Restaurant Radar: November 2018

Tapas Brindisa Battersea​

Brindisa is clearly keen to differentiate its sixth and largest ever site with a focus on Spanish home cooking, a cheese and charcuterie bar and a space called Home Kitchen for supper clubs, tastings and cook-offs. It’s a homecoming of sorts for founder Monika Linton, who established her brand’ first office nearby some three decades ag. Overseen by longstanding executive chef Josep Carbonell, the menu includes the likes of chorizo braised in red wine on chickpeas and lemon hummus; sobrasada and goats curd stuffed figs and chestnut honey; smoked Ortiz tuna with candied beetroot and burnt citrus, and lardo, pig skin and apple crumb. Brindisa remains a major supplier to restaurants and has had a central role in popularising high quality Spanish food in London and beyond.

Battersea Power Station, 25 Circus Road West SW11 8EZ
https://www.brindisakitchens.com/restaurant/tapas-brindisa-battersea​

Pachamama East​

The team behind London Peruvian restaurants Pachamama and Chicama are heading east to open their latest outpost in Shoreditch. Launching on 1 November, the restaurant will offer a new Asian-inspired menu overseen by Mikkel Gregersen, formerly of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and Portland. Dishes will range from jiang-glazed chicken to hand-pulled lobster noodles and the group’s signature ceviche. The 85-cover restaurant will feature an open kitchen and sunken cocktail bar, offering pisco sours and Asian-inspired bubble tea cocktails, beers and wines.

73 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3DT
https://www.pachamamalondon.com/pachamama-east/​

Hicce​

Former Murano chef Pip Lacey is launching her long-awaited restaurant with business partner Gordy McIntyre, who will oversee front of house. After a long hunt for a site Hicce (pronounced ee-che) is opening at the Coal Drop’s Yard development in Kings Cross, above clothing store Wolf & Badger. The focus is on cooking over a wood fired fuel source, which will be used to smoke, grill and steam dishes such as charred hispi cabbage, lardons, Reblochon, shimeji mushrooms and toasted almond flakes. The menu will change regularly, with a focus on signature hot sticks – designed as a whole dish on a skewer – which may include options such as chicken thigh, shiso leaves and crispy chicken skin; and salmon, sesame and fennel.

Coal Drops Yard, Stable Street, London N1C 4AB
https://www.hicce.co.uk​

Bodega Rita’s​

Joining Hicce at Coal Drops Yard will be the team behind much-missed Dalston cocktail and junk food restaurant Rita’s. Founders Missy Flynn and Gabriel Pryce, who ran a pop-up at Browns this summer, will launch a deli and sandwich store at the Kings Cross development. Sandwich options will include The Highway Dan, made with hot bean devilled egg salad with celery and watercress; and the Tingler Tower with chilli oil chicken, cucumber and Szechuan pepper slaw in a roll. From Thursday to Saturday evening the menu will expand to cover small dishes, snacks and wines.

Unit 114, Lower Stable Street, London N1C 4DR
Instagram @bodega.ritas​

Market Halls Victoria​

Simon Anderson and Andy Lewis-Pratt will launch the second of their three scheduled Market Halls, following a short delay. Originally billed to launch in the summer, Market Halls Victoria will open in Terminus Place – the site of former night club Pacha – in early November. The three-storey site will comprise 11 food vendors with individual kitchens; three bars; a coffee shop; and a roof terrace. Vendors will include a grab-and-go concept from popular Hackney pub The Marksman; Gopal’s Corner, a Sri Lankan spin-off to Euston’s Malaysian restaurant Roti King; Flank from Tom Griffiths; and dim sum from BaoziInn.

https://www.markethalls.co.uk/market/victoria​
191 Victoria Street, SW1E 5NE

Le Petit Citron​

Launching on 9 November, Le Petit Citron will be the relaunched iteration of British brasserie, Mustard, Brook Green.  Relaunching under the name Le Petit Citron, the Brook Green restaurant is partly owned by one half of the Joe Allen team, and will begin a new life as a classic French bistro, inspired by owners Lawrence and Emily Hartley’s holidays in Provence. It will serve a classic French menu including aperitifs such as Lillet martinis and Kir Framboises. Further down the menu can be found the likes of coquilles Saint-Jacques with pomme puree and vermouth; tuna carpaccio nicoise; and rustic Mediterranean fish soup with gruyere and rouille.

