Restaurant Radar: May 2021

Blue Boar Pub ​
Sally Abé will open the first of four planned venues at Conrad London St James this month having stepped away from her job as head chef at The Harwood Arms. Blue Boar Pub is described as being a modern take on the classic London pub serving pub food favourites with a twist. Bar snacks will include coronation chicken scotch egg with golden raisin chutney; devilled whitebait; and pork scratching with Bramley apple sauce; while potted Cornish crab with cucumber jelly and grilled sourdough; and corned beef and mustard croquettes will feature as starters. Mains will be hearty, with the likes of a Fallow deer burger, with celeriac and bone marrow remoulade, bread and butter pickles, and onion rings; cod, chips, mushy peas and chip shop curry sauce; and aged Shorthorn rib eye with triple cooked chips, grilled mushrooms and Bois Boudran sauce. As consultant chef at Conrad London St James Abé will oversee the food at its three other planned venues, Blue Boar restaurant, Emmeline’s Lounge, and Tea Lounge.
22-28 Broadway, London SW1H 0BH​
www.hilton.com​​​

Café BAO​​
After a false start last year​​ BAO is finally opening its most ambitious restaurant yet. Taking cues from Yōshoku cuisine and the Western style cafes commonly found throughout Asia, Café BAO will be open all day, with a counter dedicated to BAO Bakery Goods. Café BAO will open its doors early in the morning for breakfast offering dishes including baked ham hock congee pie; and bacon, egg and cheese spring onion pancake while dishes served later in the day will include hamburger BAO;  lobster BAO; and Taiwanese fried chicken kiev. To drink, the cocktail menu features 70s classics with a BAO twist; such as the BAO-ppino, based on a sgroppino with prosecco poured over mango sorbet; and a Midori Float, a twist on an ice cream float made with Japanese Toki whisky, Midori melon liqueur, soda and milk foam. Set across two floors, the interiors designed by Macaulay Sinclair in collaboration with BAO, draw influence from the Western style cafes in Asia with mid-century wood panelling, curved lines, Bauhaus red flooring and Noguchi paper lampshades.
4 Pancras Square, London ​N1C 4AG​​
www.baolondon.com​​​

INO ​
Marylebone restaurant OPSO is getting a new sibling with the opening of INO restaurant in Soho. Located in the former Pitta Bun venue, which was also operated by the restaurant group, INO will bring a Greek taverna to Soho with a menu centred on a charcoal psistaria grill. Small plates dominate the menu, with the likes of charcoaled short rib chops; house cured mackerel; and lamb sweetbreads skewers; while larger dishes will include secreto souvlaki with Iberico pork; and fish ‘cheeks’ with tomato and parsley salsa. It will serve an entirely Greek wine list.
4 Newburgh Street, London W1F 7RF​
www.inogastrobar.com​​

Silver Birch  ​
Former head chef at Andrew Wong’s Kym’s and XU Kimberley Hernandez will finally fire up the stoves at Silver Birch when the Chiswick restaurant opens on 19 May. Open for lunch and dinner and weekend brunch, dishes on the spring menu set to include Devon crab crumpet with celery and Pink Lady Apple; kedgeree; soy poached duck with green olives; and fried chicken with truffle, cauliflower and pickles. The neighbourhood restaurant is a first-time project for restaurateur Tim Price with Edward Allsopp, formerly at Wild by Tart in Belgravia, as general manager.
142 Chiswick High Rd, London W4 1PU​
www.silverbirchchiswick.co.uk​​

Imad’s Syrian Kitchen ​
Syrian chef Imad Alarnab’s much delayed debut restaurant will finally open this month following two false starts because of Covid. Located in the former Darjeeling Express venue in Kingly Court, Imad’s Syrian Kitchen will serve Syrian mezze including falafel; and mtafayt bamyeh (labneh topped with garlic coriander and okra; and mains such as hamsit iahem (slow-cooked marinated lamb shoulder); jaj mtafaieh (chicken thighs roasted with vegetables, accompanied by  a wine list of lower intervention wines from Eastern Europe and the Levant. The restaurant is due to open on 19 May.
Top Floor, Kingly Court, London W1B 5PW​
www.imadssyriankitchen.co.uk​​

142 Chiswick High Rd, Chiswick, London W4 1PU​
www.silverbirchchiswick.co.uk​​

Undisclosed ​
Promising to be a restaurant ‘like no other’ in the north east, chef Christopher Spence will open fine dining venture Undisclosed in Sunderland this month. The chef-patron of Emily’s Table in Sunderland  will open his new venture, which takes inspiration from the hidden bars he visited during his time spent in Australia, on St John’s Street in the space formerly occupied by D’Acqua on 17 May. Undisclosed will serve a fine dining menu of ambitious dishes alongside a list of of molecular cocktails.
28 John St, Sunniside, Sunderland SR1 1JG​
www.restaurant-undisclosed.com​​

Humble Chicken​
Former Restaurant Story head chef Angelo Sato will open a yakitori bar on 20 May. Humble Chicken is inspired by Sato’s Japanese heritage and the ‘traditions of izakayas in Tokyo’. The whole of the chicken will be used, including cartilage, gizzards and even the bird’s knees. Yakitori will be cooked over Bincho-tan charcoal on a traditional Japanese grill imported from Kappabashi in Tokyo and served on wooden skewers. The yakitori will be supplemented by a brief selection of small and large plates inspired by favourite dishes, flavours and memories from Sato’s childhood. Dishes include miso foie gras, black sesame, pine nuts and rice crackers; and Hakata pork belly with braised daikon, yolk and mustard. 
54 Frith Street, London W1D 4SJ​
www.humblechickenuk.com​​

