Smoking Lobster Group opens The Brasserie in Foresters Hall hotel

Smoking Lobster Group has partnered with Foresters Hall, a boutique hotel in Cowes, to open The Brasserie restaurant on 7 April 2023.

The announcement was made by sibling partners Giancarlo Giancovich and Cinzia Reckitt on behalf of Smoking Lobster Group, and husband-and-wife duo Sara Curran and Peter Sussman on behalf of Foresters Hall.

The Brasserie menu will emphasise Mediterranean influences and seasonal product, with a focus on locally sourced seafood and freshly made pasta.

Lunch and dinner will be served in the restaurant as well as in the bar and on the terrace to both hotel residents and non-residents.

In 2017 chef and owner Giancovich opened the Smoking Lobster Ventnor Beach. Later in 2020 he enlisted the help of his sister and sake specialist Reckitt. Having spent 15 years immersed in the London food scene, Reckitt returned to the island to work alongside her brother.

Together, they opened Drunken Lobster, an Izakaya-style bar that focuses on cocktails, fine wines, sake, and beer in addition to a short Japanese bar menu.

Together with a team that includes many family members and close friends, Smoking Lobster Group then launched Smoking Lobster Cowes in July 2021.

Curan and Susssman acquired the Hotel (then called North House) in April, 2022. It was rebranded in October, 2022 as Foresters Hall, taking its new name from the building’s history.

Foresters Hall was originally constructed in 1865 as a monthly meeting place for the Cowes branch of the Ancient Order of Foresters. The Hotel closed for the winter season in mid-December, 2022 and recently re-opened in anticipation of The Brasserie opening in early April.

Reckitt said: “It’s been a great journey so far, going in an additional direction by introducing a brasserie menu at Foresters Hall that is distinct from the Asian menus at our current locations is a very exciting opportunity for our group.

“Foresters Hall couldn’t be a more beautiful venue, so we are delighted that Sara and Peter want to launch a new restaurant with us. “Having our fourth restaurant as part of a hotel adds an exciting dimension to our Group and takes our hospitality footprint to another level.”

Curan added: “We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Cinz and GC. Our families became friends over the past few years, simply through attending each other’s establishments and chatting on the High Street without a business agenda of any kind.”

“Cinz and GC are top-of-class so when the idea for The Brasserie by Smoking Lobster at Foresters Hall presented itself, we jumped at the opportunity.” Sara added “We know from experience that a brasserie menu at Foresters Hall presented in a laid-back manner hits the bull’s-eye.”