Restaurant radar: December 2019

Davies and Brook​
Eleven Madison Park chef Daniel Humm will open his first restaurant outside of the US early this month. As the first restaurant pitched at a comparable level to his flagship - which holds three stars and was once named World’s Best Restaurant by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants - there’s a lot riding on this opulent venture at equally plush Mayfair hotel Claridge’s. The menu will offer contemporary dishes influenced by London’s eclectic food and cultural scene; as well as reflecting Humm’s upbringing in Europe (including a stint at Claridge’s as a 15 year old commis chef), his time in New York City, and ‘the rich bounty of ingredients from the UK’. The restaurant has been re-designed by US architect Brad Cloepfil and will honour the history of the original room.
Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HR​
claridges.co.uk/restaurants-bars/davies-and-brook​​

Casa do Frango​​
The lauded Algarvian piri piri chicken restaurant in London Bridge is spreading its wings to launch a second site in Shoreditch this month. Owners MJMK hospitality group opened the original location to rave reviews in August 2018 and have taken on a larger, two-storey space for the next site. Casa do Frango Shoreditch will offer the same signature chicken, alongside a wider range of Portuguese dishes including acorn-fed black pork (porco preto) and a twist on octopus rice. A downstairs bakery will allow the restaurant to create its own varieties of pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tarts), as well as pastries and other regional desserts. MJMK has collaborated with the Algarve Rock Brewery near Faro to produce three in-house beers, including a piri piri and spiced variety on draught, as well as a hotter Fogo (meaning ‘fire’ in Portuguese) beer available by the bottle. 
3 King John Court, Shoreditch Village, EC2A 3EZ​​
casadofrango.co.uk​​​

Madre​​​
Breddos Tacos founders Nud Dudhia and Chris Whitney have joined forces with the team behind Liverpool restaurants Belzan and Volpi to launch Mexican taqueria concept Madre in the Merseyside city on 7 December. Opening within the Albert Dock area, Madre will join Liverpool's booming restaurant scene and have space for 100 covers across two floors. The menu is inspired by the cuisine of Mexico City with lunch dishes set to include tacos filled with iberico pork al pastor; and beef short rib birria with black pudding mole. Larger sharing plates will be on offer in the evening, including half a pig’s head chicharron; butterflied sea bass divorcioados; and hogget barbacoa. While the drinks list, designed by the Belzan and Volpi team, will feature a range of margaritas, craft beers and natural wines.
Atlantic Pavilion, Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool L3 4AS​​​
albertdock.com/food-drink/madre​ ​​​

Bancone​
Another of London’s new wave of fresh pasta-focused brands is expanding operations, with Will Ellner’s Bancone set to open its second restaurant on the former Foxlow site in Soho on 12 December. The 4,000sq ft space, which was originally due to be taken over by Australian chef Shaun Presland for his first permanent solo venture in the UK, will feature several counter seating areas and have space for 90 covers. There will also be a basement with cocktail bar and private dining area for 12 to 16 diners. The menu will include many of the favourites that already feature at Bancone’s flagship site in Covent Garden, such as the silk handkerchiefs with walnut butter and confit egg yolk. Meanwhile, new culinary director Claudio Melis will be responsible for creating seasonal dishes and training up the team under head chef Stefano Cilia.
10 Lower James St, Soho, London W1F 9EL​
bancone.co.uk​​

Kindling​
The former owners of well-known Brighton vegetarian restaurant Food for Friends will launch a new concept in the city later this month. Husband and wife team Ramin and Jane Mostowfi say that Kindling will serve food that is kind to the environment and good for the soul. The menu will feature both meat and plant-based dishes, with much of food cooked on an open wood and charcoal fire. The design of the 46-cover dining room will be ‘inspired by the restaurant’s land + sea + fire concept’. Former St John chef Toby Geneen will oversee the kitchen, while Phillip Scott (also ex-St John) will manage the front of house.
69 East St, Brighton BN1 1HQ​
kindlingrestaurant.com​​

Prairie Fire​​​
Kansas City barbecue concept Prairie Fire, which has traded at food markets and festivals across London since 2013, is launching its first bricks and mortar restaurant today (2 December) in London’s White City. The 75-cover restaurant and taproom will open within Transport for London’s Wood Lane railway arches development, with table and bar seating available and a further 30 covers accessible on the terrace. The menu will be focused on 'authentic' Kansas City-style barbecue, with meats cooked 'low and slow' in the restaurant’s smoker. Options will include 16-hour oak smoked brisket; 14-hour applewood smoked pork; burgers; and meat samplers with brisket, pulled pork, sausage and slaw. Drinks, meanwhile, will include a curated cocktail and wine list, as well as a rotating selection of London craft beers.
Arch 88-89 Wood Lane Arches London W12 7LH​​​
prairiefirebbq.com​​​​

Le Deli Robuchon ​
Opening on 7 December, Le Deli Robuchon will be a more casual sibling of Le Comptoir Robuchon, the restaurant honouring multi-Michelin starred Joël Robuchon that opened last month. The Piccadilly site, just around the corner from Le Comptoir, will serve an all-day menu with eat-in or take-away options. Breakfast dishes will include porridge with dry fruits and chia seeds and croissant while lunchtime snacks include Robuchon’s famous jambon-beurre Le Prince de Paris; and Le Croque à la truffe. An off-site bakery will offer freshly baked pastries, such as banana bread with mascarpone and caramelised almonds. 
82 Piccadilly, Mayfair​
robuchonlondon.co.uk​​

Barboun​​
The team behind London’s Aegean restaurant Hovarda have opened their first restaurant in Shoreditch today (2 December), focusing on Levantine-inspired dishes cooked over open flames. Barboun, which translates as ‘red mullet in Turkish’, is the brainchild of chef former Yosma chef Hus Vedat and his protégé Fez Ozalgan. The menu draws on the flavours found in Levantine coastal towns, with dishes including sundried aubergine dolma stuffed with sour cherry, bulgar and garlic yoghurt; grilled wild sea bass with fermented yoghurt tarhana; and long bone tomahawk steak marinated in Anatolian spices for the table to share. Barboun is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and include a deli element serving food to go. 
61-67 Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3HU​
barboun.com​​​

640 East​
The former Silo site in Brighton’s North Laine will re-open later this month as 640 East. The ‘thoughtful food concept’ will serve a daily brunch and small plates menu, with the kitchen operating as a residency space for local chefs during the evenings. Originally designed as a sustainable pop-up bar concept, 640 East launched its first permanent site in London’s Canary Wharf in April 2017. The chain subsequently established two further locations – one in Bristol and another in London’s Bethnal Green – and Brighton-based owners Ross Blake and Alice Duvernois say opening on their home turf was the next natural step.
39 Upper Gardner St, Brighton BN1 4AN​
640east.co.uk​​