A 27-year-old, multi-award winning chef has unveiled plans to start a new restaurant group, with the opening of its first site in Spitalfields this summer.
Adam Handling, who began his culinary journey at Gleneagles where he was the first ever trainee chef, will launch The Frog in Ely’s Yard on 8 June 2016 and intends to follow that up with more sites.
“This will be the first of a number of restaurants to be opened under my new restaurant and bar brand over the next five years, with three opening over comings months including a new location for my signature Restaurant Adam Handling,” he said. 
The Frog will offer a relaxed environment in which Handling’s distinctive cooking style – combining technical savvy with the best possible produce, and a lightly theatrical touch – will be offered for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Friday, with brunch and dinner on Saturdays and brunch and lunch on Sundays.
“We’ll be offering dishes that people associate with the finesse of my cooking style, but served in a more informal and relaxed atmosphere so that we appeal to the wide tourist, business and residential audiences in the area,” he explained.
The space will have seating for 60, and will be furnished with an eclectic combination of wooden tables, artisan crockery, sofas and cushions. There will be a private dining room for up to 15, which is situated on a mezzanine floor, overlooking the action in the kitchen.
Handling is bringing in his senior team from Adam Handling at Caxton, including head chef, Steven Kerr, to run the kitchen at The Frog.
A separate bar area will seat 14 and will provide an alternative area for both drinking and dining.
One of many talking points for diners will be an urban cultivator, which will be sited in the restaurant and produce herbs for the kitchen and bar. “We want The Frog to become a showcase for young creatives,” continued Handling, “so we’re going to be working with art students, up and coming DJs, young wine-makers and food producers, and guest chefs to provide an ever-changing canvas for the best of their ideas and experiences.”
In order to manage the launch, Handling will be leaving Adam Handling at Caxton, at St Ermin’s Hotel, Westminster where he gained three AA rosettes in its first year under his name.
Meanwhile, Philip A G Seers has been appointed non-executive director of Adam Handling Ltd. Formerly an investment banker, Seers is a director of a number of established companies as well as a series of early-stage companies.
Handling’s venture is backed by Toucan Ventures Limited. It offers long-term support to creative entrepreneurs by connecting its members with first-class mentors and services, and directing them to appropriate funding sources.