CHIK’N
The founders of hipster fried-chicken restaurant Chick’n’Sours are hoping to redefine the chicken shop with their new ‘guilt-free’ fast-casual concept CHIK’N. Sited close to KFC and Nando’s on Baker Street, the venue will be ethically minded, serving free-range birds and paying staff in excess of the London living wage, while still being affordable. The design has a more mainstream feel than Chick’n’Sours but retains some of its DNA. Prices will range from £3.95 for a breakfast muffin and £4.95 for its signature chicken sandwich, with a children’s meal costing £4.95. Owners Carl Clarke and David Wolanski believe there is an opportunity for a fried chicken shop which is geared towards quality, ethics and sustainability, and hope to roll out across the country.
134 Baker Street, London
Magpie
The second site from Pidgin founders James Ramsden and Sam Herlihy continues the bird theme (phonetically, at least) but not the style of their debut Hackney restaurant. Magpie, which opens just off London’s Regent Street will serve a modern British menu in traditional dim-sum style, with dishes including mackerel crudo with blueberry kosho and fennel pollen and Hoi-An style terrine straight from the trolley.
10 Heddon Street, London
Trolley good: One of Magpie's plates
Ikoyi
Named after an upmarket district in Lagos, Ikoyi is the creation of school friends Jeremy Chan and Ire Hassan-Odukale, who have been running a successful pop-up of the same name for the last couple of years. The restaurant will serve ‘Jollof’ cuisine - a modern take on traditional Nigerian, Ghanian and Sengalese flavours. Expect modern, high-end food that fuses contemporary cooking methods with West African flavours. Dishes on the launch menu include confit chicken oyster with tamarind and chicken jus glaze; octopus pepper soup with coastal herbs; and beef suya - a famous Nigerian street snack of grilled skewered meat - served with traditional condiments. The St James’s Market opening follows a series of residencies at London restaurants including Le Bab and Carousel.
St James’s Market, London
Nobu Hotel
Nobu’s third London location is a whopping 240-cover restaurant in the Nobu Hotel in Shoreditch. The impressive space features a 10-cover sushi bar and 18-seat chef’s table with views of the main kitchen and sushi chefs at work. Executive chef Greg Seregi’s menu features early morning dishes such as matcha waffles with chicken and smoked maple ponzu; and a take on eggs benedict with crab, sautéed spinach, crispy tofu and shiso béarnaise. Bento boxes and cold soba noodles will be available for lunch, while new dinner plates include Hokaido scallops with foie gras and sautéed Japanese mushrooms. The hotel also claims its cocktail bar will be the only place in the UK – other than Nobu’s two other London restaurants – to serve Hokusetsu sakes.
10-50 Willow street, London
Smart casual: A CGI of Nobu's upcoming Shoreditch site
Ichibuns
Opening in Soho later this month, Ichibuns is a Japanese-inspired burger and ramen fast-casual restaurant from Paul Sarlas, the former chief executive of Ping Pong, and Robin Leigh, formerly of Nobu. The 90-cover, three-storey space on Wardour Street will be open 11:30am until midnight, and until 2am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and will serve a takeaway menu alongside the eat-in menu during these times. Dishes will include its signature Ichiban burger made with 28-day aged Australian wagyu and British beef and harumaki (Japanese spring rolls).
22 Wardour Street, London
Waving the Japanese flag: The food at Ichibuns
Temper
Neil Rankin is turning his attention to Indian food for his second opening under his Temper brand. In The City’s Angel Court development, the venue will specialise in “gin and curry” but retain much of the DNA of the orginal restaurant with an emphasis on meat cooked ‘low and slow’ over an open fire pit. The menu includes mutton rolls; laksa lamb belly stovies; lamb scotch bonnet vindaloo; and meatball marrow masala. A thali-style set lunch menu will be available during the week, which will offer a range of fresh vegetables, breads and snacks, as well as a choice of curry or grilled meat. Unlike its older sister, Temper City will be open for breakfast with a menu that includes boiled egg and peshwari naan soldiers; banana curry and roti; and bacon congee.
Angel Court, London
Gabeto
This all-day brasserie and cocktail bar is opening in Camden this month with former Chiltern Firehouse chef Lee Andrews at the helm. The British brasserie, which includes a first floor restaurant, a ground floor bar, and a ‘weather proof’ terrace that will open for 300 days a year, will make good use of a wood oven with an menu that will offer sharing and small plates as well as individual dishes. Dishes include Galician beef, Mojo pork tenderloin, and cider-brined chicken as well as a selection of tacos, tostadas and baby gem cups.
Camden Market, Chalk Farm Road, London
Talk of Camden Town: Gabeto
Tom Simmons Tower Bridge
Welsh chef Tom Simmons, who reached the quarter finals in Masterchef The Professionals, opens his debut place in London mid July. Alongside an a la carte menu of items including snacks of duck rillettes with pickles and toasted sourdough; and Glamorgan sausages with red pepper ketchup and main such as black leg chicken with puy lentils, roast fennel, morels, chicken jus and tarragon pesto; and fennel risotto with charred courgette and basil mascarpone, the restaurant will serve a two or three course express lunch menu (£20 and £24 respectively).
2 Still Walk, London
RIGO'
Gonzalo Luzarraga and Francesco Ferretti are teaming up to open an upscale Italian in Fulham on the former site of Barossa. From Piedmont, Luzarraga has cooked at number of high profile restaurants including Louis XV in Monaco under Alain Ducasse; Le Clivie Ristorante in Piobesi d’Alba, Italy; and Stern in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The restaurant will “chronicle Luzarraga’s childhood in Piedmont and explore Italian food using seasonal ingredients”. The menu is unapologetically modern Italy with a fair few eyebrow raisers including a snack entitled ‘rose - mortadella - tripe’ and a course on the tasting menu that involves sea urchin bagna caòda, quail egg and fermented milk.
277 New Kings Road, London
Pascere
Meaning “to nourish”, Pascere is hoping to bring a different type of restaurant experience to Brighton with a focus on service, interesting wines and a look that’s described as “elegant and luxurious, yet informal”. Former Flank chef Tom Griffiths was originally down to open the The Lanes restaurant but has now parted ways with owner Amanda Menahem. Johnny Stanford - who was part of the team that won a Michelin star at The Pass restaurant down the road in Horsham - is now heading the stove. His menu includes confit trout with trout tartare, roast, pickled and BBQ cauliflower with elderberry meringue; and roast lamb breast with watercress purée, samphire, and pressed potatoes. There’s also a tasting menu on offer for £65.
8 Duke St, Brighton
Mother
Cult Copenhagen pizza restaurant Mother is launching its first international outpost at the Battersea Power Station development. Neither of the founders are Danish - David Biffani is Italian and Nick Pound is from London - but the concept will not be short of stripped-back Danish cool. “The Danes are very good at creating atmosphere because they spend a lot of time indoors during the long winters. We have kept that approach and decorated the restaurant with light wood - everything is candlelit and we’ll give out blankets to people who want to sit outside. Mother is mix of the Scandinavian hygge and Italian hospitality,” says Biffani. The restaurant has about 170 covers, two wood-fired ovens and a menu that includes arrosticini (skewered lamb), suppli (deep-fried rice balls with ragu and mozzarella) and a range of seawater sourdough pizza.
Circus West, Battersea Power Station, London
Great Dane: Mother is coming to the UK this month