Hannan Meats and Top Chef Terry Laybourne Joins Forces For Steak Bar
Northern Ireland’s multi- award winning Hannan Meats is part of a highly innovative butcher and steak bar being developed in Newcastle upon Tyne by top chef and restaurateur Terry Laybourne.
Laybourne’s unique Porterhouse Butcher and Grill Bar is an expansion of his 21 Hospitality Group within Fenwick Food Hall in the high-end retail complex in Newcastle city centre.
Terry Laybourne said: “This new venue has been driven by the positive response we’ve had to the Saltwater Fish Company which operates as a fish bar and fishmonger within Fenwick. We offer a premium product, treated with respect and cooked in front of customers who really engage with the process.”
Hannan Meats, based at Moira in county Down and current holder of the UK Great Taste Supreme Champion title, is supplying most of the meat to the Porterhouse Butcher and Grill. The award-winning beef is dry aged for up to 45 days in Himalayan salt chambers which give the meat a unique flavour and tenderness.
Top nationally renowned chefs turn to this beef because of its unique quality. Terry Laybourne has been working with Peter Hannan, the founder and managing director of Hannan Meats, and serving his Himalayan salt-aged beef from other restaurants within his 21 Hospitality Group for several years. However, this will be the first time such premium, restaurant quality beef will be available from a retail outlet in Newcastle and the North East. London’s Fortnum & Mason is the only other retailer to offer this beef in England.
Terry Laybourne added: “I have never come across beef that is so good and is of such consistent quality. This beef isn’t just different, it’s consistently better.
“Our chefs will treat all these premium meats with respect. They will work hand in hand with our butcher, taking a ‘we cook what we sell, we sell what we cook’ approach. Our meat and game is seasonal so both our butcher and dining menu will be constantly changing.”
Peter Hannan said: “We are delighted to be part of what is an immensely exciting and unique dining and retail experience in Newcastle. It’s an example of the smart culinary and catering ideas that we’ve come to expect from Terry. We’ve developed an excellent relationship with him over many years and look forward to continuing to work with him to offer consumers in Newcastle and the wider North East supreme quality meats from our Himalayan Salt Chambers. It’s a marvellous boost for us and also for the network of Northern Ireland farmers who supply us with exceptional grass-fed beef.”
Porterhouse Butcher and Grill will offer casual dining at the counter, along with seated restaurant space. There will be counter seating for around 14 people, table seating for 30, an open kitchen, creative chefs and knowledgeable service staff.
Meat will be cooked in front of customers using a charcoal fired Josper grill, ensuring a lively, dynamic environment throughout the day. Diners will have the opportunity to see and discuss how premium meat should be prepared and cooked.
Porterhouse Butcher and Grill will employ up to nine kitchen and front of house staff when it opens in early August.
For Fenwick, this sees the introduction of a dynamic, new offer within the Food Hall. Store director Rhys McKinnell said: “This new hybrid retail/restaurant concept epitomises everything Fenwick Food Hall stands for – highest quality produce, exceptional cookery and craft skills plus premium service, which together create an elevated customer experience.”
Porterhouse Butcher and Grill will source best quality produce from a multitude of small, specialist producers including Steve Ramshaw and his Northumberland Wagyu beef and Middle White pork from Ravensworth Grange Farm.
Big hitting red wines will feature on the carefully selected wine list along with some classic cocktails.
Porterhouse Butcher and Grill will follow Fenwick store hours, with the dining space open 11am daily.
Terry Laybourne’s 21 Hospitality Group operates his flagship restaurant, 21, along with Caffe Vivo and The Broad Chare pub on Newcastle’s Quayside; and Café 21 and Saltwater Fish Company within the Fenwick department store. Terry acted as a consultant to Fenwick helping advise on the overall Food Hall multi-million pound redevelopment in 2015.
