City Eating

Coming Soon: Cocomaya Artisan Bakery On Connaught Street

On October 29th, the team behind one of London’s most beautiful chocolate shops, Cocomaya, will launch an artisan bakery on Connaught Street near Marble Arch. Got a sweet tooth? Read on...

The creators are three of London’s key players in fashion and lifestyle and have known each other for nearly two decades. Walid Al Damirji (fashion and accessories designer and consultant), Joel Bernstein (former head of concept at Liberty of London) and Serena Rees (founder of Agent Provocateur) share a love of fine chocolate and baked treats and have decided to dedicate a business to it. They hope to create a beautiful and welcoming space where London’s foodies can indulge in some exquisite chocolates, cakes and breads.

The bakery will use only the finest ingredients to create more than 70 kinds of bread and pastry including seasonal fruit tarts, savoury biscuits, Viennese pastries and traditional items such as ‘pain rustique’ and brioche. In the afternoon, the bakery will serve afternoon tea – with the option to sit inside or outside – and the menu will include nut, dairy, sugar and wheat-free items to ensure everyone finds something they can enjoy.

The chocolate shop will move from its current location across the street to sit next door to the bakery where there will be more space for visitors to linger over a glass of Champagne and taste the beautiful chocolates on display. Here they will continue to sell popular treats like brownies, cakes, ice-cream and hot chocolate, as well as unique chocolate flavours like sour cherry, lavender and cardamom. Their chocolates are designed to resemble precious jewellery and are made with only the best quality South American cacao beans that meet Fair-trade standards.

Can’t wait until then? Check out these great bakeries and cafes: Bea’s of Bloomsbury (great for afternoon tea and lunchtime take-out); Primrose Bakery (new to Covent Garden); Hummingbird Bakery (Portobello Road); Kaffeine (for coffee and snacks near Oxford Circus); and Princi. Alternatively, ignore the winter weather and tuck into some fro-yo or gelato at these ice-cold eateries.

Hungry? Take A Bite Out Of London's Hottest Newcomers

Got a touch of the winter blues? These tasty new openings are guaranteed to put the spring back in your step and the fire back in your belly. There are plenty more restaurants opening before the end of the year but if you can’t wait, here are our top five newcomers for you to try this week:

1) Pizza East - If we’re honest, we weren’t expecting much from this ‘gourmet pizzeria’ but opening week reviews for the latest Soho House venture have all been positive. Dan at Young & Foodish declared their Margherita the best he’d ever had in London, though he worries standards may slip when consultant Byrant Ng (a pizza guru from LA) leaves the kitchen. We’ll leave you to make up your own mind, so check out the menu and head for Shoreditch for a slice or two. It’s not Franco Manca, but a change is as good as the rest!

2) Hix – Having conquered Clerkenwell, Mark Hix (ex-The Ivy) has moved in to the handsome space formerly occupied by Aaya on Brewer Street. The menu is full of ambitiously priced old-world British dishes like Salt Marsh mutton pie, Heaven & Earth, and cod’s tongues with girolles. If your budget won’t stretch to three courses, head downstairs to the clubby basement bar where you'll find two ‘International Bartender of the Year’ award-winners in charge of some seriously sippable cocktails.

3) The Blues Kitchen – On the more sedate stretch of Camden High Street heading towards Mornington Crescent, a new blues bar and soul food kitchen has taken over the former Oh Bar site. For the days when only down-home and deep-fried will do, their menu of Po’ Boy sandwiches, BBQ ribs and spicy gumbo is guaranteed to hit the spot. If you’re just drinking, there’s an impressive list of shakes, cocktails and Kentucky bourbons behind the bar, as well as live blues most nights. (Note: They're open now but start serving food next Monday 26th).

4) Mien Tay (Battersea) – South Londoners no longer have to head East to get their Vietnamese food fix on the Pho Mile (Kingsland Road). Mien Tay quietly opened their Battersea branch on Lavender Hill this month and it’s already a big hit with the locals. They specialise in dishes from South West Vietnam and we’ve heard good things about the bahn xeo (crispy pancakes) and green papaya and dried beef salad.

5) Polpo – Sorry foodies, if you haven’t been, you’re already late. The critics, bloggers and Twitterati have all been in to sample Polpo’s take on Venetian cicchetti (small plates). The brickwork, candlelight and West End chatter reminded us of similar eateries in New York where the food comes second to your drinks and company. On our visit, there were some stand-out dishes, some that were just ok and some that never arrived, but we’d happily go back for the buzz alone. Check out what our featured bloggers thought here.

