Restaurant radar: August 2023

GrassFed​
Salt chef Paul Foster will make his London debut in Camden’s Hawley Wharf development. His 50-cover GrassFed restaurant will specialise in high-quality grass-fed beef, celebrating 'all cuts of beef from prime ribs to ox cheeks (fish and vegetable dishes will also be available). The launch menu will include beef snag (beef hotdog with truffle mayonnaise, crispy onions and pickled onions); beef rib on the bone to share; and BBQ dayboat fish with smoked seaweed butter. GrassFed will be split over two floors with a rustic interior using materials such as wicker, steel and stones.
Arch S12 Water Lane, Hawley Wharf, London, NW1 8JY​
grassfedrestaurant.co.uk​​

Six by Nico Cardiff​

Nico Simeone will open his first Welsh location this month when his Six by Nico brand comes to Cardiff. The chef and restaurateur is taking over the former Zizzi’s site on Cardiff High Street for his restaurant concept that revolves around a six-course tasting menu that changes every six weeks and that is themed around different places, memories and ideas. The restaurant will open on 14 August.
27 High St, Cardiff CF10 1PU​
sixbynico.co.uk/cardiff​​

64 Goodge Street​
Woodhead Restaurant Group, the London-based operator behind The Quality Chop House, Portland and Clipstone, will launch its latest venture this summer on Goodge Street in Fitzrovia. First announced back in April, 64 Goodge Street will be led by head chef Stuart Andrew, who cut his teeth cooking in Paris and has previously worked at both Portland and Clipstone. Andrew describes the menu at 64 Goodge Street as being ‘an outsider's perspective’ on French cuisine and will be founded on classical techniques and a ‘resolute spirit of generosity’. Dishes set to feature on the launch menu include Bayonne ham and celeriac remoulade; lobster vol-au-vent and sauce Américaine; and a sharing plate of Basque chicken ballotine, mushrooms, foie gras and tarragon. The French focus will also extend to the drinks menu, with the wine list majoring in bottles from the Côte-d’Or. The 34-cover dining room will comprise both table and banquette seating, with design consultancy Studio Found overseeing the interior.
64 Goodge St, London W1T 4NF​
64goodgestreet.co.uk​​

Fazenda​

South-American restaurant group Fazenda will open its first London restaurant in Bishopsgate this month. Spanning across two floors in the 100 Bishopsgate Tower, the 170-cover restaurant was first announced last year. The 10,000sq ft site will be the brand’s largest restaurant to date, and will join its restaurants in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Edinburgh. Fazenda Bishopsgate will have three private dining rooms and a ground-floor bar and lounge and will serve a new à la carte menu alongside the traditional rodizio offer of grilled meats carved at the table. New dishes have been inspired by recent trips to Brazil and Argentina by executive chef Francisco Martinez and will include wagyu crudo, and the ‘asado’ slow-cooked beef rib as well as a selection of fish dishes.
100 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 1GT​
fazenda.co.uk/location/bishopsgate​​

Bancone Borough Yards​
London-based fresh pasta restaurant Bancone is heading to Borough Yards this month for its ‘biggest opening yet’. Launching today (1 August), it will be the group’s first opening since it successfully raised more than £900,000 through an equity-based crowdfund late last year​​ to help fuel its expansion plans. Set over two levels, the new space will feature an open kitchen with counter-top dining, as well as a mezzanine space upstairs with PDR. Bancone executive chef Ben Waugh will oversee the menu, which will include signature dishes such as silk handkerchiefs with walnut butter and confit egg yolk; mafalde with spicy pork and nduja ragù; and cacio e pepe.
Arch 213, 18 Stoney Street, London SE1 9AD​
bancone.co.uk​​

Forza Wine at the National Theatre​

South London-based rooftop wine bar and restaurant Forza Wine will launch a third, much larger, restaurant at the National Theatre this month. On the north-west terrace of the Brutalist London landmark, the 160-cover will be run along the same lines as its older siblings in Peckham and Camberwell offering an accessible natural wine list, regularly changing cocktails list and a ‘sort of Italian’ inspired snack menu. Dishes on the opening menu will include cauliflower fritti with aioli; mozzarella with figs and hazelnuts; pancetta potato cakes and pickled cabbage; and soft serve. As at the group’s existing sites, it will be possible for tables of four or more to order the entire menu. The space is accessible year-round with the outdoor terrace covered when necessary and has a split of banquette seating and high-top tables. A private dining terrace is tucked away on the balcony surrounded by greenery for more intimate occasions, serviced by one long table seating up to 24.
National Theatre, Upper Ground London SE1 9PX​
forzawine.com​​

Karapincha​​
Sri Lankan street food brand Karapincha will open its first bricks and mortar site next month in London’s Canary Wharf. First announced last year, the new 350sq ft site within Canary Wharf tube station will have space for 10 covers and feature a new brand identity developed by creative agency Free The Birds. It marks a ‘significant next step’ for Karapincha, which currently operates as a trader across three London food markets: Spitalfieds Market, Elephant & Castle’s Mercato Metropolitano, and Market Place Vauxhall. The all-day Canary Wharf menu will include kothu roti; paratha; rice boxes and devilled chicken. There will also be a separate breakfast menu featuring French toast; and ham and cheese-stuffed roti.
Unit 14, Canary Wharf tube station​ ​​

Rosa’s Thai Oxford​

Rosa’s Thai will open its latest restaurant in Oxford on 1 August. The 80-cover restaurant will open on George Street, close to the city’s famous Ashmolean Museum, and will serve its signature menu of spring rolls; pad Thai; green curry; red duck pineapple curry; and drunken noodles alongside a selection of bubble teas and Thai-inspired cocktails. The Oxford restaurant’s interior is inspired by the style of Bangkok with its walls decorated with photographs and artwork that tell the Rosa’s story.
27-29 George Street, OX1 2AU​
rosasthai.com/locations/rosas-thai-restaurant-delivery-takeaway-oxford​​