London : Coming Soon

Kitchen Italia Goes for Due

BuzzEditor — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:25:00 GMT

Kitchen Italia

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Is a new Carluccio-style Italian chain in the cards? Owned and run by Villandry maestro Jamie Barber, and designed by Michaelis Boyd (Pizza East), all-day cantina Kitchen Italia hits Covent Garden 8 December (the second location after the original in Westfield). The midpriced menu will fill a comfort niche, offering rib-sticking staples like macaroni cheese, pumpkin gnocchi with sage butter, and tiger prawn, chilli and garlic taglioni (41 Earlham St., WC2; 020-7632-9500).

– Roger Clarke

Boulud Joins Blumenthal at the Mandarin

BuzzEditor — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:10:00 GMT

Ending months of speculation, the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge has confirmed that French chef Daniel Boulud (Daniel) will be opening a restaurant in the luxury hotel spring 2010. Designed as a French-inspired bistro and wine bar, Bar Boulud London will follow the format of Bar Boulud in New York City, with signature terrines and pâtés made on-site by charcutier Gilles Vérot. Located at street level with its own entrance directly onto Knightsbridge, the Adam D. Tihany–designed restaurant will seat 165. The announcement follows confirmation that Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck) will open his first London-based restaurant in the same hotel next fall.

– Roger Clarke

Making Mennula

BuzzEditor — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:22:00 GMT

A bit of Sicily comes to Fitzrovia starting Monday, 9 November, when chef Santino Busciglio opens the doors to his new restaurant Mennula, located on the former site of Gennaro Contaldo. Busciglio was formerly head chef at Number Twelve in Bloomsbury, while his restaurant manager, Angelo Todaro, was most recently at Zafferano. The 44-seat contemporary Italian will have a strong Sicilian influence, with dishes including sea bass ravioli with pumpkin, chilli and razor clams, and traditional cannoli with sweet ewes ricotta. Expect starters to range from £7.50–16, and mains to be £16.50–20. A set lunch menu of three courses will be offered for £19.50 (open Monday–Friday for lunch, noon–3 PM, and Monday–Saturday for dinner 6–11 PM; call 020-7363-2833 for reservations; 10 Charlotte St., W1T; online reservations and menu here).

– Roger Clarke

Playing Chinese Cricket

BuzzEditor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:17:00 GMT

InterContinental Hotels Group is opening its third restaurant at Crowne Plaza in the City, the eccentrically named Chinese Cricket Club, which joins the hotel's in-house Italian, Refettorio. From 17 November you can dine on crispy orange beef (punters may remember this from the now defunct Chinese Experience in Soho), fried perch with garlic chives, orange rib of beef and silken tofu with broad bean paste. Dim sum is also served, despite a Sichuan tag to the main menu. This isn't cutting-edge Chinese food, but it's sure to find a market (Crowne Plaza London, 19 New Bridge St., EC4V; for more information go here).

– Roger Clarke

The W8 Is Almost Over

BuzzEditor — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:19:00 GMT

As mentioned in our fall-openings guide, Kitchen W8, a new restaurant from business partners Rebecca Mascarenhas and Philip Howard of The Square, will launch on Wednesday, 28 October, on the former site of Kensington's Bistrot Eleven. Howard will also serve as executive chef, and his modern European menu will include fare like pot-roasted pork belly with crushed root vegetables, black pudding and apple. The restaurant manager will be Eric Handts, previously with Searcys at 30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin), and Simon Freeman, previously at Hibiscus, will oversee the wine list. A set lunch and early evening menu (available 6–7 PM) will change daily, priced at £18.50 for three courses or £15.50 for two. There will also be a separate Sunday lunch menu at £25 for three courses (11 Abingdon Rd., W8 ; reservations can be made by calling 020-7937-0120; www.kitchenw8.com).

– Roger Clarke

Two Move Into Marylebone

BuzzEditor — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:27:00 GMT

Quietly open all week, the official launch of new Marylebone 'Galateria and Foccaceria' Cocorino is next Wednesday, 30 September. The baby of L’Anima head chef Francesco Mazzei, with Linda Yau, the newcomer provides sensible take-out items such as oatmeal and soups, whilst also offering a bar dispensing 20 flavors of Italian ice-cream, ranging in price from £3 for a 5-oz. cup or £1.80 per scoop in a cone. Stuffed focaccia, ciabatta, soughdough and piadina will be available all day with fillings including stracchino, rocket, bresaola, spianata, peppers and spinach, and egg and Tuscan sausage for breakfast; prices range from £3–£4. Not many streets away, chocolate shop Cocomaya is opening a high-end artisan bakery, which we'll have more on nearer its opening, currently targeted for the third week in October.

– Roger Clarke

What's New at Barshu?

