaurant will be somewhere for friends and family to gather in relaxed surroundings and enjoy simple food, cooked perfectly.

“Birmingham is a fantastic city with a rich history and diverse social tapestry, plus an eclectic flavour of personalities to match. The Cube represents everything that’s exciting about today’s Birmingham – fresh, innovative and forward-thinking – and was the undisputed choice for my first venue in the city.

White’s announcement comes hot on the heels of a spate of major restaurant openings in Birmingham. Jamie Oliver’s new venture at Bullring is to open before Christmas, and Antonio Carluccio’s brasserie in Brindleplace is proving popular with diners.

Neil Edginton, director at The Cube, says: “The dining experience within the city is just getting stronger and stronger and what better way to crown The Cube than with Marco himself.   We’re thrilled also to be welcoming Sanguine aboard as they truly understand this visionary scheme and, based on their fantastic track record; we know that they will really make The Cube shine.”

Sanguine’s in-house construction company, Denizen Contracts LLP, will move on site on January 4 with the fit out expected to be completed by August.