London : Notable Openings

Tiki Time at Kanaloa

BuzzEditor — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:45:00 GMT

Following the template of its sibling, Mayfair’s celeb- and royal-courting Mahiki, City tiki bar Kanaloa serves very expensive tropical, rum-centric cocktails in coconuts, treasure chests and other novel vessels alongside Asian nibbles in a setting rife with Polynesian masks, bamboo and trees, with hideaway seating below and atop; its locale on Goldman Sachs’ doorstep makes it a magnet for suits, but in an effort to woo the fairer sex, manicures and other beauty treatments are performed in the ladies’ loo.

8 Lime Office Ct., EC4A; 020-7842-0620

Tike Time

BuzzEditor — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:06:00 GMT

Tike

Photo: Cindy Chen

Nestled next to Fenchurch Street Station in a new Richard Rogers–designed building, Med brasserie Tike serves a midpriced menu, including Turkish meze and sharing plates, in bright, bi-level environs with floor-to-ceiling windows, purple-hued decor, communal tables and alfresco tables; N.B. it’s open weekdays only.

5 Fenchurch Pl., EC3M; 020-7702 9965

Tike

Photo: Cindy Chen

Look East, Pizza Lovers

BuzzEditor — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:58:00 GMT

Pizza East

Photo: Cindy Chen

Pizza East

Photo: Cindy Chen

On the huge ground floor of a famous Shoreditch landmark, Pizza East, the latest venture from Soho House’s prolific Nick Jones, offers a sophisticated pizza menu (viz duck sausage, artichokes and boschetto al tartufo) boosted by rustic Italian fare emanating from a wood oven; the setting has a studiedly hip industrial look complete with exposed pipes, concrete walls and steel refectory tables, while a resident DJ fuels the bohemian mood Thursday–Saturday.

56 Shoreditch High St., E1; 020-7729-1888

Pizza East

Photo: Cindy Chen

The W8 Is Over

BuzzEditor — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:02:00 GMT

Kitchen W8

Photo: Cindy Chen

Rebecca Mascarenhas and her new business partner, lauded toque Philip Howard, have given Kensington's former Bistro Eleven a genteel makeover as Kitchen W8, which offers a refined Modern European menu from The Square’s Mark Kempson (who joins as head chef); the somewhat anodyne setting features big windows, multiple levels, banquettes and a bar area.

11 Abingdon Rd., W8; 020-7937-0120

Kitchen W8

Photo: Cindy Chen

Dig Into Doukan

BuzzEditor — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:20:00 GMT

Doukan

Photo: Cindy Chen

By day the Wandsworth Town newcomer Doukan is a cafe-***-deli, but by night it becomes a full-blown Moroccan restaurant with a moderately priced menu by TV chef Khalil Abdesslem, making his debut as a proprietor; the exotic environs feature engraved wood tables, colourful tapestries and ornate lanterns.

350 Old York Rd., SW18; 020-8870-8280

Doukan

Photo: Cindy Chen

Hix Picks Soho Digs

BuzzEditor — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:25:00 GMT

Hix

Photo: Cindy Chen

The demise of Soho’s plush Aaya has offered high-profile chef Mark Hix the opportunity to open Hix, his second London venue (after Hix Oyster & Chop House), where he’s serving his trademark seafood-biased Modern British fare in a functional, urban setting; small plates are served downstairs in a clubby bar with studded leather sofas and a bar billiard table.

66-70 Brewer St., W1; 020-7292-3518

Hix

Photo: Cindy Chen

In the Pipeline

BuzzEditor — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:20:00 GMT

Pipeline

Photo: Cindy Chen

On the border of the City and Shoreditch, idiosyncratic rock ’n’ roll bar Pipeline has been opened by the self-proclaimed ‘happiest Swede in London’, who named the place after a Johnny Thunders song, lit it in neon pink and provided a massive collection of tracks spun on a Wurlitzer jukebox; in between live music sets (Finnish hip-hop anyone?), there’s pool and pinball for entertainment, and affordable Scandinavian nibbles for sustenance.

