Restaurant radar: September 2023

The OWO

The first Raffles Hotels to open on these shores will be home to a number of high-profile restaurants when it opens at The OWO on 29 September. Leading the line up is Mirazur chef Mauro Colagreco, who has create three dining venues in the hotel - his signature restaurant Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London at The OWO; next door venue Mauro’s Table (pictured); and more relaxed dining restaurant Saison. The hotel will also be home to two bars - The Guard’s Bar and Lounge, and subterranean cocktail bar The Spy Bar, that pays homage to Ian Flemming’s fictional spy James Bond. Also opening within The OWO building will be 80-cover Parisian restaurant Café Lapérouse, Milanese restaurant Langosteria, and Italian restaurant Paper Moon, which is due to open early October. A rooftop restaurant and a ground floor sake bar by Creative Restaurant Group, led by chef-patron Endo Kazutoshi, will open in The OWO building in the next couple of months.
57 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2BX​
raffles.com/london​​

Bébé Bob

Leonid Shutov will launch a more informal spinoff to his glamorous British French restaurant Bob Bob Ricard later this month on the former Folie site in London’s Soho. Located opposite the original Bob Bob Ricard on Golden Square, Bébé Bob will major in rotisserie chicken, fine wines and Champagne. Two varieties of chicken from different regions in France, Vendee and Landes, chosen by group chef director Ben Hobson, will lie at the heart of the menu. Both birds will be cooked rotisserie-style, served whole at the table with a chicken jus and carved in view of guests to feed two. Like its older siblings in Soho and The City, Bébé Bob will offer various types of caviar including Baerii, Oscietra and Shrenkii served with large blinis made fresh tableside. The wine list is billed as short and dynamic, with group head sommelier Giacomo Recchia honouring classic white and red Burgundy, as well as a variety of rosé wines, the majority of which will be available to order by the glass using a Coravin system.
37 Golden Square, Soho, London, W1F 9LB​
Bebebob.com​​

Chishuru

Adejoké Bakare’s much anticipated reimagining of her West African restaurant will finally open on London’s Great Titchfield Street. Dubbed Chishuru 2.0, the Fitzrovia restaurant opens on 18 September and serve a set menu only format with dishes on the launch menu to include fermented rice cake with white and brown crab meat, and pumpkin purée; beef shin broth, kale, corn tofu; cassava fritter, maitake mushroom, uda mayonnaise; and quail stuffed with forcemeat with taro root, ehuru and uziza sauce. Food will be accompanied by a wine list of exclusively wines from small French producers as well as a short list of cocktails made using west African ingredients where possible.
3 Great Titchfield Steet, London, W1W 8AX​
chishuru.com​​

Claridge’s Restaurant

Claridge’s main restaurant space will officially open later this month having been in soft lunch phase for much of the summer. The space was most recently home to Daniel Humm’s Davies and Brook restaurant which opened in 2019 but closed at the end of 2021​​ after its world-famous chef wanted it to serve only a plant-based menu. Claridge’s Restaurant, as it is now called, is headed by chef Coalin Finn, whose CV includes Inverlochy Castle, Sketch and Davies and Brook. His a la carte menu is classically inspired with options including Dorset snails with parsley and Parmesan croute; whole wild Turbot with sauce Emeline; and chocolate souffle tart with cocoa nib ice cream. The restaurant has been designed by Bryan O’Sullivan Studio and pays homage to the high profile Mayfair hotel’s art deco heritage.
Claridge’s Hotel, Brook Street, London, W1K 4HR​
claridges.co.uk​​

Forza Wine

South London-based rooftop wine bar and restaurant Forza Wine will launch a third, much larger, restaurant at the National Theatre later 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​ ​

