Former Bohemia chef Shaun Rankin will open his own venture in the centre of Jersey’s capital, St Helier, next month.
The two-storey restaurant, called Ormer, is named after a type of abalone native to the Channel Islands. It will comprise
a dining room with alfresco space, plus a bar, private dining room and cigar terrace. The interiors will be designed by Martin Brudnizki, who will combine aged-leather seats, silk wallpaper and
battered oak panelling to create a warm, familiar ambience. The menu, meanwhile, is expected to be similar to the offering at Bohemia under Rankin – high-end contemporary dishes based on local,
seasonal raw materials.
The County Durham-born chef has spent most of his career in Jersey and his name has become synonymous with the Channel Islands since Bohemia, where he was head chef from 2004, won a Michelin star in 2005. Television appearances – including a stint on the fourth
series of the BBC’s Great British Menu, representing the south-west – followed.
Rankin announced his departure from Bohemia late last year, after 10 years at the helm, with the intention of focusing on both his media career and solo projects. Ormer is the first of these, but
the chef has revealed he intends to branch out beyond the Channel Islands in the future.
‘We are already looking at locations in London and further afield, so there is much more to come,’ he said. ‘But for the time being, I’ll focus on Ormer – we already have bookings into 2014, and we
haven’t even released a menu yet.’
Ormer will open in May 2013.
This story was published in April 2013.