2016 Roux Scholar to head up X by Harry Guy as chef patron

Chef Harry Guy is set to open an eponymous restaurant in Cheshire in the summer of next year.

X by Harry Guy - located inside the planned 18-room boutique hotel Wildes Chester, which will launch in conjunction with the restaurant - has been more than four years in the making, a culmination of the chef's ambitions after winning the much-coveted Roux Scholarship in 2016.

The 50-cover restaurant will serve British dishes with a focus on using the best UK produce available.

Working closely with quality suppliers and farmers in the Cheshire countryside and beyond, traceability will be central to the food offering at X. 

Harry decided to become a chef at the age of 14, while working in a kitchen as a pot washer. After attending North Leamington School, he undertook an Advanced Culinary Skills course at Stratford-Upon-Avon College. He then worked at  then Michelin-starred Mallory Court Hotel in Leamington Spa, under Simon Haigh;two Michelin-starred L’Enclume in Cartmel, Cumbria.

After winning the Roux Scholarship when he was 26, Harry staged at Saison in San Francisco with celebrated chef Joshua Skenes, following which he worked as an operations manager and chef across Simon Rogan’s London restaurants Roganic and Aulis London. He also worked at Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill for a brief period before Covid-19 struck.

On opening the new restaurant, the chef said: “I am absolutely buzzing that we can finally make this announcement as I have been hounded for months by people wanting to know what my plan was. X has been a long time in the making and is something that dreams are made of for a chef like me. 

“I am essentially creating my perfect restaurant; from the dishes that I have had brewing in my mind for years to the look and feel of the space itself. I am also in the process of forming a great team of people from the ground up, creating something that feels really special. Right now I couldn’t be more proud or more eager to get the doors open.” 

Explaining his vision for the interior decor, which he describes as "invitingly dark," he added: “For me, it’s all about the guest’s journey; as soon as they step into the restaurant, I want the outside world to fade away and for them to feel totally immersed in the experience. From the atmospheric interiors to the food itself and how we serve it, I want to create a place where people can feel totally comfortable but enjoy something outside the ordinary.

“After working in some of the best kitchens in the world, I’m now ready to do things my way and have big ambitions for X.” 

Paul Wildes, CEO of The WILDES Hotel Group added: “It feels fantastic that X is no longer just a pipedream but is set to become one of the finest restaurants in the country. Harry’s vision is really quite special and completely unique for city.

“Transforming this historical building, we want to create something that stands the test of time, as Chester has for thousands of years. Like many city centres, Chester is currently undergoing a massive period of change, particularly on the hospitality front with so many interesting venues popping up all over the city. We have ambitious plans for X and feel confident that the restaurant will put Chester on the map as a real culinary destination, becoming an important corner stone in the heart of the city.”