Following the (eventual) success of the first Cha Cha Moon that opened on Ganton Street last year, Alan Yau has opened a second branch at Whiteleys. The Bayswater shopping centre is already home to Rowley Leigh’s Café Anglais and All Star Lanes so West London foodies now have three reasons to do their bargain-hunting there.
Open from February 25th, the noodle bar will serve regional Chinese dishes like Szechuan wontons, Singapore noodles, rib-eye beef lao mian, and wok-fried cod with bitter melon, black beans and glass vermicelli. The menu is divided into Soup Noodle, Cold Noodle, Wok and Sides and each dish will cost around a fiver. Everything will be cooked behind a glass kitchen wall so diners can peek in and check out Yau’s high-powered woks, state-of-the-art noodle boilers, fryers and duck driers. The restaurant itself will be a slick, modern space designed by Kengo Kuma using a mix of glass, bamboo and stainless steel.
Perhaps the best news is that if you register at www.whiteleys.com before March 15th, you could win a free meal for four people (up to the value of £100 including cocktails). Do it, do it now!
Across town on Upper Street, burrito joint Tortilla will soon have competition when the second branch of Chilango opens on February 28th. Like the Fleet Street original, the Islington newcomer will open in similarly flamboyant style with free burritos, live Mexican music and plenty of Corona beer. Get there early or bribe a friend to stand in the queue.
If you’d rather eat in but don’t know where to start, head for Jamie Oliver’s new food store and cookshop on St John’s Road in Clapham. Recipease opens on February 26th and eliminates the shopping and chopping part of cooking so all you have to do is pop in, follow a recipe and then take what you’ve made home with you. In the ‘Easy to Learn’ sessions, you can learn knife skills or how to make classic dishes like fish pie and risotto. You can book online now – take a look at the website here.
If you work in Clerkenwell, we’ve also noticed a new provenance-obsessed farm shop / take-out place on Cowcross Street in Farringdon. Farm will be using UK farm ingredients in their soups, salads, sandwiches and hot pies so if you’re looking for a chain-free lunch spot; this could be the place.
For coffee and brownies first thing or mid-afternoon, head for dose – an excellent new coffee shop and café on Long Lane. Their soups and sandwiches (from the divine Bea’s of Bloomsbury) are great for lunch and anyone craving a decent Flat White won’t be disappointed.
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