Tony Allan, the founder of the fish! chain of restaurants which collapsed earlier this year after over-expansion, has reopened the first of the seven sites he bought back from receivers.

Allan plans to rebrand the company with the refurbishment of the original fish! restaurant at London's Borough Market leading the way. 'We're going back to our roots,' says Allan. 'That means a smaller number of key outlets, serving the very best produce, and giving our chefs and managers a great deal more freedom to reflect local tastes.'

Paul Daly who is behind the design of the chain of American pool bars, Elbow Room, will rebrand and redesign the other six sites in Canary Wharf, County Hall, Blackheath and Surbiton in London, Guildford in Surrey and at the Mailbox in Birmingham. Offering value-for-money cuisine in stylish locations is what fish! was always about, says Allan. 'As a smaller, privately-owned restaurant group, we can bring those standards back.'