Nothing catching your eye? You won’t have to wait long for more newcomers like Jom Makan’s Westfield branch; the relaunch of Kyashii in Soho; and a new Byron hamburger joint on the former Intrepid Fox site. Check out our new ‘Coming Soon’ page to find out more.

Now Open: Aqua Kyoto Brings Tokyo Glamour To London

While Aqua Nueva failed to impress Fay Maschler this week, things are looking up with the opening of its sister restaurant – Aqua Kyoto. Promising to ‘epitomise the Japanese cool of Tokyo’s Ginza district’, it certainly looks the part with red and black lantern-inspired lighting, ink brush painted panels and a huge sunken sushi bar. ‘Sumi no hana’ (charcoal flowers) hang from the ceiling, echoing the charcoal-grilled dishes being served from the sumbiyaki grill, and the views from the roof terrace are a rare treat for West End socialites.

The menu was put together by Head Chef Kenichi Shibuya and promises the very latest in contemporary Japanese cuisine, including new styles of sushi and sashimi and dishes prepared on the traditional sumibiyaki (charcoal) grill. Amongst Aqua Kyoto’s signature dishes is the tataki sushi platter where the rice is wrapped in paper-thin cucumber, instead of seaweed, to create a crisp and cool texture.

From the grill, diners can enjoy beautifully presented and unsurprisingly pricey dishes like Wagyu beef with garlic-soy ponzu; miso black cod; and eel teriyaki. Luxury ingredients are something of a theme here, with foie gras and lobster sitting alongside traditional tempura and udon noodle offerings.

Things are more affordable at lunchtime, with the Aqua Kyoto bento box priced at £15.95 and some set lunch options under £12. However, a quick visit to the Aqua Spirit bar isn’t cheap but does come highly recommend. Expect Oriental-themed cocktails like the Zen Ball – Ketel One vodka shaken with green tea liqueur, fresh kiwi fruit and cucumber, served tall over ice with ginger beer.

Now Open: Dive Into Modern Spanish Fare At Aqua Nueva

This week, two of London’s most eagerly awaited new restaurants opened their doors to a host of snap-happy bloggers and critics. Polpo - a buzzing Venetian bacaro on Beak Street – is already knee-deep in rave reviews, while Aqua Nueva is enjoying a slightly more subdued start.

One third of the Aqua London trinity, it’s situated at the top of the former Dickins & Jones department store on Regent Street and will soon be joined by a Japanese restaurant, Aqua Kyoto, and a bar, Aqua Spirit. The project marks the first UK outing for the Aqua restaurant group, who already run 14 high-end eateries in Hong Kong and Beijing including the Michelin starred Hutong.

Quite why they decided to open a Spanish restaurant is anyone’s guess, especially in an area where London’s tapas fans are already spoilt for choice. That said, the rooftop terrace, unrivalled views of the city skyline and an El Bulli trained chef should be enough to pull the taparazzi through the doors. The restaurant certainly looks the part, with its glass walkway entrance, life-like charging bull sculpture and warm Mediterranean colour scheme.

Chef Alberto Hernandez trained under the legendary Ferran Adria so the menu is a far cry from the Spanish-by-numbers approach. On the tapas menu, familiar favourites like ham croquetas and Piquillo peppers sit nervously alongside fancy fusion creations like crab and prawn jelly. From the ambitiously priced a la carte, diners can feast on Iberian neck of pork with peppercorn sauce; braised oxtail with pumpkin puree; and baby squid with balls of squid ink and fish broth. So far, neither Fay Maschler or the team from Hardens were convinced by the food, but the kitchen has plenty of time to perfect it.

The tapas bar is open all day and there are some creative Oriental-themed cocktails on offer in the bar, nearly all priced around the £9-10 mark. We like the sound of the wasabi Martini and the Bloody Gazpacho – a blend of garlic-infused Ketel One vodka, homemade gazpacho, horseradish and Japanese peppered salt. Served long over ice, it sounds like a first class hangover cure.

Stay tuned for more October openings, including the Bloomsbury branch of Pinchito Tapas; Jom Makan Westfield; and Hix Soho. You can keep up to date with our new ‘Coming Soon’ page, which lists high profile restaurants opening in the next few months. Have we missed any? Let us know!