Restaurant radar: May 2024

Chez Roux​

Just a few months after the closure of his Mayfair flagship Le Gavroche, Michel Roux Jr is opening a new London restaurant at The Langham. Launching on 22 May, Chez Roux will be located in the hotel's Palm Court and will be inspired by the chef's childhood memories of growing up in rural Kent in the 1960s, being raised at the Fairlawne estate where his father Albert Roux worked as a private chef for the Cazalet family, and the first menus from Le Gavroche in 1967. The menu will showcase historical British classics and traditional French cooking methods, 'presented in contemporary, refined dishes'. To begin, guests will be able to sample Roux’s take on Welsh Rarebit, while main courses will include lamb chops reform, inspired by Alexis Soyer’s classic 1830s recipe, comprising herb-crusted lamb, faggot and reform sauce; and grilled lobster with garlic butter, fries and béarnaise, one of Roux's all-time favourite dishes, and something he remembers enjoying at Le Gavroche as a child. The drinks list will feature a selection of premium wines and champagnes, as well as a collection of cocktails reflective of the era, including the Queen’s Dubonnet and the Madeira Cobbler.
1C Portland Pl, London W1B 1JA​
www.langhamhotels.com​​

Skof​

Tom Barnes’ hotly-tipped debut solo restaurant Skof will officially launch in Manchester’s NOMA district at the end of the month. The former Simon Rogan lieutenant and Great British Menu winner has also revealed his launch menus. At both lunch (Thursday to Saturday) and dinner (Wednesday to Saturday), he will serve two variations of his tasting menu, one 12-course and one 15-course which will be priced at £120 and £165 respectively. At lunch, Skof will also serve a four-course offering, priced at £50 per head. Dishes on the first set of menus include roasted Sladesdown duck, peach leaf, Ibis celeriac, wholemeal bread; and Berkswell cheese sable biscuit, crushed broad beans, whipped roe, bronze fennel. Skof will have 36-covers and is being billed as ‘an unpretentious yet ambitious dining experience’ offering menus that are ‘deceptively simple yet brimming with technique and full of flavour’. Skof is owned and operated by Barnes but will form ‘part of the next iteration’ of Rogan’s Umbel Restaurants, where the group will ‘support talented individuals in opening their own restaurants and businesses’.
3 Hanover Street, Federation Street, Manchester M4 4BF​
www.skofmanchester.co.uk​​

Julie's​

Long-standing West London restaurant Julie’s is to relaunch this month under new ownership after a year and a half hiatus. The Holland Park venue closed in January 2023 after 53 years following the retirement of its owners, but has now been taken on by Cordon Bleu-trained chef and long-standing Julie’s regular Tara MacBain, who has brought in former Brawn and The Wolseley chef Owen Kenworthy to oversee the kitchen. The reimagined restaurant, under the direction of new owner Tara MacBain, a Holland Park resident and long-standing Julie’s regular, will open as a modern French brasserie and hold 160 covers across a ground floor dining room and bar, basement dining area and alfresco terrace. Dishes set to feature on the launch menu include Carabinero carpaccio; and lobster soufflé with buttered leeks and Gruyère.
135 Portland Rd, London W11 4LW​
juliesrestaurant.com​​

Native At Pensons​

The pair behind the Native restaurant brand will launch a restaurant on the former Pensons site this month. Chef Ivan Tisdall-Downes and his business partner and front of house counterpart Imogen Davis will relaunch the restaurant - which on the Netherwood Estate on the Worcestershire/Herefordshire border - on 22 May showcasing their 'diligent, hyper-sustainable menu style'. The 32-cover restaurant with rooms (two in an adjacent building, with additional accommodation on the estate), also features a 14-seat private dining room on the upper level. The grounds of the Netherwood Estate, tended by a team of gardeners, farmers and foragers, will supply many of the ingredients used on the menus. There will be three menus – four courses at £65 per person, seven courses for £105 per person, and a Sunday lunch three course offering at per person. Dishes will include nasturtium taco, Herdwick lamb with Wye valley asparagus and black garlic; stream trout with Lapsang dashi, tempura and crayfish; and Jerusalem artichoke mille-feuille and white chocolate.
The Netherwood Estate, Pensons Yard, Tenbury Wells, WR15 8RT​
nativerestaurant.co.uk​​

