Restaurant Radar: February 2019

Tattu​

Modern Chinese restaurant Tattu officially open the doors of its third and largest restaurant at the start of this month in Birmingham city centre. Split over two levels, the 160-cover restaurant will serve Chinese-inspired cuisine ‘taking traditional ingredients and classic flavours, combined with innovative ideas and cooking techniques’. The menu will feature the group’s signature dishes of beef fillet and caramel soy; and saffron black cod alongside new additions of chilli and sesame roasted scallops served with Chinese sausage, crushed edamame and mint; and an Asian pear crumble with green apple, almond and a pink custard.
18 Barwick Street, Birmingham​
tattu.co.uk/birmingham​​

Yard & Coop​

Fried chicken group Yard & Coop is heading to Leeds for its third permanent restaurant. The company, which already has sites in Manchester and Liverpool, will open a 120-cover restaurant near Leeds station in late February. Menu options will include a ‘build your feast’ option, where diners can choose a cut of meat, sauce and add toppings to fries; and dishes such as chicken breast with buttery mash, Yorkshire pudding and gravy.
3 York Pl, Leeds ​
yardandcoop.com/leeds​​

Yeni​

Civan Er, the chef behind Istanbul’s acclaimed Yeni Lokanta restaurant, is opening his first London site on 4 February. Yeni has taken the former Vinoteca site in Soho, and will serve dishes drawn from its sister restaurant in Turkey, such as aubergine filled manti with goats’ yoghurt; and Antep sausages with borlotti bean puree. Istanbul’s Yeni Lokanta has featured in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Discovery Series, which highlights the next generation of restaurants which may not currently be on the list, but are recommended by a panel of almost 1,000 independent experts from across the world.
55 Beak Street, Soho​
www.yeni.london​​

EartH Kitchen​

The old Hackney Arts Centre in London has undergone a revamp, with former St John executive chef Chris Gillard set to oversee a restaurant space. EartH Kitchen will seat 150 diners in the area that used to be the old Savoy cinema foyer. Expect simple dishes such as griddled mackerel with beetroot, leaves and horseradish; and pork and duck rillettes with cornichons on toast.
11-17 Stoke Newington Rd, Stoke Newington, London N16 8BH.​
earthackney.co.uk​​

Vivi​

This flagship restaurant at London’s Centre Point development takes its cues from the 1960’s, when the site was first built. Vivi’s retro-inspired all-day menu will include cauliflower cheese croquettes; chicken kiev; and a take on the arctic roll. The 16,000 sq ft dining room will feature 1960’s-inspired design, with optical art, an elliptical bar and lighting modelled on the children’s building block toy Play Plax. It is the latest project from Rhubarb, the catering company behind London’s Sky Garden.
Centre Point Bridge Link, 101-103 New Oxford Street​
www.vivirestaurant.co.uk​​

Xier​

Xier is the first solo restaurant from chef Carlo Scotto, who has worked under Angela Hartnett at Murano and at Galvin La Chapelle in Spitalfields. Split it in two spaces, it will comprise a 62-cover, casual dining restaurant on the ground floor called XR, and a more ambitious 38-cover dining room, Xier, above. The food will draw inspiration from Naples-born Scotto’s upbringing and travels through Europe and Asia and is described as being ‘a take on modern European with a global influence’. Xier will offer a tasting menu, while the a la carte offer at XR will be priced around £15-£28 for main courses, with dishes such as hanger steak, pickled walnuts, shallots, parsley and baby aubergine.
13-14 Thayer Street​
www.xierlondon.com​​

The Oyster Club​

Rosanna Moseley, long-time member of Adams Restaurant in Birmingham, is taking the helm at chef Adam Stokes’ second venture in the city. Called The Oyster Club, the 30-cover restaurant will focus on British seafood and serve fresh oysters shucked in front of customers at the 24-cover bar. The restaurant takes its name from a group of intellectuals and scientists who used to meet in Edinburgh in the 1770s to debate and exchange ideas over dinner.
43 Temple Street, Birmingham​
www.the_oyster_club.co.uk​​

Ooty​

This unusual sounding Marylebone restaurant takes its name from the small town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and will comprise an 80-cover fine dining restaurant along with a colonial-style basement bar called Ooty Club and Ooty station, an all day casual dining space and cocktail bar. It will be headed up Manmeet Singh Balim, formerly of Rasoi, whose ‘modern take on the refined, aromatic cuisine of southern India’ means the serving of dishes such as Tellicherry crab fry with coconut crab relish and tomato chutney; and Goan chicken cafreal with cucumber rolls.
66 Baker Street​
ooty.co.uk​​

Thunderbird Fried Chicken​

Following investment from private equity group TriSpan, London street food brand Thunderbird Fried Chicken will open its first bricks and mortar restaurant in Brixton Village later this month. Expect to see dishes already on the menus at its Dinerama in Shoreditch and Giant Robot in Canary Wharf locations, such as chicken wings, buns and buckets as well as a few new items, not least a salted caramel chicken wing.
Market Row, Brixton​
www.thunderbirdckn.co.uk​​

Adam Handling Chelsea​

The Frog founder Adam Handling will open his first hotel restaurant this month, in the plush Belmond Cadogan in Chelsea. The kitchen will be headed up by former Danesfield House chef Adam Simmonds who has worked with Handling to create a menu of contemporary British cuisine available as a la carte dishes as well as part of a tasting menu.
75 Sloane St, Chelsea​
www.adamhandlingchelsea.co.uk​​

Angelina​

Described as a ‘surreal’ Japanese-Italian restaurant, Angelina is a new project from former Bocca di Lupo chef Daniele Ceforo and Joshua Owens-Baigler, who trained at The River Café. Their 40-cover Dalston restaurant will have a set menu of eight ‘plates’ for £48 (drinks pairing is an additional £45) with dishes on the launch menu to include fritto misto and worcester sauce; tuna, veal mayonnaise and capers; and sirloin, radicchio and hibachi.
56 Dalston Lane​
www.angelina.london​​

Bun House Chinatown​

The team behind Bun House in Soho are launching a second, larger restaurant, a bao’s toss away in Chinatown. The format will be similar to the original, with a tight menu of filled buns and small dishes, such as chilli tripe and glass noddle salad, but new restaurant’s menu will feature two new additions - a beef brisket option and a soft, brioche-style pineapple bun. Spread across two floors it will have significantly more space than the debut site, with room for 72 covers.
Lisle Street, Chinatown​
bun.house​​

Yopo​

Yopo is replacing Serge et le Phoque at London’s Mandrake Hotel, following the restaurant's closure in January. Opening 12 February, it promises to offer “modern European cooking with South American elements”, with dishes including potato churros; and ceviche of seabass, blood orange, red onion and nasturtium. Coffees and takeaway dishes will be served in the bar, alongside snacks from an open “raw kitchen”.
20 - 21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG​
https://www.themandrake.com/​​