Chez Rowley

Chef Rowley Leigh is making a return to the London restaurant scene next month with a residency at Notting Hill club and restaurant Laylow. Called Chez Rowley, the new concept will initially run from 13 September to 22 December and take inspiration from Rowley’s family holidays across Europe and feature an ‘Italian leaning’ menu of sharing plates. Dishes set to feature include seasonal tomatoes and stracciatella; raw bavette, cep toast and gribiche dressing; escalivada with girolles; cuttlefish and clams on toast; and seared mackerel with bread sauce and pickled gooseberries. The signature dish, however, will see a whole chicken roasted with anchovies, black olives, garlic, onion, thyme and white wine, and served with hispi cabbage and pangrattato.
10 Golborne Road, London, W10 5PE​
Chezrowley.com​​

The Knight of Notting Hill

Zora Singh will open a second London gastopub towards the end of the month following the success of his 3 Falcons pub in St John’s Wood. Previously known as The KPH, The Knight of Notting Hill will offer a menu that includes garlic Madagascan prawn with sourdough; pork belly tacos with piquillo pepper and homemade ketchup; and Old Delhi butter chicken with paratha. The 157-year-old pub - which is prominently located on the corner of Ladbroke Grove and Lancaster Road - has been overhauled, with design details including neo-classical columns, stained wood, tiled floors around the bar and etched glass windows. Wishing to honour the venue’s rich heritage which was declared an ‘asset of community value’ by Kensington & Chelsea Council in 2014, the venue will rekindle the pub’s tradition as a live music venue with events featuring rappers, singers and DJs while making the most of the late-night license until 1am.
139 Ladbroke Grove, W10 6HJ​

L'Atelier Robuchon

Joël Robuchon International is bringing the late French chef’s L’Atelier brand back to London, replacing the site that previously housed Le Comptoir Robuchon in Mayfair. L’Atelier Robuchon London will launch on 15 September on Clarges Street and will be a counterpart to the group’s other L’Atelier restaurants in Hong Kong, Miami, Taipei, Las Vegas and Geneva – all of which hold between one and three Michelin stars. The relaunch is being spearheaded by executive chef Andrea Cofini, who joined the Robuchon group in 2014, working at the flagship at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Paris; and more recently at Robuchon Shanghai. It marks a return to London for Robuchon’s L’Atelier brand. L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon was opened in Covent Garden by the eponymous late French chef in 2006 and held a Michelin star from 2007. However, the restaurant closed in 2019 following the Robuchon’s death the year before. Holding 74 covers, the L’Atelier Robuchon London dining room will riff on the L’Atelier brand’s trademark black and red lacquer interior design and have an open kitchen with marble countertop. The menu will include signature Robuchon dishes such as the purée de pomme de terre; the sea bream carpaccio; and quail with foie gras. The restaurant will also see the return of the marble-topped dessert trolley; and feature a cheese trolley serving a daily-changing rotation of southern French and Italian cheeses.
6 Clarges St, London, W1J 8AE​
Robuchonlondon.co.uk​​

Bistro Freddie

The team behind London restaurants Crispin and Bar Crispin is to launch a new bistro concept this month on the former Oklava site in London’s Shoreditch. Opening on 30 September, Bistro Freddie is described as a concept that will offer ‘generous old school London hospitality’ and will be led by Crispin co-founder Dominic Hamdy alongside head chef Anna Søgaard and head of wine Alexandra Price. Søgaard’s menu features ‘classic, unpretentious, and comforting’ bistro-style dishes including pork crackling and pickled walnut ketchup; grilled mushroom parfait with watercress salad and fried bread; Dorset snail flatbread with beef fat and garlic and parsley butter; fried skate wing with peas and curry sauce; and a rabbit and apple cider pie to share. Price, who oversees the wine at both Crispin and Bar Crispin, has developed a classic all-French wine list to accompany the food menu, with a focus on small and predominantly independent producers and growers. The restaurant comprises 33 seats for banquette and table dining and a further 12 at the kitchen counter, with some outdoor dining spaces during summer months.
74 Luke Street​, Shoreditch,​ London, EC2A 4PY​​
Bistrofreddie.com​​​

