Tragus, the private equity-owned restaurant group which operates the Café Rouge and Bella Italia chains, is set to launch a new concept at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 when it opens next March.
Huxleys Bar & Kitchen will take "traditional British food back to its roots", the group announced in a statement today, with offerings including kedgeree, steak and kidney pudding, ploughman's lunch, classic sandwiches and grilled steaks.
The bar area will offer a range of wines "from across the world in addition to a classic selection of beers, ales and spirits".
Graham Turner, former head of the Unique Pub Company and chief executive of Tragus, said: "Huxleys Bar & Kitchen is an exciting new British concept designed to appeal to all Anglophiles in an international environment."
Speaking to thepublican.com, Turner said Huxleys would be a form of British brasserie, "offering all-day dining, with affordable comfort food".
He would not be drawn on the number of sites Huxleys would eventually occupy, but acknowledged that there was a possibility the brand could move into some pub sites that were unworkable in the smoking ban environment.
Tragus, which is owned by US private equity giant Blackstone, narrowly failed to acquire La Tasca, the Spanish tapas bar and restaurant chain earlier this year. The group lost out in a bidding war to Robert Tchenguiz's R20.
