City Eating

Coming Soon: Vivek Singh's Third Restaurant, Cinnamon Soho

In mid March, acclaimed chef Vivek Singh will open his third London restaurant, Cinnamon Soho. Situated on the former Red Bar site on Kingly Street, the new venture is described as ‘Cinnamon Kitchen’s younger, cheekier sibling’. Vivek’s sleek but laid-back City restaurant is hugely popular with Liverpool Street suits and the W1 offshoot sounds like a perfect fit for Soho.

With neighbours like Polpo and Bob Bob Ricard for company, Cinnamon Soho hopes to win over the West End crowd with a relaxed all-day menu and a wallet-friendly set lunch option. Theatre-goers can enjoy pre- and post-theatre menus, along with a late-night supper menu of tasting plates. The restaurant is just a stones throw from the boutiques of Carnaby Street, so shoppers can pop in to refuel and try out the exotic cocktails.

Vivek and head chef Ramachandran Raju have created a unique menu that combines modern Indian fare with a nod to British favourites. Diners can look forward to dishes like ox cheek vindaloo, seared sea bass with aubergine-potato crush, and sticky desi pork back ribs. The menu also has an unusual range of pies with fillings such as rogan josh or Keralan seafood curry, and a range of Indian-inspired balls, including a Bangla-Scotch egg.

Cinnamon Soho is due to open on March 15th. Keep an eye on their Facebook page and twitter feed for all the latest news and competitions. You could even win an invite to their launch party!

Date For Your Diary: The StockMKT, Bermondsey, 2nd December

No plans next Friday? Why not swap a night in front of the TV for a trip to an exciting new night market in Bermondsey Square? From 5pm-10pm on Friday 2nd December, The StockMKT will be recreating the buzz of night markets in the Far East but with a distinctly London flavour. Expect good music, great street food, and plenty of shopping opportunities!

The dark December evening will be brightened by bespoke lighting from their sponsors, Light Collective and Aether Lighting, and a special StockMKT music mix lovingly curated by DJs Culture Cuts. There will be plenty of opportunities to spend your hard-earned cash on unique and unusual goodies provided by a select bunch of creative independent makers and retailers. You can even indulge your artistic side with a do-it-yourself creative craft workshop from Art Stars.

Some of London’s finest street food vendors will be in attendance and foodies can look forward to things like piping hot churros, spicy Korean sliders, Big Apple Hot Dogs, Indian inspired burgers, meaty Mexican treats and delicious cakes from the Sweet Tooth Factory. If it gets cold, you can warm up with hot and spicy seasonal drinks served by the staff from Shortwave, Bermondsey Square’s independent cinema and bar.

If street food’s not your thing, then book ahead at local favourite Zucca or try your luck at squeezing into Jose Pizarro’s excellent tapas bar. Top it all off with cocktails at the Hide Bar and you’ve got yourself a first class start to the weekend! You can keep up to date with all The StockMKT news on twitter and their Facebook page.

Coming Soon: The Botanist’s Pop-Up Oyster & Chapel Down Bar

There’s no doubt that pop-ups have been big business this summer, with everything from lobster roll shacks to Bourbon & BBQ trucks turning up to fuel London’s love of all things temporary. If you’ve spent the summer sipping Bombay Pimms at Dishoom’s Chowpatty Beach Bar or tracking down blink-and-you'll-miss-it fried chicken in Shoreditch, then you’ll be pleased to hear that the fun isn’t over yet.

Next weekend, pop-up fans should head to Chelsea for The Botanist’s suitably sophisticated oyster bar pop-up in the middle of Sloane Square. From 16th-18th September, guests can look forward to daily performances from a solo saxophonist and copious amounts of Chapel Down’s lovely sparkling wine from Kent.

September is widely heralded as the official start of oyster season and The Botanist’s bar will be fully stocked with a range of bivalves, including West Mersea pearls, Brown Sea Island Dorset rocks and Duchy natives. Individually priced at £2 each, you can enjoy a quick pit stop with an oyster and glass of fizz or indulge in a leisurely lunch with half a dozen or a dozen priced at £9.50 and £18.

If oysters leave you cold, there will be a selection of fresh seafood available, sourced from Billingsgate Market. Choices will include whole dressed Dorset crab; poached Isle of Benbecula langoustines; and a classic Atlantic prawn cocktail with avocado.

Locals can celebrate the last days of summer with some award-winning Chapel Down Vintage Reserve Brut, available by the glass (£6) or bottle (£30), while designated drivers can sip on a ‘Pomona Fizz’ mocktail. (The refreshing blend of pomegranate, pear, honey, lime and tonic that we enjoyed at The Botanist’s City sister, Chiswell Street Dining Rooms).

The oyster bar will be open from 12pm - 7.30pm on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th, and from 12pm - 5.30pm on Sunday 18th September. You can follow @The_BotanistSW1 for all the latest updates over the weekend. Fingers crossed for sunshine!

