Restaurant Radar: Openings June 2017
Red Rooster
Chef Marcus Samuelsson is bringing his Harlem favourites to the capital
The London outpost of the Harlem site from charismatic, Ethiopian-born, Swedish-raised chef Marcus Samuelsson. Set to open in The Curtain hotel in Shoreditch, it will offer signature dishes such as fried ‘yardbird’ and meatballs, plus a selection of new dishes including duck kitfo with foie gras ganache, and fried chicken skin as a snack.
45 Curtain Rd, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3PT
Calcutta Street Brixton
Shrimoyee Chakraborty and team
The second permanent venue for former pop-up star and food blogger Shrimoyee Chakraborty and her team, whose first site is the Bengali Fitzrovia restaurant of the same name. With a ‘cosier and more homely’ feel than the first place, Brixton will offer a similar menu inspired by street food and traditional dishes of Kolkata, India; but also offer new additions of biryani and chicken chaap, and cocktails directly inspired by old Bengal.
395 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London, SW9 8LQ
Xu
The Bao trio bring a new kind of Taiwanese cuisine to Soho
From the trio behind JKS Restaurants-backed London street food sensation Bao, the 68-cover Xu (pronounced ‘Shu’, and named after chef and founder Erchen Chang’s late grandfather) serves higher-end Taiwanese food seven days a week. With a price point of £55 – considerably more than Xu’s £5-apiece buns ‒ dishes include a whole chicken stuffed with herbs and spices; smoked taiwanese sausage; and pancakes filled with 40day aged beef shortrib, marrow and pickles.
30 Rupert St, Soho, London W1D 6DL
GBR – Great British Restaurant
Great British Restaurant is found in the luxury Dukes hotel
Overseen by executive head chef Nigel Mendham, this 56-cover, all-day British-style restaurant is housed within the luxury 90-bedroom Dukes hotel in London St James’s. The former South Lodge and The Samling chef has created a menu offering classics such as Scotch egg, British charcuterie, fish and chips, Norfolk crab, and new season lamb with smoke aubergine; plus treacle sponge for dessert.
5 St James's Pl, St. James's, London SW1A 1NY
Stecca
From renowned Italian-in-London chef Stefano Stecca, Stecca is a new Italian joint in Chelsea, offering light dishes made with sustainable and local ingredients. Previously of Toto’s, Zafferano, Kurt Zdesar’s Fucina, and his own erstwhile venue Osteria Stecca ‒ which is now closed – Stecca specialises in traditional pasta dishes and Italian favourites such as fritto misto di pesce and pan-fried calves’ liver.
14 Hollywood Rd, London, SW10 9HY
Mei Ume
Ex-Sake No Hana chef Mun Seok Choi will oversee alive sushi station at Mei Ume
The Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square is to open a new Asian restaurant this month. Mei Ume, which takes its name from the Chinese and Japanese terms for plum blossom, will feature a live sushi station presided over by ex-Sake No Hana chef Mun Seok Choi. Former Royal China chef Tony Truong will head up the kitchen, serving a modern take on classic Asian dishes such as crispy baby squid with salted eggs; and a whole Peking duck with pancakes, leeks and cucumber. It follows the launch of French chef Anne-Sophie Pic’s restaurant La Dame de Pic at the 100-room hotel in January.
Mei Ume, 10 Trinity Square, London EC3N 4AJ
Neo Bistro
This trio's new venture is inspired by Parisian restaurants
Neo Bistro is the brainchild of Alex Harper, former head chef at the Michelin-starred Harwood Arms, and Anglo chef-patron Mark Jarvis. Inspired by Parisian restaurants, it promises to offer a more relaxed take on fine dining when it opens in Mayfair this month. Harper will be heading up the kitchen, serving a simple and ‘modestly’ priced menu, with daily specials chalked up on the dining room’s blackboard. Dishes will include roast sea bass with mousserons, English asparagus and thyme; and a chocolate tart with malt ice cream, salted caramel and strawberries with lemon verbena.
Neo Bistro, 11 Woodstock St, London W1C 2AE
Magpie
Diners at Magpie can pick dishes from trolley tables
The team behind Hackney’s Michelin-starred Pidgin are spreading their wings to launch a new Mayfair restaurant. Magpie will give a modern British twist to traditional dim sum restaurants, with a menu of small plates served straight off a trolley. Expect dishes such as mackeral crudo with blueberry kosho and fellen pollen; alongside hot udon noodles from the kitchen and a small a la carte menu of Pidgin favourites.
Magpie, 10 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BX
Petersham Nurseries
A 16,000 sq ft courtyard will celebrate nature, at the new Petersham Nurseries
Petersham Nurseries – the Surrey garden centre whose cafe once held a Michelin star – is to launch the first phase of its Floral Court development in Covent Garden. The Potting Bench shop, delicatessen, florist and wine cellar will open this month, followed by The Petersham and La Goccia restaurants in September. The company has taken over a 16,000 sq ft courtyard area, which it is transforming in to a plant-filled paradise celebrating ‘nature, seasonal ingredients and slow living’ in central London.
Floral Court, WC2E 9FB
Jean-Georges at The Connaught
The celebrated French chef is returning to London
French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is returning to London to launch a new restaurant in the conservatory at Mayfair’s The Connaught hotel. Promising to be a more informal affair than Helene Darroze’s restaurant, which operates on the other side of the hotel, the menu will feature the chef’s take on classic British dishes such as fish and chips and afternoon tea, alongside Asian flavours inspired by Vongerichten’s time spent working in the Far East. It comes 15 years after the chef closed his restaurant Vong at The Connaught’s sister hotel The Berkeley in 2002.
The Connaught, Carlos Pl, Mayfair, London W1K 2AL