Thirteen

Well-known Dorset chef Alex Naik will launch an ambitious destination restaurant in between Poole and Bournemouth later this month. On Ashley Road in the suburb of Parkstone, Thirteen takes its name from the number of courses that feature on its signature £95 tasting menu (a three-course a la carte menu is also available for £50). Example dishes include wood pigeon with celeriac, Bramley apple and hazelnut; turbot with truffled Pomme Anna, romanesco and bay bolete jus; and poached pear with frangipane, Port sorbet and sherbet shortbread crumb. The 20-odd cover restaurant is a family affair, with Naik’s mother, father and sister also involved in the project, which has been delayed by the pandemic. 
222 Ashley Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH14 9BY​
thirteenrestaurant.com​​

Honey & Co. Daily

London-based Middle Eastern restaurant group Honey & Co. will open a café, deli and bakery just off Tottenham Court Road this September. Situated on the corner of Alfred Place Gardens and Store Street, Honey & Co. Daily will be divided into two sections, with a dedicated deli-takeaway area at the entrance – offering coffees, pastries, cakes and lunches to go – and a casual 40-seater dining room, with a more substantial eat-in menu, located beyond. The Honey & Co. Daily offering will place a strong emphasis on baked goods made on site to the pastry chef Packer's recipes. The opening menu will include Middle Eastern bakes such as pastries, sandwiches, lachma, cakes and breads, alongside Middle Eastern salads, shakshukas and dip.
19-21 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1E 7DB​
Honeyandco.co.uk/places/honey-co-daily​​

BÓHA

Made In Chelsea stars Harvey Armstrong and Sam Holmes have opened a restaurant in partnership with Jay Bradley, founder of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co and hospitality entrepreneur Chase Hunter. Called BÓHA, the Irish and British restaurant has opened on Kings Road in Chelsea with space for 140 guests in the main dining room as well as a covered terrace, and downstairs speakeasy and cocktail bar. The menu is described as ‘showcasing exceptional produce through the lens of true Irish and British cuisine’ and is overseen by executive chef Anthony Fletcher. Dishes include a signature wagyu short rib Irish stew, with stout, malt onions and fermented celery; herb-fed Yorkshire organic half-chicken, garnished with burnt lemon, and chicken syrup; and a whole Brixham dover sole, with brown butter, capers, lemon, parsley and samphire. 
562 King's Rd, London, SW6 2DZ​
bohalondon.com​​

LIMA CANTINA

Peruvian roast chicken comes to the capital this month with the opening of LIMA CANTINA on the former FLORAL by LIMA site in Covent Garden. The new restaurant, which will also occupy the space that was home to downstairs bar The Lost Alpaca, will serve  a sharing-style menu, the centrepiece of which will be the ‘pollo a la brasa’ Peruvian rotisserie chicken. Other menu items will include Peruvian classics, including sharing plates such as sea bream ceviche, and prawn causa nigiri as well as dishes cooked on a newly installed charcoal grill that will include aji panca BBQ pork ribs.
14 Garrick Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9BJ​
limalondon.com​​

The Watermans Arms

Patty & Bun founder Joe Grossmann takes his first steps into the pub sector this month with the relaunch of Barnes pub The Watermans Arms. Led in the kitchen by head chef Sam Andrews, downstairs it will offer a simple bar menu of dishes such as lamb rib, yoghurt and honey; and small ‘toasts’ such as sourdough charred over the coals finished with rouille and mussels while a restaurant space will offer an a la carte menu featuring seasonal dishes such as cannelloni, pumpkin and radicchio; hake, mussel, tomato and bread stew; spit roast chicken with chicken fat polenta; and rainbow trout with cicoria and preserved lemon. There will also be a rotating specials board featuring whole market fish cooked over coals, sharing chops and steaks from the in-house, whole-animal butchery, and a Sunday menu focused on sharing.
375 Lonsdale Road, London, SW13 9PY​
Thewatermansbarnes.co.uk​​