Kioku by Endo​

Sushi maestro Endo Kazutoshi’s long-awaited new restaurant at The OWO in London’s Whitehall will open its doors on 15 May. The restaurant, called Kioku by Endo, reflects a partnership between Kazutoshi and Misha Zelman’s Creative Restaurant Group and is billed as a ‘unique Japanese restaurant that also intertwines a hint of Mediterranean cuisine influence’. Located on the rooftop of The OWO, it will feature a 55-seat main dining room; an eight seat chef’s table overlooking the kitchen; an eight seat private dining room within one of the building’s turret’s, which features 360-degree views of the capital; and a 55-cover outside terrace. The name translates as the Japanese word for memory and will serve dishes including cuttlefish nori pesto and elderflower; chashu pork ramen ravioli; and native lobster with fregola. There will also be a ‘bespoke tuna trolley offering a ‘tuna experience’ that guests will be invited to enjoy table side, which will be served by one of Kazutoshi’s sushi chef’s. Alongside the restaurant, there will also be a 25-cover Kioku Bar located on the on the ground floor at The OWO.
7 Horse Guards Ave, London SW1A 2EX​
kiokubyendo.com​​

Chartwell​

Aldwark Manor Estate will open a new fine dining restaurant this month that pays homage to Winston Churchill. Called Chartwell, the restaurant promises to ‘bring the glamour of the 1940s to life’ and takes its name from the war time Prime Minister’s country home. The 24-cover restaurant will be headed up in the kitchen by Chris O’Callaghan, who previously worked at The Fat Duck, Midsummer House, and Gravetye Manor, and who has created a menu of British food with a contemporary twist inspired by Auguste Escoffier. Chartwell will serve seven and ten course tasting menus - priced at £95 and £130 respectively - named after Churchill’s preferred champagne Pol Roger and his love of cigars. Dishes on the menus will include aged Yorkshire beef, caviar, smoked eel and celeriac; barbequed scallop, cauliflower, grape and bisque; and passion fruit curd with mango and marigold.
Aldwark, Alne, York YO61 1UF​
aldwarkmanorestate.co.uk/dine/chartwell-restaurant​​

Café Britaly​

Bocca di Lupo alumni Richard Crampton-Platt and chef Alex Purdie will open an all-day restaurant in Peckham later this month that’s described as being a reinvention of Italian-run British cafés. Claiming only to be 'authentically Britalian', Café Britaly will serve nostalgic renditions of Italian dishes, viewed from the perspective of the British Isles, alongside British classics updated with Italian ingredients. Controversially, the Rye Lane restaurant’s take on spaghetti carbonara will contain cream and will be topped with a greasy spoon-style fried egg; while the ‘Full Britalian’ breakfast will include fennel sausages, fried pizza dough, and beans inspired by the Tuscan dish fagioli all’uccelletto. Purdie, who was sous chef at Bocca di Lupo and most recently senior chef at Bouchon Racine in Farringdon, will be sourcing ingredients from trusted British suppliers, as well as noteworthy Italian importers. Designed by the pair themselves, the 40-cover site will have a muted mid-century-style interior that includes walls will be adorned with bursts of colour from posters by designers of the era; green linoleum floors; and banquette seating with pink detailing and rose-tinted cushions.
191 Rye Lane, London SE15 4TP​
cafebritaly.com​​

