Restaurant radar: June 2019

Arros QD​
Three Michelin-starred chef Quique Dacosta is finally coming to the capital with the opening of Arros QD. And as the restaurant’s name suggests, the focus is on rice. With 140-covers spread over two floors, Arros QD will have a grand appearance that’s matched by the scale of its menu: Dacosta is keen to not only showcase his modern brand of Spanish cooking, but also highlight premium Spanish ingredients. Traditional rice options will include an Iberian secreto and black garlic aioli; a classic Valencian paella of rabbit, chicken and butter beans; and a cuttlefish and lobster option. Dishes will generally be designed for two or more people, but those who fly solo will also be catered for with a list of smaller rice dishes cooked in small rectangular ‘chapas’ pans.
64 Eastcastle St, Fitzrovia, London W1W 8NQ​
www.arrosqd.com​​

OKN1​
Located on New City College’s Hackney campus but open to the public, OKN1 will see students collaborating with professional chefs on a modern-European menu. The onus is on offering the college’s catering students an opportunity to get a head start in the hospitality sector by giving them a chance to connect with industry professionals, while earning a wage working at the restaurant as part of their studies. Dishes available at launch will include flatbreads with flat-iron chicken, served with onion and Marmite butter; spiced squash hummus with whipped buffalo ricotta and pumpkin seeds; and Suffolk bacon chop with fried egg and ‘devilled sauce’.
40 Hoxton St, Hackney, London N1 6LR​
www.okn1.co.uk​​

Lucky Cat​
Gordon Ramsay’s Lucky Cat, which occupies the space on Grosvenor Square where his Maze restaurant used to be, hasn’t received the warmest of welcomes so far. Described when it was announced back in February as an “authentic Asian Eating House”, Ramsay found his new restaurant at the centre of a social media storm back in April when Eater​ ​published an article describing an early preview as “an actual kitchen nightmare”. Now the pressure is on to see whether the chef’s first major London opening since 2014 can live up to expectations. Former Maze executive chef Ben Orpwood will lead the kitchen, serving a menu of small plates that include sushi options, bao buns and oriental skewers.
10 Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, London W1K 6JP​
www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/lucky-cat​​

Circolo​
Mere months after opening their first London restaurant (Shoreditch’s Gloria), Big Mamma boys Victor Lugger and Tigrane Seydoux are back and set to launch Italian trattoria Circolo Popolare on Rathbone Square in Fitzrovia. The massive 9,000 sq ft space will have 280 covers, 60 of which will be on an outdoor terrace. Similarly to Gloria, Circolo will be a restaurant built on quirk and excess, with more than 20,000 bottles of spirit and litre-sized ice cream sundae served with giant cookie chunks on the dessert menu.
40 Rathbone Pl, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1HX​
www.bigmammagroup.com/en/accueil​​

Hide and Fox​
Having both left Welsh hospitality group The Seren Collection earlier this year, chef Allister Barsby and manager Alice Bussi are finally set to open their debut restaurant in Kent. Located in the village of Saltwood, Hide and Fox will serve a modern British menu with a focus on local Kent produce and fine wines. Speaking last month, Barsby described the forthcoming opening as being the “realisation of a dream”. “Kent has some of the finest produce in the UK, and I can't wait to get them on the menu and to seek out more of what it has to offer,” he added.
The Green, Saltwood, Kent, United Kingdom, CT21 4PS​

Sette​
The first restaurant opening outside the US for New York City’s LDV Hospitality group, Sette has been designed to capture “a quintessential New York balance of high energy and effortless elegance”. Housed within but operating independently from the Bvlgari Hotel in Knightsbridge, the restaurant is based on LDV’s contemporary Italian restaurant concept Scarpetta, which currently operates in several locations across the US. Pastas and breads will be made inhouse daily, and dishes will include yellowtail and tuna susci; veal tenderloin with gnocchi alla romana and glazed sweetbreads; and spaghetti with tomato and basil.
Ground Floor, 4 Knightsbridge Green, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7QA​
www.settelondon.co.uk​​

Siren​
Having ended his partnerships with both the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai and The Capital hotel in Knightsbridge earlier this year, Nathan Outlaw has settled on London’s Goring Hotel as the location for his next project. Siren will be the first new restaurant at the Goring in more than 109 years and is designed as a second, more casual option to run alongside its Michelin-starred Dining Room. Seafood specialist Outlaw, who holds two Michelin stars at his eponymous Cornwall restaurant, has created a menu using produce sourced directly from the region. Dishes will include cured monkfish with ginger, fennel and yoghurt; turbot herbed and battered with warm tartare sauce and daily specials such as grilled lobster or monkfish to share.
15 Beeston Pl, Westminster, London SW1W 0JW​
www.thegoring.com​​

The Grand Duchess​
The second floating restaurant from The London Shell Company, The Grand Duchess will be taking up permanent residency next to the group’s cruising restaurant boat The Prince Regent on the Grand Union Canal at Paddington Central. With outside seating and a private dining table available to hire (known as The Captain’s Table), the 40-capacity barge will serve a range of small plates, starters, mains and sharing dishes. Menu options include beer battered lobster and fried curry leaves with chip shop curry sauce; monkfish and wild garlic kiev with new season lettuce; and a surf’n’turf of 500g Dexter rib and grilled langoustines in garlic butter.
Sheldon Square, W2, London W2 6DL​
londonshellco.com/the-grand-duchess​​

MEATliquor W1​
Relocating just yards away from where its first restaurant was once located, MEATliquor’s new flagship is being hailed as a second coming for the brand in the Oxford Circus area. Co-founder Scott Collins said the new restaurant as "bigger, later and badder" than what had come before, with a capacity for 300, live music, and a later license. Expect Dead Hippie burgers, innovative drinks, punky design, fun atmosphere, and a notable hangover.
37-38 Margaret St, Marylebone, London W1G 0JF​
meatliquor.com​​

Stratford Brassiere​
The first of two restaurants to open within The Stratford (Patrick Powell’s Allegra is scheduled to open in September), Stratford Brassiere is set to launch with former Soho House chef Ben Harrington at the helm. The all-day restaurant promotes itself as a more casual affair to Powell’s, with the menu including a selection of Roman-style pizzettas served alongside traditional brasserie fare such as schnitzel, risotto and burgers.
Olympic Park, 20-22 International Way, London E20 1GQ​