Two former Million Pound Menu stars are launching a restaurant

They’re taking up residency at Atul Kocchar’s Hawkyns

Updated on • Written By Caroline Hendry

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Two former Million Pound Menu stars are launching a restaurant

If you’re an avid viewer of BBC2’s restaurant competition Million Pound Menu, then you’ll know all about husband-and-wife team Rupert and Marita, who won praise for their Bubble& concept, which updates the classic dish of bubble and squeak.

Bubble&'s founders Rupert and Marita

Now, they’ve announced that they will be opening Bubble& Café Bar at Hawkyns restaurant in Amersham, which is headed up by two Michelin-starred chef Atul Kocchar. Opening on 25 February, the residency will take over the bar area of Hawkyns, and offer a menu featuring an array of dishes, starting from as little as £5 per plate.

Options to try include the Bubble& Classic, a traditional bubble and squeak with a soft poached free-range egg, smoked streaky bacon and hollandaise sauce. If you’re looking to try something a little different, you can opt for the Bubble& Pork Belly, which is served with slow-roasted pork belly, cajun bean stew, green chilli salsa verde and crackling.

It’s not all about the signature dish though, as other options from the menu include rump steak every evening, and full English breakfasts and roast beef dinners on Sundays. There will be sweet treats too, such as a hybrid sticky toffee baked Alaska, which mixes sticky toffee pudding with sticky toffee ice cream, meringue, toffee sauce and spiced oranges.

Dishes will start from as little as £5

As a key investor on Million Pound Menu, renowned chef Kochhar went to see Bubble& in action at their pop-up restaurant in Manchester. He was impressed with what he saw and their modern take on an English classic, bubble and squeak. Following their winning performance, he confirmed he would invest in the venture and the Bubble& Café Bar is the result.

Atul Kochhar commented, “It’s really fantastic to see Rupert and Marita in the kitchen. They are incredibly passionate about the food they create, and they’ve developed a fantastic concept that really works – a modern version of bubble and squeak. I’m delighted to be supporting this couple and I’m looking forward to our continued collaboration.”  

Bubble and squeak is not the only thing on the menu

Bubble& was created by Rupert and Marita in 2013. Rupert spotted a gap in the market while working at a gastropub as head chef, believing that the much-loved dish of bubble and squeak could be as versatile as pizza or pasta. This led to the creation of Bubble&, which originally started out life as a food stall.

The main dining room at Hakwyns will continue to operate as usual, serving a menu of pan-Indian cuisine.

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