Restaurant radar: July 2018

Chilli Pickle Guildford​
Renowned Brighton restaurant The Chilli Pickle is to opening its second site later this month, having secured the former Jackson & Rye site in Guildford, Surrey. The highly rated Indian restaurant, run by husband and wife duo Alun and Dawn Sperring, has been looking to expand for some time and raised £700,000 on Growthdeck last year but ended up pulling out of the deal. Opening later this month, The Chilli Pickle Guildford will be a comparable size to the pair’s original restaurant with around 125 covers, and will serve its signature authentic, regional Indian dishes.

219 High Street, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3BJ
https://thechillipickle.com/​

Gazelle​
Bar specialist Tony Conigliaro and El Bulli alumnus Rob Roy Cameron are opening a joint venture on Mayfair’s Albemarle Street. Opening on 9 July, Gazelle will span two storeys comprising a café, bar and restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. It will be the second collaboration for the pair, who also operate east London bar and Japanese restaurant, Untitled Bar. Designed for sharing, the menu will include unusual dishes such as frozen yeast; strawberry oyster; and grape with bee pollen and yoghurt.

48 Albermarle Street, London W1S 4DH
gazelle-mayfair.com/​

Pizzeria 50 Kalo di Ciro Salvo​
One of Naples’ most loved pizzerias is making its UK debut at a Trafalgar Square site this month. 50 Kalo di Ciro Salvo will open on the former site of Bianco 43 in Northumberland Avenue on 12 July. Owned by pizza expert Ciro Salvo, and co-founder Alessandro Guglielmini, the new restaurant will serve a similar menu to its Naples flagship. The brand’s signature pizzas will be served alongside a selection of side dishes including potato croquettes stuffed with sausage and cheese; and French fries.  All dishes are made using Italian and Campanian ingredients including tomatoes; fiordilatte; and mozzarella, alongside wines and Italian craft beers.

7 Northumberland Ave, London SW1A 2DR
http://www.xn--50kal-yta.it/index.php/en/​

Ichiba​
Japan Centre Group and Cool Japan Fund will launch Europe’s largest Japanese food hall as part of Westfield London’s £600m expansion this month. The 17,400 sq ft flagship Japan Centre store will have feature food stations dedicated to freshly prepared and cooked food and a larger retail offering that will include everything from fresh miso and soy sauce to tableware and sake. There will be a 200-cover food court with stations producing a wide range of Japanese food including katsu curries; sushi and sashimi; tempura; noodles; and a number of street food dishes including takoyaki (wheat batter spheres packed with a range of fillings).

Westfield, London W12 7HB
www.ichibalondon.com/​

Cora Pearl​
Cora Pearl The team behind Kitty Fisher’s in Mayfair will launch a second restaurant later this month on Covent Garden’s Henrietta Street. Cora Pearl is named after a Covent Garden prostitute who moved to Paris and became a glamorous courtesan, and the two-storey restaurant's decor will mirror her decadent life with vintage light xtures and parquet oors. Kitty Fisher’s head chef George Barson will be heading up the kitchen when the restaurant opens on 18 June. The menu will combine British and French inuences, including the likes of cont pork belly with smoked quince; leek heart with smoked eel; and milk sorbet.

30 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8NA
www.corapearl.co.uk/​

Carte Blanche​
The founder of American-French street food outfit Le Bun will open a bricks-and-mortar restaurant in east London on 12 July. Andy Taylor will open Carte Blanche on the former site of much-loved fried chicken and cocktail restaurant Rita’s. The 50-cover Mare Street restaurant will serve “gluttony-emboldening dishes” inspired by American and French cuisine, including oysters with caviar hollandaise and maple bacon; fois gras and escargot tostadas; and fried chicken with caviar (as famously seen at David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar).

175 Mare St, London E8 3RH
www.carteblancheldn.com/​

Little Kolkata​
The team behind Bengali supper club operation Little Kolkata will open its debut permanent restaurant in Covent Garden this month on Shelton Street, serving Bengali, Bangladeshi and Calcuttan dishes alongside an Indian-influenced cocktail menu. Dishes, inspired by the founders’ upbringings in Bangladesh and Calcutta, will include sharing plates ranging from £5 to £13.50 in price such as a ‘maacher’ cod fish cutlet served with Calcuttan mustard sauce; ‘lilish maacher deemer’, which is a type of spiced fish roe that is popular in Bengali cuisine; chicken livers sautéed with spice and chillies; and homemade truffle paratha.

51-53 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JU
www.littlekolkata.co.uk/​

Lady of the Grapes ​
Launching on the former site of Victor Garvey’s restaurant Encant, Lady of the Grapes will be a wine bar, shop and restaurant focusing on wines created by female winemakers with food by Garvey. Owned by Carole Bryon, who previously ran the Grocery Wine Vault shop in Shoreditch, Lady of the Grapes will champion women in the wine trade and make them more visible. Food will be inspired by the southern French side of Garvey’s family, and will include the likes of steamed mussels and clams with gratinated bone marrow and garlic toast; and steak tartare with ceps and pickled kohlrabi.

