Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant adds Leamington entrepreneur’s beer to menu

Empress Ale founder Surj Virk (left) with the team at Kanishka in Mayfair

A craft beer created by a Leamington entrepreneur has been picked by celebrity chef Atul Kochhar for his new flagship Mayfair restaurant.

Kochhar, who stars in shows including My Million Pound Menu and Masterchef Goes Large, has added Empress Ale to the menu at Kanishka, which focuses on unexplored cuisine from North East India.

Surj Virk set up Empress Ale in 2016 and gained investment in 2017 from its now chairman, Grenville Turner, the former chief executive of Countrywide Bank and former Zoopla board member.

The business was scaled up as a result, with Empress now working with a number of Michelin-starred venues which stock the craft beer.

Virk said: “I was ecstatic when I found out – it is a great compliment when someone who is that well-respected within the industry specifically requests to sell our beer. It gives us great confidence in the progress Empress is making as a product and a business.

Kochhar said: “I loved the Empress Ale concept and brand from the start and the way the beer works so well with a variety of dishes, but also as an easy drinking beer on its own.

“Our drinks menu is already quite vast and varied with a range of cocktails, wines and extensive whisky and gin lists, and Empress Ale is a much welcomed addition to this wonderful list.”

 

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