BuzzEditor — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:25:00 GMT

Though it was an unadvertised soft-opening, Soho Szechuan superstar Barshu was turning away customers this week. But fret not, the restaurant officially reopens its doors Sunday, 6 September. Chef Xiao Zhong Zhang remains in the kitchen, having spent most of the year marking time since the restaurant burned down in January. The Buzz can exclusively reveal that alongside Zhang, consultant Fuchsia Dunlop has added 15 new dishes to the menu, including grilled fish with pickled chilli and prawn dumplings (£28.90) and a five-colour appetiser platter including gong cai preserved vegetables and a variety of signature offal (£22.90). There's also a new lamb rib dish, a whelk dish and a light Chinese cabbage stuffed with chicken and bean curd (£14.90). Many old favourites remain, though the infamous mouth-scalding chilli-oil fondue is long gone. Finally, two private dining rooms have been added upstairs, each seating about eight people (28 Frith Street, W1D; 020 7287 8822).

– Roger Clarke

Autumn Preview

BuzzEditor — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:27:00 GMT

Photo: Micky

With autumn almost here, it's time to look forward to the new restaurants soon to hit London:

Aqua London: This glitzy 17,000-sq.-ft. opening from Hong Kong–based Aqua Restaurant Group will reside in the former Dickens & Jones department store, where there will be two distinct dining spaces: Aqua Nueva – contemporary Spanish from a former el Bulli chef – and Aqua Kyoto, a Japanese sushi bar with a sumibiyaki grill. Expect great views from three outdoor terraces (240 Regents St., W1).

Apsleys: In September, for his first project outside Italy, influential chef Heinz Beck will take over the restaurant in The Lanesborough hotel. Run by his prodigy, Massimiliano Blasone, the traditional Italian will serve main courses such as slow-braised veal cheek with apple purée and Jerusalem artichokes, and will also offer a seven-course degustation menu for £75 and a three-course lunch menu for £26 (1 Lanesborough Pl., SW1).

Blues Kitchen: Expect authentic soul food accompanied by a serious roster of live music, seven days a week, at this October arrival. Serving from 9 AM–11 PM daily, the kitchen will prepare £10-and-under mains like jumbo lump crab cake, seafood jambalaya and Louisiana hot sausages with blue cheese dip. There’s a big selection of bourbon too, and mint juleps from £7 (111-113 Camden High St., NW1; www.theblueskitchen.com; 020-3875-277).

Dean Street Townhouse & Dining Room: When this hotel and dining room, the latest offering from Soho House, opens in November, expect a menu with British fare like Dorset crab and baked cod, plus afternoon teas and a weekly Sunday roast. Martin Brudnizki designed the 120-seat dining room (69-71 Dean St. W1D).

Galvin La Chapelle: In late October, Chris and Jeff Galvin will add a third restaurant to their already successful group, this one named after the Hermitage La Chapelle wines that will be the calling card of its beverage program. Located in a historic hall in the City, its setting will include a fine-dining venue, a cocktail bar and an all-day cafe. Chris Galvin’s wife, brother and son will all be on-site, making this very much a family affair (36 Spital Sq., E1).

Luxe: This much-delayed project from John Torode (Smiths of Smithfield) looks like it’s finally coming up for air, though details are still scarce. Occupying the site that used to be the Spitz music bar on Old Spitalfields Market, its ground floor is already open, selling burgers and Quilmes beer (with a soft opening discount of 50%). The forthcoming first-floor dining room will specialise in game and poultry (109 Commercial St., E1).

Roka Canary Wharf: Roka comes to Canary Wharf, equipped with a shochu lounge, seating on an external balcony overlooking Canada Square and a “robata chef’s table.” This is the fifth to open worldwide and the second in London (Churchill Place Mall, E14).

Unnamed Michel Roux Jr. Restaurant: Opening later this year, Michel Roux’s second London restaurant remains something of a mystery. Its six-room setting in Parliament Square will include a restaurant with Roux Scholarship winner Daniel Cox as chef, as well as corporate-catering space (12 Great George St., SW1).

W8: Rebecca Mascarenhas teams up with Phil Howard (The Square) to relaunch her Bistrot 11 space as this neighbourhood restaurant. The Square’s designer, Claire Nelson, and sous-chef, Mark Kempson (promoted to head chef), are also onboard (11 Abbingdon Rd., W8).

– Roger Clarke

The Princess Gets a Makeover

BuzzEditor — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:20:00 GMT

Dating from 1742, Old Street gastropub The Princess of Shoreditch relaunches this October after a refurbishment. Expect a Gallic twist to the modern British menu from head chef Benoit Doutres (Moulin de Mougins, France) – think ham hock and pickle terrine with raspberry and balsamic dressing and rustic bread, Suffolk cider–braised pork belly with carrot puree, baby turnip, spinach and black pudding, and cracklings polished off with lavender crème brûlée with peach compote.

