interview · 14 Jun 2026

The Interview: Tom Brown On Cornerstone, Second Acts & The Hackney Wine Bar Nobody Saw Coming

The Michelin-starred chef on closing Cornerstone, opening again in E8, and why he's done chasing stars.

By About Town, London

The interview

We met Tom on a Tuesday morning in the empty dining room of his new Hackney project. He was fixing a shelf. He apologised for the drill.

AYA: You closed one of the best fish restaurants in London. Why?

TB: We'd done what we set out to do. Standing still felt worse than starting again.

AYA: The new place isn't a fish restaurant.

TB: The new place is whatever we feel like cooking that week. That's the whole point.