Restaurant radar: June 2023

Mýse​
The husband-and-wife duo behind sorely missed York restaurant Le Cochon Aveugle will return later this month. Joshua and Victoria Overington Mýse (pronounced ‘meez’) takes its name from an Anglo-Saxon word for ‘eating at the table’ and will ‘shine a light on the highest quality produce in the local area and beyond’ offering an evening tastign menu for £110 and a shorter lunch menu for £80. “Mýse is an opportunity for us to finally realise our restaurant dream. We loved our time at Le Cochon Aveugle and think back on it fondly, but outgrew the space,” says Joshua. “This is our chance to create something more ambitious and a reflection on our incredible Yorkshire surroundings. I grew up here and it has been home to Victoria for ten years, so we wanted to create a welcoming, homely spot, each dish a nod to dinners that my Yorkshire grandmother would cook for me, but elevated and refined.”
Main Street, Hovingham, York YO62 4LF​
restaurantmyse.co.uk​​

Counter 71​
Former Fenn and St Leonards chef Joe Laker is to launch his first solo venture this month on Nile Street in London’s Shoreditch. The project will combine two disparate concepts housed under one roof: Counter 71, a chef’s table restaurant serving 16 covers a night; and Lowcountry, a bar paying homage to the cocktail culture of the American South. Counter 71 is described as Laker’s ‘culinary ode to the British Isles’ and will serve a seasonal tasting menu that depicts the chef’s minimalist style and places an emphasis on the ‘lesser-known British larder’ of citrus fruits and chillies that have grown in abundance in recent years due to soaring temperatures. Dishes set to feature on the opening menu include langoustine broth and pickled carrot; brown crab donut and scallop roe; eel tart with fried seaweed and caviar; and chocolate parfait with yoghurt sorbet and buckwheat crumb. Laker will be joined by other Fenn alumni including sous chef Michael Miles; and general manager Harry Cooper, who will head up front-of-house and oversee the restaurant’s wine list. Meanwhile, US-born mixologist Ryan Sheehan will oversee the offering at Lowcountry, with a focus on American whiskey.
71 Nile Street, London N1 7RD​
counter71.co.uk​​

Empire Empire​

Gunpowder founder Harneet Baweja is opening a new Indian restaurant concept in London this month. Called Empire Empire, the Notting Hill restaurant will open on 15 June and take inspiration from the late 1970s Indian disco era, with customers able to ‘dine and dance the evening away’. The 40-cover restaurant, located on All Saints Road, will be lined with tables on one side, dressed with white linen covered with paper cloths that will be reminiscent of India’s old-school curry houses, while the other side will house a bar. The dining room will feature a custom-made Marshall jukebox playing ‘Bollywood bangers’ with artwork from respected Indian artists Jogen Chowdhury and Rabin Mondal featuring on the walls alongside vintage LP covers of recordings from 1970s Indian artists. The menu will be inspired by the north western cuisines stretching across the old Punjab Empire, from Bihar across to Afghanistan. Dishes will include lasooni tangdi kebab; malai methi matar; and lobster dum biryani.
16 All Saints Road, London W11 1HH​
empire-empire.restaurant​​

Pêtchi​
Great British Menu finalist Joe Baker is to open a restaurant and bar in Jersey focusing on island produce cooked over fire. Called Pêtchi, which translates as ‘to try to catch a fish’ from Jèrriais, Jersey’s traditional dialect, the restaurant will be housed in a historic grade two listed building and occupy the top floor of what was once the harbourmasters office, overlooking Jersey’s Liberation Square. The open plan dining room will feature large windows with a polished concrete pass to the rear of the room. A separate bar space will be open for drinks and some small plates in a more informal setting. Seafood and shellfish will be a key feature of Pêtchi, with dishes to include Jersey oysters either served raw with cucumber and sorrel, or fried with citrus and house hot sauce; Chancre crab and seaweed tarts; and a signature of wood-roasted lobster rice for two or three to share as well as an ex-dairy beef chop with smoked olive oil.
Unit 13C, Liberty Wharf, La route de Liberation, St Helier, Jersey JE2 3NY, Jersey​
petchi.je​​

Bundobust ​

Indian street food and craft beer specialist Bundobust is heading to Birmingham for its fifth opening. Bundobust Birmingham will be housed in a Grade II listed building on Bennetts Hill, designed in the 1860s by renowned local architect Yeoville Thomason. Split across two floors, the new site is described as having ‘a more intimate, pub-like feel’ than its Northern counterparts. Bundobust, which takes its name from an Anglo-Indian word that means binding or coming together, was founded in 2013 by friends Mayur Patel and Marko Husak and currently operates sites in Leeds and Liverpool, as well as two locations in Manchester. As with the group’s other outposts, Bundobust Birmingham will serve a selection of Gujarati vegetarian street food dishes alongside a wide range of craft beers.
38 Bennetts Hill, Birmingham B3 2AA​
bundobust.com​​