Complementing the menu will be a 60-strong wine list with a large selection available by the glass and carafe and a good selection of hand-pulled ales. Downstairs will have a "more relaxed brasserie style while the upstairs restaurant will have a slightly more refined atmosphere," according to new owners Scott Hunter (Loungelover) and Maria Larsen of Corney & Barrow (76 Paul St., EC2; 0207-729-9270).

– Roger Clarke

Bringing Back Barshu

BuzzEditor — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:11:00 GMT

Back in January, Soho Chinese Barshu burnt down, but it isn't going away that easily. Culinary advisor and Sichuan-trained chef Fuchsia Dunlop confirms that it will reopen late August/early September (though no actual date has been set). Fuchsia's scalding, authentic Sichuan menu has appealed to celebrities and celebrity chefs alike; Brit-food renaissance guru Fergus Henderson and the River Café's Ruth Rogers are just two of its fans.

– Roger Clarke

Chapelle's Show

BuzzEditor — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:19:00 GMT

Chris and Jeff Galvin (Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, Galvin at Windows) have decided on a name for their latest venture, located in a former church hall in Spital Square: Galvin La Chapelle. The moniker comes from the Rhône Valley winery Hermitage La Chapelle, so natch its vintages will be stocked at the restaurant. The 290-cover space will include a fine-dining area, cafe and bar when it opens in the autumn (St. Botolph's Hall, 36 Spital Sq., E1).

Hotel-Bound Heston

BuzzEditor — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:53:00 GMT

Mandarin Oriental

Photo: courtesy of the hotel

The rumour has been circulating for ages and now it's official – Heston Blumenthal will open a new London restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel in autumn 2010. Highlighting Heston’s unique style, the still-untitled spot will serve lunch, dinner and afternoon tea, with dishes heavily influenced by his ongoing research into historic British gastronomy. Adam Tihany (who recently designed NYC's new Aureole and La Fonda del Sol) will be responsible for the interior, and plans to use traditional materials such as wood, leather and iron in contemporary ways. The 140-cover space will replace Foliage and The Park (set to close in spring 2010), and the kitchen will be headed by Ashley Palmer Watts, who has worked at The Fat Duck for nine years as group executive chef.

Speaking of Blumenthal's signature restaurant: as of 30 June, The Fat Duck will no longer be serving its à la carte menu. Instead guests will dine on the 11-course (plus petits fours) tasting menu (£130), which includes dishes such as snail porridge, “sound of the sea”, pine sherbet fountain, parsnip cereal and nitro-scrambled egg and bacon ice cream (01628-580333).

Aqua Pours Into London

BuzzEditor — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:26:00 GMT

This September a bit of China splashes onto our shores when Hong Kong–based Aqua Restaurant Group brings its slick style to the top floor of the former Dickens & Jones building in Soho. The 17,000-square-foot space will house two restaurants – Aqua Kyoto, offering Japanese flavors, and Aqua Nuevo, with a Spanish twist – as well as a nightlife option in Aqua Spirit, a bar that will sprawl out onto the space's three outdoor terraces. Read about Hong Kong's Aqua here (224 Regent St., W1).

Previewing the New Petrus

BuzzEditor — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:47:00 GMT

A rendering of the forthcoming Petrus

Courtesy of The Russell Sage Studio

It’s official – Gordon Ramsay’s Petrus will open in Belgravia in September, in a location a stone’s throw from the original. The backstory is a bit like musical chairs: Marcus Wareing was the original chef at the original location, but he had a falling out with Ramsay, and they parted ways – Marcus kept the restaurant itself, renaming it Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, while Ramsay kept the Petrus name. Now Ramsay, together with Mark Askew, executive head chef of Gordon Ramsay Holdings, is relaunching Petrus “with new and dynamic themes.”

Design is in the hands of The Russell Sage Studio (York & Albany, Savoy Grill), who are creating a modern, light space with a colour palette of oyster, soft silver, copper and claret red. There will be an open cellar in the center of the dining room displaying up to 2,000 bottles, including 34 different Petrus vintages, as well as two semi-screened private dining tables (1 Kinnerton St., SW1, 020-7592-1609).

Vaporetto Forming

BuzzEditor — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:31:00 GMT

Vaporetto, a “Venetian diner”, is set to open 25 April in the former Mimmo d’Ischia space in Belgravia. Owner Gino Santini, who opened Santini in 1984, has partnered with Joseph Ettegudi, founder of the Joseph retail shops (we’re still waiting to hear what he has planned for the Mirabelle space he acquired some time ago from Marco Pierre White), for the concept, so we're not surprised to hear Vaporetto will be elegantly casual, midpriced and easygoing. You may remember the head chef, Stefano Cavallini, from his time at The Halkin hotel and I Sapori di Stefano Cavallini, a deli in Clapham (61 Elizabeth St., SW1, 020-7730 5406).