http://lepetitcitron.co.uk​
98-100 Shepherds Bush Rd, London W6 7PD

Kutir ​

Former Gymkhana and Jamavar chef Rohit Ghai will launch his first solo restaurant on the former site of Vineet Bhatia’s short-lived VBL mid this month. It’s one to watch for a number of reasons, not least because Ghai has won Michelin stars at his last two gigs for his rustic and authentic yet still high-end approach to Indian food. The Chelsea townhouse has been overhauled and has a more relaxed feel with subtle Indian touches and bright, everyday feel. The menu will follow suit: Rohit and business partner Abhi Sangwan will offer a tasting menu for £60 (Bhatia’s was a heady £120) and introduce affordable lunch and early evening menus. The food takes inspirations from the feasts that would have taken place on royal hunting expeditions in India. 

10 Lincoln St, Chelsea, London SW3 2TS
https://kutir.co.uk/​

Fare Bar & Canteen​

The team behind Sager + Wilde will launch Fare Bar + Canteen this month. The all-day bar and restaurant will have a former Ellory chef heading up the kitchen. The two-storey site will comprise a ground floor bar and canteen, serving grab-and-go coffee as well as natural wines and cocktails on tap. On the lower ground floor, head chef Thomas Raymond will serve a menu of Mediterranean-inspired dishes, including vegetable-based small plates and skewers cooked on the dining space’s central robata grill.

https://www.farebarandcanteen.com/​
11 Old Street, EC1V 9HL

Imperial Treasure​

The 23-strong Imperial Treasure restaurant group operates several Michelin-starred restaurants across Singapore, Hong Kong and China, including two-starred Yu Bau Xuan in Shanghai; and one-starred Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine One Peking. It has been voted among the best 50 restaurants in Asia, and is known for offering a wide variety of high-end Chinese cuisine across different styles of the countries culinary repertoire. It will make its UK debut this November, serving high-end Chinese food at a vast site in London’s St James. The menu is expected to offer dim sum, Peking duck, and refined Chinese dishes.

http://www.imperialtreasure.com/uk-landingpage​
9-10 Waterloo Pl, St. James's, London SW1Y 4BE

SushiSamba Covent Garden​

Sushisamba will finally open its long-awaited second London restaurant in Covent Garden this autumn. The launch, first announced in 2016, will see the group bring its mix of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine to the historic Market Building. The restaurant will take over the entire upper level of the east side of Covent Garden's Opera Terrace – previously home to Brasserie Blanc and Chez Gerard – with a 9,000 sq ft site and balcony. It is set to serve Sushisamba's "unique blend" of fusion cuisine, with new signature dishes. Cocktails will be created by Rich Woods - who’s also worked on the drinks offer at Adam Handling’s new Hoxton venture.
https://sushisamba.com/event/sushisamba-covent-garden/​
Opera Terrace Covent Garden, The Piazza, London WC2E 8RF

Lino​
The Wright & Bell team will launch an all-day restaurant with a chef formerly from The Dairy heading up the kitchen. Lino will launch in a former warehouse in the Square Mile early next month. Head chef Richard Falk’s menu will take inspiration from his roles at both The Ledbury and The Dairy. The kitchen will use “low waste ingredients” in dishes such as sauerkraut and Montgomery cheddar croquettes; and sharing dishes such as wing rib of beef with oxtail and potato tart. Desserts will make use of left-over pastries from the breakfast kiosk in croissant ice cream with brown butter, blood orange and coffee. 

https://www.linolondon.co.uk/​
90 Bartholomew Close, London, EC1A 7BN

Brasserie of Light​

Caprice Holdings has announced that it will open its Brasserie of Light restaurant in London’s Selfridges next month. The Art Deco style brasserie will open as part of the final chapter of the famous department store’s £300m investment and will feature London’s largest scale artwork by Damien Hirst. The brasserie and bar is described as serving ‘an eclectic mix of classic British and internationally-inspired dishes’ with the kitchen headed up by Portuguese chef Emanuel Machado, formerly of Balthazar. Dishes on the a la carte menu will include the likes of scallops with red peppers, roasted fennel and capers; spaghetti with lobster; and Pegasus pie served with a yuzu coconut cloud.

https://www.brasserie-of-light.co.uk/​
Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, W1