Pomus​

Chef Tony Rodd is to oversee the stoves of a new neighbourhood-style restaurant and wine bar being launched in Margate this month by former Jamie Oliver Group MD Ryan Jacovides. Pomus, which derives its name from the Ancient Greek word for fruit tree, is set to open later in the spring in the coastal town’s The Centre retail hub. The restaurant marks the first solo venture for Jacovides, who is non-exec director of renowned Bristol-based Pasture restaurant group. Rodd’s menu will feature a range of small and large sharing plates, alongside a selection of bar snacks, and be both low waste and gluten free. Dishes set to feature include crab doughnuts with Marie Rose sauce; chorizo madeleines with Manchego custard; pea pancake with friggitelli peppers, burrata and sundried tomato tapenade; and barbecued red mullet with wild garlic risotto and piquillo pepper sauce. The drinks list will include a range of British wine labels including Chapel Down, West Well, Gusbourne and Balfour; as well as seasonal cocktails such as a rose hip negroni, and citrus rum punch. Holding 40-covers in total, Pomus will feature a combination of counter dining at the open bar kitchen and banquet seating, with Chrisp & Waterhouse leading the interior design. Alongside the restaurant and bar, the space will also feature a bottle shop and kitchen provisions store.
9 The Centre, Margate CT9 1JG​

Cocina & Cocteleria​

Mexican taqueria Corrochio’s in London’s Dalston is set to quadruple in size with the addition of a new 120-cover street level bar and restaurant. Owners Daniel Corrochio and Amy McQuarrie have taken over the former Turkish supermarket site housed above their original 30-cover basement restaurant and are set to launch it as Corrochio’s Cocina & Cocteleria on 5 May, which coincides with Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo celebrations. The original basement restaurant, meanwhile, will be repurposed as a bar called Cinco, which will specialise in lesser-known agave and Mexican spirits served alongside a tight menu of small plates. “The expansion is a dream come true for us, and gives us the opportunity to widen our offering and to experiment more,” says Corrochio and McQuarrie, who launched Corrochio’s as a permanent restaurant back in 2021 following a successful pop up at The Bluecoat’s Pub in Tottenham.
76 Stoke Newington Road, London N16 7XB​
www.corrochios.com​​

The Counter Soho​

Kemal Demirasal is opening a follow up restaurant to his popular The Counter Notting Hill in London’s Soho this month on 14 May. The Counter Soho will open on Kingly Street and comprise a 60-cover restaurant and a 30-cover downstairs bar called Under The Counter. The restaurant will bring the flavours of the Aegean to diners alongside southeastern Anatolian favourites from The Counter Notting Hill with a menu inspired by Demirasal’s childhood growing up in the city of Izmir on the Aegean coast. The menu will pay homage to the culinary traditions of Turkey and to the Aegean regions of Greece, ‘along with subtle inflections from the nearby Mediterranean and Levant regions’. It will comprise a selection of hot and cold mezze to share, plus larger grilled and slow cooked dishes, which typify Aegean cuisine. Some of the most popular dishes from The Counter Notting Hill will feature, such as the chocolate babaganoush with dukkah; Levantine lamb tartare; kibbeh; vine leaf deconstructed dolma and adana kebab. Levantine wines will be available, alongside old world European wines from countries such as Italy, France and Germany, and new world wines from the likes of New Zealand, Western Australia and South America. The restaurant’s design will include nods to the Aegean with a terracotta colour palette, and the use of marble and oak.
15 Kingly Street, Carnaby, London W1B 5PS​
thecounterlondon.com/soho​​

All’onda​

Former Hélène Darroze at The Connaught chef Andrea Granzarolo is to lead the kitchen of new fine dining restaurant in London’s Fitzrovia that celebrates the staple Italian rice dish risotto. All’onda will open on Charlotte Street on 2 May and is the creation of first-time restaurateur Cordula Schulz. The restaurant’s name is taken from an Italian phrase meaning ‘on the wave’, which refers to the risotto-making technique which sees rice gently tossed in the pan to create a smooth, flowing texture reminiscent of waves. Granzarolo’s menu will feature variations on the classic risotto including a spring green risotto primavera; and squid ink risotto (pictured). There will also be ‘more playful’ options including a pumpkin and shiso risotto; seaweed, bottarga and white asparagus; and sweetbread and artichoke. There will also be a selection of starters including beef ‘tartaccio’ (a tartare-carpaccio crossover) with smoked soy, parmesan and parsley; and a tight list of regularly changing main courses such as Cornish turbot with verbena, matcha and green asparagus. All’onda will hold 42 covers and with a design pairing dark wood surfaces with ‘elegant detailing’ and ‘warm lighting’.
67 Charlotte Street, London W1T 4PH​
allonda.co.uk​​

