Momofuku's Ben Greeno moves to Merivale

Merivale has signed Ben Greeno, executive chef of the three-hatted Momofuku Seiobo at The Star.

Greeno has been appointed head chef of the old Paddington Arms Hotel site on Oxford Street, set to relaunch this year.

"Ben's an incredible talent," Merivale chief executive, Justin Hemmes, says. "Arguably one of the best chefs in the country, if not the world. It's wonderful see such talent wanting to do accessible, casual food."

The venue will have a "strong food focus", a statement from Merivale says. The exact concept is still being refined however, with Hemmes saying the Paddington Arms will retain its identity as a pub.

"A new style of pub that hasn't been seen before," he says.

"We're actually going to build the venue around Ben, as we do all our talented chefs. Around the offering, around how he wants to cook, and the type of dining experience."

Greeno officially joins the Merivale group in April.

The Momofuku restaurant group was founded in New York by David Chang in 2004 and there are now Momofuku locations worldwide. Momofuku Seiobo opened in 2011.