Good Neighbour Peckham Rye​
South London restaurant Good Neighbour will open a third location this month in Peckham Rye, adding to its venues in Camberwell and Tooting Broadway. The space will be divided into two with a wine bar to the front and dining room at the rear. Spanish chef Josue Otero will head up the kitchen serving vegan, vegetarian, fish and meat dishes such as smoked brisket benedict; and vegan crispy Korean cauliflower burger. The wine list will feature natural and old world wines as well as fine wines available by glass via Enomatic as well as comprehensive cocktail menu.

58 Peckham Rye, London SE15 4JR​
www.goodneighbour.uk.com​​

Kraft​
Not to be confused with Stevie Parle’s Craft London, Kraft is a link up between German-style brewer Kraft Brewery, fellow drinks company Jim & Tonic, and new wave kebab operators Le Bab. Originally set for a January launch when it was announced at the tail end of last year,​​ the site is located within Kingsland Locke, the most recent site from the aparthotel brand Locke. Set across two floors, the site will feature a ground floor bar, specialising in fresh beer as well as gin. Both will be produced at an onsite microbrewery and distillery which will be visible through the glass wall of the restaurant on the floor below. Le Bab - which runs a brace  kebab-focused restaurants in central London - will serve slider-sized kebabs on  sourdough flatbreads from the restaurant.

130a Kingsland High Street, London E8 2LQ​
www.kraftdalston.com​​

Sabine​
The rooftop space that was once home to The Sky Bar will soon become Sabine. Located atop the Leonardo hotel in the City, the venue retains The Sky Bars retractable roof and layout but has been overhauled. The new look goes big on greenery and is far less corporate in feel. The menu includes burrata with white peach, pistachio and toast; chilli and lemon crab sticks with brown crab ketchup; and grilled octopus with mojo rojo sauce. 
8-14 Cooper's Row, London EC3N 2BQ​
www.sabinelondon.co.uk​​

Cin Cin London ​
Brighton and Hove favourite Cin Cin heads to Fitzrovia next month as owner David Toscano fulfills a long-held ambition to take his casual but upscale Italian brand to London. The Foley Street site - most recently home to Bonnie Gull Seafood Shack -will offer a menu that’s broadly similar to that offered at Cin Cin’s larger Hove site (Cin Cin's debut site in central Brighton offers a more condensed menu). Launch dishes will include Scottish scallop, San Marzano and smoked chilli, fennel, tapenade butter; chicken Milanese, giardinera salad, wild garlic emulsion; and espresso tart, chocolate and hazelnut crumble, date ice cream.
21A Foley Street, London W1W 6DS​
www.cincin.co.uk​​

The Farrier​
The Farrier is slated to open within a Grade II-listed former horse hospital and stable later this month with former Marcus and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester chef Ash Finch is heading the stove. Within Camden Market, the upmarket new pub restaurant seats 90 and will offer a menu that includes the likes of game pie; beef fat cured mackerel; and smoked wild pigeon and salt baked squash. Local drinks producers including Camden Town Brewery and Half Hitch Gin will feature on the menu alongside small production and organic wines and bottled and canned craft beers. Featuring a hidden courtyard with outdoor heating and a fire pit, The Farrier will retain and restore the building's existing features, which include exposed brickwork and cast iron fixtures and fittings. The business is being launched by friends George Hartshorn, Chris Gibson and Ollie Patterson who have a background in both hospitality and the music industry.
87-88 North Yard, London NW1 8AH​
www.thefarriercamden.com​​

Purezza Manchester​

Vegan pizza brand Purezza's first northern site opens later this month following the group taking on the former Dough Pizza Kitchen site in Manchester's Northern Quarter. The opening will follow a year of strong growth for Purezza, which doubled its restaurant estate from two to four sites last year with new openings in Hove and Bristol. Meanwhile, a successful funding drive saw the group also raise £2.4m to drive the growth of its retail arm, as well fund further restaurant expansion both in the UK and internationally. Purezza serves a fully vegan menu of sourdough pizzas made with plant-based mozzarella that’s produced in-house. Signature pizzas include ‘Parmigiana Party’ topped with smoked mozzarella, aubergine parmigiana, crumbled vegan sausage; and a dusting of nutritional yeast; and an ‘nduja’ one with mozzarella, green chillies, roasted aubergines, baby sweetcorn, red peppers, sriracha sauce and chilli flakes.
75-77 High Street, Manchester M4 1FS​
www.purezza.co.uk​​

Sidechick​
Patty & Bun’s chicken-focused offshoot will open its first permanent site on James Street in London’s Marylebone having previously operated as a virtual brand. Opening next door to Patty & Bun, the 50-cover restaurant will be split over two floors with an open kitchen on the ground floor and an outdoor terrace. The menu’s focus will be roast chicken, seasonal vegetables and salads with a drinks menu of natural wines and cocktails.

56 James St, London W1U 1HF​
www.pattyandbun.co.uk​​