Demirasal – one of Turkey’s best-known chefs and the founder of progressive Istanbul restaurant Alancha – is also consulting on Miori by the Sea, a gastronomic resort on the Aegean island of Göcek that launched last year and has five different restaurants.
The move to the UAE follows the quiet closure of his debut London restaurant, The Counter Notting Hill, which launched in 2022 and shut at the end of last year.
Demirasal told Restaurant that the decision to close the critically successful modern ocakbasi restaurant was not related to his decision to leave the UK.
The restaurant’s more recently launched Soho sibling of the same name will continue to trade in its current guise, but its founder will no longer be operationally involved, although he will retain his equity in the business.
“It’s totally amicable. There are no hard feelings or conflicts – they remain my partners,” he says.
It is understood that The Counter’s backers, private equity firm Gees Court Partners, want to focus on a single London site for The Counter.
“I’m still connected to London, but my centre of gravity has shifted,” Demirasal added. “There are new opportunities that I want to pursue. I love London and still love being there, but I wanted to be more on the strategic side rather than in the kitchen.
“It was also becoming difficult to manage what I’m doing now from London. Being in Dubai makes a lot more sense for me. Things have obviously changed there recently, but I feel safe.”
Clé & Partners is headed by Yigit Sezgin, the former CCO of Accor Group. As senior partner for F&B, Demirasal will create new concepts for partners in Dubai and beyond.