New Restaurants
New Nightspots
Coming Soon
Brasserie St. Germain
This forthcoming Farringdon brasserie and bar (89 Turnmill St., EC1) will draw inspiration from popular New York City bistro-boîtes such as Balthazar, Odeon and Pastis. Located in a 19th-century print house near Smithfield Market, the slick, contemporary space will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus brunch at the weekend, when it opens in October.
Tamarai
The owners of Chor Bizarre will soon debut this 110-seat Covent Garden restaurant (167 Drury Lane, WC2) offering a Pan-Asian menu encompassing dishes from China, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore and Chettinad, South India. Extra benefits will include a late-night license and complimentary parking in the building.
Good Deals and Other News
Complete a form available at the restaurant and receive a "Benefits Card" to be presented to the staff on each visit; discounts include 20 percent off lunch, 50 percent off wine on Monday evenings and a complimentary bottle of champagne on your birthday.
Gordon Ramsay's star performer has reopened after a closure for refurbishment. Designer David Collins (Nobu Berkeley, Pétrus, The Wolseley) has created a simply elegant, quietly glamourous room in a palette of warm whites accented by rich silk velvet, cut mirror, chandeliers and dining chairs in oak and pearlescent hide. The highly innovative cuisine and presentation have also been bumped up a notch, and a vegetarian tasting menu (£ 85) has been introduced. In addition, the restaurant now takes reservations two months in advance.
A free "Little People's Cookie Class" takes place every Saturday at 1 PM with the baker, Bassett Kader, and lasts about 40 minutes. While their parents dine, children make and decorate gingerbread cookies to eat on the spot or take away.