Ex-Spurs star David Bentley opens restaurant in east London after retirement

 
Restaurateur: Ex-Spurs midfielder David Bentley
Rod Kitson5 November 2014

Former Spurs star David Bentley has reignited a rivalry with Manchester United — over his new restaurant.

Bentley has invested in the newly opened La Sala in Woodford Green, and put the boot into ex-United pair Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs’s Cafe Football in Westfield Stratford.

Bentley, 30, said: “What would the score be? Definitely 3-0 to La Sala — a hat-trick. That’s one goal for each course. The mixed sushi to start, then the sharing rack of ribs for main would put us 2-0 up. The final insult would be the chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce — we’d wipe the floor.”

The former Blackburn and Tottenham midfielder retired this summer aged 29.

He bought a share of the original La Sala in Marbella, and now he and other footballers including Raheem Sterling and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are backing the “fine dining and entertainment” export on Chigwell Road. Bentley said: “I became very at home at La Sala in Spain. I found out they were planning to open in the UK, and I was looking for a new venture.”

He added that footballers would now rather invest in restaurants than pubs: “It’s a lifestyle choice. I could sit in a bar until 3am but I would far rather enjoy a laid-back evening with friends over a meal if I’m honest.”

The venue has been open two weeks and hopes to attract a celebrity clientele.

Bentley said: “We have an amazing chef called Alessandro Dinghile and he is really passionate about the story behind the food — the farmers and producers, the quality of the ingredients, seasonality and the experience of sitting down to enjoy food and creating real works of art.”

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