New And Notable: Restaurant Openings To Look Out For In 2009

There are already plenty of high-profile openings and reopenings planned for 2009, proving that even a global recession won't stop London's restaurateurs from providing shiny new places for us to gather and gorge.

Believe it or not, 2009’s first big opening has already happened. On New Year's Eve, Terence Conran launched The Boundary in a converted Victorian warehouse in Shoreditch that is now home to 17 bedrooms, a rooftop bar and grill, a bakery and a smart ground floor restaurant. There are classic French and English dishes on the menu, as well as a range of crustacea, cheese, charcuterie and Sunday roasts.

In nearby Spitalfields Market, John Torode's long-awaited new project - The Luxe - will open opposite Le Bouchon Breton in March. Set over two floors, it will feature a lively café bar and a first floor dining room specialising in game and poultry.

Bjorn van der Horst - former chef-patron of Gordon Ramsay's La Noisette - will open his own restaurant in Clerkenwell. Located on St John Street, Eastside Inn will be a traditional Gallic brasserie serving up classic dishes like soup a l'oignon; tartare of beef; braised Limousin veal sweetbreads and eel a la Bordelaise. Nick Ward (ex-Petrus) will be Head Chef, while Parisian Fabrice Hequet (ex-La Noisette) will be the restaurant manager and sommelier. While the menu will be anchored in French tradition, the cuisine will also feature Spanish, Dutch and American influences from Bjorn's childhood.

Richard Caring of Caprice Holdings plans to open three restaurants just a stones throw from his established gems, The Ivy and J Sheekey. The new eateries will be part of the £60million Longmartin development, which will provide a traffic-free haven of shops, offices and achingly desirable apartments in St Martin's Courtyard.

Despite mixed reviews of his super-cheap noodle house, Cha Cha Moon, in 2008; Alan Yau is planning another branch at Whiteleys Shopping Centre and has also bought the former site of Café Grand Prix opposite Nobu Berkeley in Mayfair. He plans to open a slick northern Chinese restaurant called Hakka Berkeley, which will specialise in Peking Duck.

Other planned openings include a café from L’Anima; Atul’s Kitchen at Westfield; the first London branch of Jamie's Italian; a Canary Wharf branch of Roka; new branches of Rocket, Ping Pong, and Cote; and a West End offshoot of foodie favourite, St John.

Foodies should also keep an eye out for the reopenings of Mirabelle, Petrus and the River Restaurant at the Savoy. The latter, set to relaunch in May 2009, is ‘being revigorated in an art eco manner’ complete with ‘a wall of windows that will open in the summer to create unique terrace-style dining, with delightful views of the Thames and across to the South Bank.’

Keep an eye on our New Openings page for all the latest restaurant news – it’s going to be a busy year!