Brush Grand Café​

The newly launched Art’otel Hoxton hotel in London will open its first restaurant space this month. Housed on the hotel’s ground floor, The Brush Grand Café will take inspiration from the grand cafés of Vienna and Paris and feature a curved, glass-walled dining room that’s able to hold up to 70 covers. Ryan Matheson, who was previously executive chef at Sea Containers London, will lead the kitchen and serve a menu of ‘simple yet refined’ European dishes. Smaller plates will include beef tartare; and a ‘signature’ tarte flambée with gruyere, onions, lardons and thyme. Larger dishes will include whole grilled sea bass with sea herbs and beurre noisette; whole roast chicken cooked on a Josper grill with garlic and red onion jus; and roast hispi cabbage with pickled shallots, almonds and oat jalapenos mayonnaise. Alongside the restaurant, there will also be The Brush Lounge & Cocktail Bar on the hotel’s first floor, which will serve a selection of drinks and snacks.
84-86 Great Eastern St, London EC2A 3JL​
thebrushhoxton.co.uk​​

Café Petiole​

Tendril chef Rishim Sachdeva will open a ‘plant-first’ café at London’s Somerset House this month. Named after the connecting stalk that attaches a plant stem to its leaf, the 27-cover Café Petiole will offer food throughout the day, with a grab and go or grab and stay menu which can be taken both in the venue itself or al fresco in the London landmark;s neoclassical courtyard. Created by Sachdeva, the menu will include salted piquillo peppers with coriander salsa and ancho chilli dressing; grilled aubergine sabich with tabbouleh; blue corn tostada, smoked artichokes and lime puree; and pineapple, chilli and lime galette. There will also be a selection of breakfast items including toasted banana bread with agave and baked courgette, feta and honey swirls created by Tendril head of pastry Tarryn Williams. An all-vegan drinks list will also be available, featuring kombucha and low-intervention European wines on tap, sourced from suppliers such as Basket Press, L.A. Brewery and Graft and Sustainable Wines. For the interiors, the chef has teamed up with London & Milan based interior design studio DUELLE, who have taken inspiration for the interiors from European travels for the design of Café Petiole, communicating ‘a timeless feel, reflective of an artist’s café, respecting the historic room and surrounds at Somerset House, yet with a contemporary twist’.
South Wing, Somerset House, The Strand, London WC2R 1LA​

Restaurant Auction House​

Former Winteringham Fields head chef Gareth Bartram is to open a restaurant in the Lincolnshire town of Louth. The chef, who spent the past nine years at Winteringham Fields, Lincolnshire’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, is taking on Auction House in Cornmarket alongside his wife Lucy. Opening on 4 May as Restaurant Auction House, the concept is billed as ‘a high end casual dining experience featuring snacks, small plates and tasting menus’. Dishes set to feature on the menu include miso pork belly with celeriac, rice crumb and chive; Isle Of Wight tomatoes with watermelon, ponzu and nori; and BBQ Ranby Hill Farm hogget ‘Caesar’ with braised shoulder, wild garlic and smoked anchovy.
1 Cornmarket, Louth LN11 9PY​
auctionhouserestaurant.co.uk​​

Sticks’n’Sushi Richmond​

Denmark-founded Japanese restaurant group Sticks’n’Sushi will launch a restaurant in Richmond, West London early this month. Located on the corner of George Street and King Street, the site was formally built as a Dickins and Jones department store in 1968, and more recently housed the retailer House of Fraser until 2020. Guests will enter via a central diagonal walkway, which divides the restaurant in two. Colours are muted and soft, with clay greys and rusty reds dividing the restaurant in two horizontal halves and providing a ‘warm, relaxing atmosphere in modern, sleek surroundings’. “We have long admired this historic town, since our first restaurant in Wimbledon in 2012, we are delighted to open in such an iconic building,” says Sticks’n’Sushi Group CEO Andreas Karlsson. 
Unit 1, 80, George Street, Richmond Upon Thames, TW9 1HE​
www.sticksnsushi.com​​