Root has announced it is expanding its brand with its first restaurant outside of Bristol. The small plates restaurant, with a primary focus on seasonal vegetarian dishes, is opening in Wells in addition to its site in Wapping Wharf's Cargo development.
It will take over the neighbourhood restaurant Ensemble on Sadler Street situated just a few minutes from Wells Cathedral. The previous owners closed the restaurant following the passing of the former general manager of Ensemble, Simon Leyton.
The restaurant took the decision to close "the painful decision to close the restaurant forthwith", it said in a statement. Root said the site had been home to some great restaurants over the years.
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In a statement, Root said: "We feel incredibly fortunate to be in such a fantastic location in the heart of the city, with views of the cathedral. We feel a great weight of responsibility to get this right and offer something special in Wells.
"Head Chef Rob was born, raised, and began his career in Wells. After over fifteen years experience working abroad and across the country, he made the decision to settle back home in Wells with his wife and manager Meg."
Restaurant owners Josh Eggleton (The Pony Group, Bristol Beer Factory, School of Food) and Luke Hasell (Story Butchers, Valleyfest) have a wealth of experience in the catering and restaurant business and will continue to support and guide Rob Howell and Meg with the opening of this second Root site, the statement added.
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The statement continued: "Root Bristol has and continues to be a popular and busy restaurant, with our loyal and hardworking team being vital to its success. We are proud of what we have achieved and after five years, it felt like an opportune moment to create a second restaurant, with Rob’s career ambition being to contribute to the community in the way of food and hospitality."
Root is currently unable to confirm the exact dates for when the Wells site will open. Opening in 2017, owners Josh and Hasell wanted to create a forward-thinking restaurant that championed local suppliers and producers and led with a 'more veg, less meat' ethos.
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