London’s restaurant scene continues to flourish. Now and in the imminent future, a lunchtime hot spot gets another iteration, Islington discovers 14 varieties of sausage, and an Angela Hartnett protégé sets up in Marylebone.
Kanishka
North East India’s cuisine is a rich one, containing dried or fermented river fish, bamboo shoots, rice, less masala than neighbouring regions, and particularly meat-heavy dishes. Atul Kochhar’s latest venture, Kanishka, looks to translate the region’s bountiful street food to Mayfair.
Barullo
Following up his highly-praised ventures Rambla and Sibarita, Victor Garvey’s is set to open a new restaurant in the City. Spanish-influenced dishes, from the sherry-brined fried chicken to the toasted coconut ice cream, sound promising indeed.
Myrtle
London’s last notable restaurant opening with an Irish slant was Nuala in January last year. This one, led by Dublin-born Anna Haugh (who’s cooked in some of London’s most famous restaurants), promises an enlightening take on Irish-European cuisine.
Xier
Neapolitan chef Carlo Scotto was first employed in a professional kitchen at the age of 13, eventually falling under the wing of Angela Hartnett. With his own concept, Scotto wants to take external influences (namely Japanese and Scandinavian) and marry them with the best of British produce.
Gloria
Taking Italian to the max with 2am closing times, 3,000 wines, a 10-layer lasagna, and enormous cheese wheel pasta is Gloria, a new arrival from Paris. The 1950s-style Italian trattoria hopes to introduce a bit more variation, and a bit more colour, to Shoreditch.
Bambusa
Bambusa, set to open on Charlotte Street in March, will be an all-day South East Asian-inspired café from the team behind Roti Chai. There’s an emphasis on breakfast and lunch – from blending their own coffee, to a build-your-own-tray affair with shoyu chicken, sushi rice, kimchi jackfruit, and the like, for lunch.
Adam Handling Chelsea
Already behind five restaurants and cafes, and at only 30, Handling adds to his growing empire. His latest, in Chelsea’s Belmond Cadogan Hotel, aims to build on what made his others great – elegance and sustainably sourced ingredients. And, overseeing the hotels’ entire food and drink operation, from room service to afternoon tea, he has 90 staff to help him do it.
Lucknow Social
Dum Biryani – a Soho restaurant best known, perhaps, for its affordable weekday lunches – launches its follow up, Lucknow Social, this spring. Lunch specials will feature heavily too, as well as biryanis and kebabs galore.
X-Upper
The already plentiful Upper Street, or ‘Supper Street’ should you wish to call it, is joined by another player. This time, it’s all about proper sausages. The X-Upper team toured 14 European cities to find the best variety of bangers, which, if their tastes are anything to go by, include bratwurst, Cumberland, Italian Romagna, and Polish kielbasa.
Orasay
Perhaps one of the year’s most anticipated openings comes from the duo behind St Leonards and Brunswick House. Now open in Notting Hill, the restaurant has a seafood focus – expect razor clams, crab, langoustine, and oysters, to name a few. Other dishes though, such as shallot tart with aged Comté and black truffle; and Tamworth cop with white beans, look like early hits.
This is a guest post from freelance food journalist Hugh Thomas. He’s contributed to Foodism, Time Out, Great British Chefs, and is part of British Street Food’s small team of vigilant writers. Find him on twitter @hughwrites.