16 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7NJ
www.ladyofthegrapes.com/​

Borealis​
Scandinavian-inspired restaurant Borealis will launch this month at Borough in a new development opposite the station. It is the brainchild of restaurateur Soren Jessen. The kitchen will be overseen by Scandinavian chef Robin Freeman, previously of Blacks in Soho and Bukowski Grill, who also oversees the kitchen at Jessen’s other Scandinavian restaurant, Ekte, in the Bloomberg Arcade. Borealis is launching in collaboration with workspace specialists Fora, who have also collaborated with Stevie Parle, and will offer a fifth floor workspace for its employees.

180 Borough High St, London SE1 1LB
www.instagram.com/borealislondon/​

Yen Burger​
Asian inspired burger restaurant Yen Burger is launching in London’s Borough this month. The 70-cover Southwark Street restaurant will serve burgers incorporating Asian ingredients such as kimchi mayonnaise and Japanese shiso leaves. Diners will have several patty options including Wagyu beef; cod; and butterflied king prawns. The bread for the buns will come from nearby bakery Bread Ahead. Side orders of Asian coleslaw; steamed edamame beans; and sweet potato chips will also be available.

1B Southwark Street, SE1 1RQ
yenburger.co.uk/defaultsite​

Tast Manchester​
Launching on 20 July, Tast aims to bring a “celebration of Catalan food and wine” to Manchester’s King Street. The restaurant will be led by chef Paco Perez, chef patron of Miramar in Llanca, Girona; and Enoteca at Barcelona’s Arts Hotel, both of which hold two Michelin stars. The restaurant will comprise the ‘Pinya’ bar, offering drinks and snacks; the ‘Folre’ main floor which will serve small plates and a la carte meals; and a private dining room offering tailored experiences and paired wines.

20 - 22 King St, Manchester M2 6AG
https://www.tastcatala.com/​

Hawksmoor Edinburgh​
Hawksmoor will launch its first Scottish restaurant on 12 July, in the banking hall of the former Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters, in five-star hotel The Edinburgh Grand. It will be the seventh site for the group, which was launched by Will Beckett and Huw Gott in London's Spitalfields in 2006. The menu will include the group’s signature dishes including old spot belly ribs, hand-dived scallops with white port and garlic and charcoal-grilled monkfish. It will offer Edinburgh-exclusive additions including sourdough; cheese; and coffee from local producers; hillside hogget chops; Peterhead cod, cockles and seaweed butter; and Langoustine scampi.

42 West Register St, Edinburgh EH2 2AU
thehawksmoor.com/edinburgh/​

Custard by Gunpowder​
Gunpowder founders Harneet and Devina Baweja are gearing up to launch follow-up restaurant Gunpowder Market Market, which will start by first opening its standalone bakery and wine bar, Custard, this month. Situated at 4 Duchess Walk in the One Tower Bridge development, Custard will specialise in savouries, pastries and sandwiches from across the Indian subcontinent alongside European influences. The 40-cover bakery will open late this month, roughly one month ahead of Gunpowder. Open all day, Custard will serve breakfast and lunch through to pre and post theatre snacks. Menu items include butter chicken puffs, Bombay sandwiches, Goan pork sausage rolls and mutton and egg sandwiches, available to eat in or take away. Sweet options include sour Narangi custard tart with pistachio meringue and almond cherry and ghee cake, alongside soft serve custard.

4 Duchess Walk, London, SE1 2SD
gunpowderlondon.com​

The Belrose​
The team behind Brixton’s Homegrown health café is launching a pub, microbrewery and Italian restaurant in Belsize Park next month. The Collective MJMK LLP will launch The Belrose on Haverstock Hill, comprising a, 80-cover dining room; 40-cover garden space; and a 15-cover private area, which will be available for hire. Alongside the restaurant, an onsite microbrewery will produce an IPA that can be ordered from the bar, alongside a selection of natural wines and international beers. The all-day Italian menu will serve a selection of pizzas made with local produce combined with Italian ingredients, cooked in a central clay oven.

94 Haverstock Hill, London NW3 2BD
www.thebelrose.co.uk/​

Isla Ray​
Launching in Deptford on 3 July, Isla Ray will be an Australian-inspired café serving an all-day menu from owner Rachael Dalton-Loveland. Daytime offerings will comprise overnight oats; yoghurt bowls; and open sandwiches including brie and crushed walnuts with rosemary and maple syrup; and salmon with mascarpone and capers. In the evening, sharing plates will include a mezze platter of falafel, hummus, feta, bread, and olives; and a mixed plate of cured meats, cheeses, pickles and bread.

37 Deptford High Street, London SE8 4AD
www.islaray.co.uk/​