123V Bakery​
Vegan restaurateur Alexis Gauthier will launch a plant-based bakery later this month; the first of two new ventures planned by the chef that are set to open next to the BFI office and screening rooms just off London’s Tottenham Court Road. 123V Bakery will be a cafe/patisserie-led continuation of the plant-based restaurant 123V which launched at Fenwick Bond Street in 2021. Situated at the front of the restaurant, it is aimed firmly at the working lunch crowd and will serve coffee, pastries and house-made breads from the Gauthier Soho bread selection. There will also be a daily-changing bottomless salad and sushi station with 123V menu classics such as chickpea fries; aubergine toast; and California cheeseburger on offer. The second part of the project, called Studio Gauthier, will open in July.
21 Stephen Street, London W1T 1LN​

Kachori​

Restaurateur Sorowar Khan has teamed up with well-known hospitality consultant Humayun Hussain to open an Indian casual dining restaurant in Elephant & Castle’s Elephant Park this month. Named after the famed Indian street food, Kachori will hold 136 covers in total and be led by former Gymkhana and Benares chef Brinder Narula. Narula - who is one of the UK’s most experienced Indian chef’s having headed the kitchens of two of Mayfair’s most prominent Michelin-starred Indian restaurants - has penned a regional Indian menu that will explore the food from places including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and the Punjab and include influences drawn from the regional communities of Marwari, Jains, Raiputs and Moghuls. Small plates will include dal chilla taco (crispy lentil crepes, asafoetida-tempered mash potatoes, shengdana podi, Mathania chilli and coconut chutney) and the eponymous kachori (a sweet and spicy deep fried snack). Larger dishes will include Malay Meen cod loin with lemon grass, galangal, yellow mustard, coconut, tamarind; and Keralan beef chilli Ulathu (slow-cooked sliced beef in caramelised onion, curry leaves, Teliicherry black pepper, garlic, green chilli).
12 Ash Avenue, Elephant Park, London SE17 1GQ​
kachorirestaurant.com​​

Gaucho Covent Garden​
Marking the first London opening by the steakhouse group in a decade, Gaucho has taken over the former Wahlburgers restaurant on James Street near Covent Garden. Holding 120 covers and spread across two levels, the space has been reimagined in a 1930s style with art deco touches. As well as operating as a restaurant, the downstairs will also feature live music, DJs and tango performances. Open everyday from 8pm until midnight, the menu will feature both set lunch and pre-theatre options alongside à la carte.
8-9 James St, London WC2E 8BH​
gauchorestaurants.com/restaurants/covent-garden/​​

Broken Eggs​

Brother and sister duo Gabriel Larraz and Marta Verdu are to open a debut site of their Spanish tortilla concept Broken Eggs. After testing their concept and launching their brand last year from a dark kitchen in central London, the due will be opening their first physical location at Foley Street in Fitzrovia this month. The restaurant will serve authentic Spanish tortillas alongside starters, salads, cheese, and charcuterie such as hand-carved Ibérico ham. Dishes on the menu will include tortillas in options such as classic, chorizo, jamon, courgette, as well as one made with fresh black truffle; alongside huevos rotos (broken eggs) made with string-thin fried potatoes and a fried egg with either Ibérico ham or chorizo.
24, 25 Foley St, London W1W 6DX​
brokeneggs.co.uk​​

Wonderland​
Brothers Alex and Oliver Santoro will open Wonderland this month on Old Compton Street and offer a menu that will centre on burgers and fried chicken, with side dishes, milkshakes and doughnuts also available. The concept will take creative cues from pop culture cinema and feature graphic posters lining the walls, a holographic chrome counter, and a colour scheme of pink, purple and chrome. Burger options will include the Pulp Fiction-inspired ‘Royale with Cheese’ burger featuring an Aberdeen Angus beef patty topped with cheddar cheese, gherkins and ‘Wonder Sauce’; and the signature ‘Wonder burger’ made with a plant-based patty topped with vegan cheese. The menu will also include Korean-style chicken wings; and a jalapeño-infused buttermilk fried chicken sandwich – both of which will also be available as plant-based options. There will be separate friers, grills and work-stations in the restaurant’s kitchen for the vegan and meat-based dishes.
49 Old Compton Street, London W1D 6HL​

Earl of Derby​

New Cross-based pub the Earl of Derby is reopening this month after a refurbishment with the kitchen headed up by the team behind Brockley’s Good as Gold. Located at the foot of Telegraph Hill, the pub is run by Parched, a small independent group of South London pubs run by four friends that was founded in south London. It has undergone a significant restoration, bringing it back to its Victorian roots. Taking over the kitchen will be chefs George Genn and Laurence Pengelly, formerly of the Brockley-based specialty coffee shop Good As Gold. Their new concept Gengelly's will focus on ‘proper’ pies, chargrilled meats and fish and weekly specials as well as Sunday roasts. The pub will have a capacity of 150 downstairs with seating for 80 upstairs and an additional 50 outside. It will be run by general manager Jake Hollick.
87 Dennett's Rd, London SE14 5LW​
earlofderby.uk​​