94 Middlesex St., E1; 020-7377-6860

Pipeline

Photo: Cindy Chen

Spitalfields Goes LUXE

BuzzEditor — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:41:00 GMT

LUXE

Photo: Cindy Chen

John Torode has added a similarly styled sibling to his popular Smiths of Smithfield with the animated Modern Brit The LUXE, spread across three floors of Spitalfields Market; there’s an all-day ground-floor bar and terrace bookended with striking oversized bird cages – one acts as a takeaway kiosk, the other as florist – complemented by a stylish upstairs dining room and clubby downstairs bar.

109 Commercial Rd., E1; 020-7101-1751

LUXE

Photo: Cindy Chen

Polpo Pulls Into Soho

BuzzEditor — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:41:00 GMT

Polpo

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Based on the concept of a Venetian bacaro, where small, simple Italian dishes and local vinos are served in a humble setting, rustic Soho newcomer Polpo is the brainchild of a former director from Caprice Holdings; within its 18th-century building (where the painter Canaletto once lived), a zinc-topped bar leads to a tightly packed dining room with views into an open kitchen.

41 Beak St., W1F; 020-7734-4479

Browsing the Superstore

BuzzEditor — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:39:00 GMT

Dalston Superstore

Photo: Cindy Chen

Judging by its thousands of Facebook followers, graffiti-and-art-strewn boîte Dalston Superstore may very well be the coolest kid in increasingly trendy Dalston; upstairs, there’s a cash-only bar doling out basic bottled beers and a small selection of moderately priced cocktails, while in the clubby basement, DJs spin electronica,’80s and other left-field genres to the delight of fashion-conscious twentysomethings (the kind who aren’t put off by unisex bathrooms).

117 Kingsland High St., E8; 020-7254-2273

Aqua Splashes Into Town

BuzzEditor — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:47:00 GMT

A Hong Kong–based restaurant group makes its first foray into London with aqua london, a stylish dual-concept behemoth offering impressive views from huge decked terraces atop Soho’s old Dickins & Jones store; beyond the glam entrance bar there’s a more mellow Japanese section, Kyoto, with a sunken sushi bar and charcoal grill, and also the more buzzy Nueva, heralded by a dramatic bull’s head and serving regional Spanish dishes; N.B. enter via Argyll Street.

240 Regent St., W1B; 020-7478-0548

A Case of Jetlag

BuzzEditor — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:47:00 GMT

Jetlag

Photo: Cindy Chen

Located in Fitzrovia near that icon of ’60s London, the BT Tower, Jetlag attracts jet-setters with retro business-class airline seats and an international roster of cocktails, beers and food (there’s even space-age taps in the loo); time-zone hoppers appreciate the 8 AM opening time, frugal drinkers value the moderate tabs, while cinephiles (and event planners) applaud the sleek basement screening room, bedecked with banquettes and colour-changing lighting.

125 Cleveland St., W1; 020-3370-5838

Pixie Sticks

BuzzEditor — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:31:00 GMT

Pix Pinxtos

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Paying homage to a traditional Basque country practice of eating snacks off skewers (known as pintxos), easy-going Notting Hill hipster Pix Pintxos offers a colourful array of Mediterranean finger food at £2.50 a pop, purchased from a self-service open counter in bright, earthy digs; the Iberian drinks list spans wines, beers, sherries and ciders, and guest DJs play Thursday–Sunday.

175 Westbourne Grove, W11; 020-7727-6500

Eat Your Green's

BuzzEditor — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:43:00 GMT

Green's Restaurant & Oyster Bar

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Another City banking-hall behemoth opens thanks to Simon Parker Bowles, who’s boldly taken two huge areas of the impressively redeveloped former Lloyds Bank HQ to open Green's Restaurant & Oyster Bar, the first offshoot of his Modern British stalwart in Mayfair; with fresh crustacea on display, the airy ground-floor Runner Bar is open all day for swifter, lighter fare, whilst upstairs is a refined dining room with two classy private rooms.

14 Cornhill EC3; 020-7220-6300

Lounging Till Dawn (or at Least 3 AM)

BuzzEditor — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:47:00 GMT

Hotels are becoming more and more popular for late-night boozing, and the InterContinental Park Lane in Mayfair enters the fray by changing the Lobby Lounge’s name to Late Lounge at 10:30 PM each evening and keeping it open until 3 AM; DJ-spun tunes accompany ‘what recession?’ fare such as craft cocktails, champagne, foie gras canapés and Sevruga caviar.

1 Hamilton Pl., W1; 020-7409-3131