Donostia – On June 6th, Donostia will open on Seymour Place, bringing a taste of the Basque Country to Marylebone. The head chef will be Tomasz Baranski who previously worked at Barrafina and Urepel in San Sebastian, where he learnt to cook traditional Basque dishes. Diners can expect top notch charcuterie, ‘pintxo’ appetisers like crispy prawns with ham, stuffed piquillo peppers and mini Kobe beef burgers, and Spanish classics like tortilla and croquetas. The tapas menu will offer traditional Basque dishes like crispy Tolosa-style beef tongue, lamb chops a la plancha, and cod cheeks in pil-pil sauce. The owners have made use of their wine import business to put together an impressive wine list which includes Txakoli – a dry, slightly sparkling white wine which is a perfect match for tapas.
Beard to Tail – The team behind cocktail institution Callooh Callay will run a four-day pop-up restaurant from June 12th-15th at the former Marie Lloyd pub in Shoreditch. The pop-up will give diners a sneak preview of the Beard to Tail restaurant which will open in September. (The location has yet to be announced). In addition to some suitably creative cocktails, the restaurant will serve dishes like the ‘Rumpie-Pumpie for 2’ – slow-roasted Old Spot pork rump with a sage and wild garlic crust and homemade apple sauce. Stay tuned to their twitter feed, @BeardtoTail, for news.
Tonkotsu – In early July, Emma Reynolds and Ken Yamada (the team behind Tsuru Sushi) will open a ramen bar on Soho’s Dean Street. Tonkotsu’s concise menu will offer authentic ramen noodle dishes made with flavourful stocks simmered for hours in-house, as well as homemade gyoza dumplings and crab korokke. Drinks will include Japanese beers and whiskies, sake and top quality juices.
Pizza East – The Soho House group are opening a branch of their Pizza East mini-chain in Kentish Town in August. The huge ex-Grand Union site on Highgate Road will also house their newest project, Chicken Shop. (Possibly an ironic take on your classic high street chicken chain.)
Check out our Coming Soon list for more info about restaurants opening in London this summer. May is proving particularly busy with HIX at The Tramshed, The Gaslight Grill, Sonny’s Kitchen, and Shrimpy’s (a ‘Calexican’ eatery in King’s Cross) all opening before the end of the month.
One cannot eat one’s cake and have it.
Posted by: Asics Onitsuka Tiger | March 17, 2013 at 10:22 AM