Outcrop​

The founders of Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Luca and a trio from events company Secret Cinema will partner with AngloThai chef John Chantarasak for a three-month pop-up at 180 The Strand, beginning on 23 June. Billed as a restaurant and arts space with a sustainable ethos, Outcrop will be located in a verdant courtyard within the brutalist creative hub that is also home to the two-Michelin-starred Ikoyi serving as ‘an inner-city oasis within London’s West End to connect guests with nature’. Inspired by Outcrop’s overall mission, Chantarasak has created a menu with a focus on seasonal British vegetables, as well as a smaller selection of native breed animals and line-caught fish, all cooked over charcoal ‘in keeping with the traditional cooking practices of rural Thailand’. Dishes will include root Vegetable som tam, tamarind and London honey; salt-baked beetroot, scallop roe chilli jam and wild garlic; Wye Valley asparagus and sunflower seed Satay; coconut-smoked turbot bone broth; skate wing jungle curry; and Thai tea burnt cream.
180 Strand, Temple, London WC2R 1EA​
www.outcrop.social​​

Little Kudu​
Taking the place of what was Smokey Kudu, which has since relocated to Chelsea, the latest venture from highly rated Peckham restaurateurs Amy Corbin and Patrick Williams is billed as a ‘tapas-inspired’ take on the pair’s South African-inspired Kudu concept. Little Kudu will be helmed by current Kudu sous chef Chace Wagenhauser, who, like Williams, is South African-born. The menu will feature small plates priced from £4 to £23 and include the Little Kudu loaf with Cape Malay butter; smoked peri-peri mussels; braaibroodjie (South African grilled cheese sandwich) with smoked tomato chutney; and ham hock terrine with biltong scratchings. A concise 30-bin wine list will ‘showcase the most sought after wines from South Africa’.
133 Queen’s Rd, London SE15 2ND​
kuducollective.com/little-kudu​​

Kima​

The team behind Greek restaurants OPSO, INO and Pittabun is opening a ‘fin-to-gill’ restaurant in London’s Marylebone. Called Kima, the restaurant is being launched by chefs and restaurateurs Andreas Labridis and Nikos Roussos with a menu centred on fresh seafood and day-boat fish. Named after the Greek name for wave, the restaurant will on 28 June and be located on Paddington Street opposite OPSO, the first restaurant from the duo, and will have space for 30-covers as well as a fish counter. Diners can choose seafood from the counter, including whole turbot and grouper, to langoustines and hand dived scallops with Roussos and his team taking diners through the different ways each fish or crustacean can be prepared; raw, cured or cooked. Kima will have a ‘waste not, use all’ philosophy, using every part of the fish and animal, with fish bones and spines made into broths served ‘sabu sabu’ style with slices of fish. Lesser-used parts such as the heads will be simply grilled; lightly fried tails will be served with an aioli, while charred fish collars will served with extra virgin olive oil and lemon. Alongside the seafood offering will be selected cuts of meat that will be aged in-house to create dishes such as a rack of lamb served with a bisque-demi-glace sauce.
57 Paddington Street, W1U 4JA​
kimarestaurant.com​​

Harbour House​
Chef Jeffery Robinson will launch his latest venture next month, a ‘sustainably-driven’ pub overlooking the waterfront in the village of Flushing on the south Cornish coast. Harbour House is described as being ‘dedicated to creating and achieving new levels of hyper-sustainability in the hospitality industry’. Formerly known as The Seven Stars, the pub was acquired by Robinson in partnership with publicans William Speed and Tamara Costin last October and renamed Harbour House. It will serve dedicated lunch and dinner menus, with snacks and small plates also available throughout the day. Drinks will include ‘hyper-local’ beers from Penryn’s Verdant Brewer, Lacuna; Cornish made gins and spirits will be supplied from local producers including Loveday and Pocket Full of Stones; and minimal intervention, bio dynamic and organic wines from Ben Mudditt of Wanderlust Wines.
Trefusis Rd, Flushing, Falmouth TR11 5TY​
harbourhouseflushing.com​​

Eòrna​

Edinburgh-based chef Brian Grigor is joining forces with sommelier Glen Montgomery to launch an ambitious 'chef's table' restaurant on the Scottish capital's Hamilton Place in Stockbridge this month. Called Eòrna, the 12-cover countertop restaurant will serve an 'ever-evolving' tasting menu with a focus on pairing seasonal ingredients and classic old-world wines. Grigor, who previously led the kitchen at Edinburgh’s Number One at The Balmoral for four years, and Montgomery, who spent nearly three years as head sommelier at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, will oversee all aspects of the restaurant. There will be no other chefs or front of house staff, with the pair describing the Eòrna as a 'pared back, intimate, yet sophisticated dining experience'. Dishes set to feature on the restaurant's launch menu include Mull cheddar mousse with quince and hazelnut; Belhaven smoked salmon with lemon puree, quail's egg and caviar; hand dived Orkney scallop with oyster leaf and burnt apple; and loin of roe deer with salt baked celeriac and sauce grand veneur.
68 Hamilton Pl, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH3 5AZ​
eornarestaurant.com​​