Canton Blue

Canton Blue is the first of a number of restaurants to open in new plush hotel The Peninsula London. Located by Hyde Park Corner, the ground floor restaurant has been styles to bring to life tales of the Maritime Silk Road with design elements that take inspiration from the Keying junk, a trade ship that connected the two countries during the mid-19th century – including displays of Cantonese porcelain, which the ship carried from East to West. Opening on 12 September, it will serve a menu of Cantonese cuisine including dim sum as well as a range of fine Chinese teas.
1 Grosvenor Place, London, SW1X 7HJ​
Peninsula.com/en/london/hotel-fine-dining/canton-blue​​

Llama Inn

New York-based Peruvian restaurant Llama Inn is to launch its first London outpost this month on the rooftop of The Hoxton hotel in London’s Shoreditch. The opening is a partnership with Carte Blanched, Ennismore’s in-house restaurant studio responsible for the food and beverage concepts in the company’s global portfolio of hotels, which includes The Hoxton. Launching on 1 September, Llama Inn London will initially open for lunch and dinner, with a weekend brunch offering to be launched later in the year. The kitchen will be headed up by Marcin Maliczowski, who previously worked at famed Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio’s Barcelona restaurant Yakumanaka. Dishes set to feature on the London menu include a pork shoulder bun with sweet potato, salsa criolla and spicy mayonnaise; crispy squid and yuca with rocoto, chocolo and cancha; arroz con mariscos with tortillas, huacaina and chalaca; and pavlova with muna ice cream and lemon verbena. The drinks menu will be overseen by Llama Inn’s bar director Natasha Bermudez and include ‘signature’ serves such as the chupetini (one shot martini) with Japanese gin, dry vermouth, umami bomb and blue cheese olives; and the ‘Llama Del Rey’ made from pisco quebranta, dark rum, red wine, chicha morada and pineapple. Wines will be chosen by Llama Inn’s hospitality director Daniella Lauricella and include bottles from small, independent growers across the world with a focus on low-intervention and biodynamic producers.
1 Willow St, London EC2A 4BH​
Llamainnlondon.com/​​

Little Cellars

Hospitality trio Helen Hall, Luke West-Whylie and Ben McVeigh, founders of southeast London’s neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar Peckham Cellars, have confirmed they will open their second site on Thursday 7 September in Camberwell. Called Little Cellars, the new wine bar will serve a mix of old and new world wines by the glass, akin to its Peckham sibling, alongside a selection of food and bar snacks created by new head chef Ollie Lawrance. Dishes set to feature include confit chicken leg with coco beans and girolles; Piedmont pepper on toast; lamb brochettes and bagna verde; and poached trout with artichoke and seaweed beurre blanc. The menu will also feature a selection of European charcuterie and cheese boards, as well as housemade pates and terrines. Holding a total of 40 covers, comprising 24 indoor seats and a further 16 on the outdoor terrace, the bar’s design will mirror the geometric lines, paint tones and mid-century furniture feels of Peckham Cellars. There will also be a dedicated wine shop next door.
75 Camberwell Church Street, Camberwell, London, SE5 8TU​
Littlecellars.co.uk​​

Rockwater Branksome

Luke Davis will open his second Rockwater site this month on Branksome Chine beach in Dorset. Due to open later this month and modelled on the original Rockwater on Hove seafront, the beachside restaurant will feature a ground floor dining room with upstairs roof terrace and feature a menu offering breakfast, lunch and dinner options. Breakfast options will include freshly baked pastries; and a crab benedict with handpicked Dorset crab. The main menu will feature a selection of light bites and bowls such as Korean fried chicken with kale and kimchi slaw and furikake flatbread; and larger plates including a lobster and king prawn roll; and the Rockwater burger with bacon marmalade and smoked onion aioli. The glass-fronted building has been designed by local architecture firm, RTSAN, and focuses on earthy hues, warm woods and natural material with a green bar providing a focal point for the main dining space.
Westbourne, Poole, BH13 6LP​
Rockwater.uk/​​