News Bites: London Cocktail Week, Jose Pizarro, CUT & More

London Cocktail Week is back this year with an extended run from Friday 7th to Sunday 16th October. There will be tastings, parties and boozy master classes with top mixologists happening all over town, plus the LCW bus to take you from one to the other. (The buses are sponsored by Bacardi so there will be bartenders serving mini cocktails at each stop). This year the ‘week’ has been extended to include The Whisky Show at the Vinopolis (7th-8th October) and RumFest at Olympia (15th-16th October). Register now for a free wristband so you can enjoy bespoke £4 cocktails at over 100 London bars - twice as many as last year. We’ll be posting maps, suggested crawls and more info nearer the time, so watch this space.

Can’t wait for Cocktail Week? Head for Pearl Restaurant & Bar in Holborn where executive chef Jun Tanaka and mixologist Anthony Balik have created a quirky liquid salad bar. From now until 30th September, cocktail aficionados can enjoy three summery cocktails with side salad garnishes, priced at £13.75 each. Try the classic Waldorf – walnut vodka muddled with celery, apple and grapes – or the Greek – a Mediterranean blend of gin, delicate tomato consommé and cucumber, served with feta and olive mini skewers. We like the look of the Thai – a sunset yellow blend of chilli-infused cachaça, mango, papaya, lime and palm sugar syrup. The Thai noodle salad on the side is a perfect amuse bouche before moving on to the dinner in the restaurant.

Following the success of last year’s £1 sale, Cafe Luc will be doing it all again from 8th August to 8th September. If you book a table on the designated secret booking day, you could enjoy a set menu for lunch or dinner at their Marylebone brasserie for a quid! You can choose your preferred date between 8th August and 8th September and there will be ten set menus to choose from each day. To find out when to book, simply subscribe to their mailing list, join them on Facebook or follow them on twitter.

D&D London have announced their plans to redevelop the ground floor and basement of the Old Bengal Warehouse on New Street off Bishopsgate. The 10,000 sq ft development will include a specialist wine shop, bars and two restaurants – a steakhouse and a fish restaurant. Both venues will have al fresco seating within the building’s walled courtyards. It is set to open to the public in Spring 2012.

This September, Wolfgang Puck will launch his first European restaurant, CUT, at the Dorchester’s Park Lane Hotel. The restaurant, which is named after the original in Beverly Hills, will feature a 76-seater ground floor dining room and a central staircase leading up to a mezzanine library and Bar 45. The recently revealed menu boasts ‘the widest and best selection of beef available in London’, with prime cuts sourced from the USA, Australia, Chile and New Zealand. Diners can also enjoy dishes like bone marrow flan with mushroom marmalade; Scottish lobster with black truffle sabayon; and strawberry and cream Baked Alaska. The breakfast menu includes American-inspired treats like blueberry buttermilk pancakes with whipped bourbon-maple butter and salt beef hash cake with poached eggs. 

Spanish Openings – Jose Pizarro’s tapas bar has received rave reviews from critics and locals alike, so it’s great to hear that his restaurant – Pizarro – will open in October. The more formal eatery will be taking over the Bermondsey Kitchen site at 194 Bermondsey Street and will feature a traditional Spanish menu and London’s first Cava bar. Meanwhile, Iberica’s excecutive chef Nacho Manzano will open a second restaurant at Cabot Square this Autumn. The Canary Wharf outpost will offer the same traditional Spanish dishes as the Great Portland Street original, as well as beers and wines that were previously not exported outside Spain.

Coming Soon: Bonnie & Wild Game & Seafood Pop-Up

THE LOWDOWN: Open from 7pm every Saturday, The Bonnie & Wild is more of a ‘part-time’ restaurant than a pop-up. It’s a unique collaboration between London based catering companies Bonnie Gull Ltd, purveyors of quality Scottish seafood, and the Wild Game Co, who specialise in seasonal game from the Highlands. A mix of both, cooked predominantly on BBQs, will be on offer at their Islington restaurant.

THE LOOK: The Bonnie & Wild team have found a suitably historic and unique setting in M. Manze’s pie & mash shop on Chapel Market in Angel. The Grade II listed venue is an institution in its own right and has traditional marble tables, wooden booths and tiled walls. On Saturday evenings, the pies and jellied eels will be swapped for fresh seafood and game and the room will trade daytime buzz for candlelit cool with a Motown soundtrack.

THE FOOD: The menu will change on a weekly basis but the food will always be organic, seasonal and sourced within the UK. The kitchen will be run by Iain Sim, who is head chef at Edinburgh’s award-winning Mussel Inn. Starters will include Scottish smoked salmon; ½ dozen Loch Fyne oysters; pigeon salad with caramelised apple, chorizo and balsamic syrup; and barbecued squid, scallops and king prawns (tandoori-style with lime and creme fraiche).

From a list of reasonably priced mains, carnivores can choose from dishes like seared venison haunch or roe deer fillet with Dauphinoise potatoes and asparagus. Fish fans are spoilt for choice with barbecued salmon, coley, langoustines and whole sea bream with chilli, lemongrass, ginger and coriander. There’s also a full-on mixed seafood blow-out available for £32 per head. Desserts are light and simple – chocolate, Drambuie and orange mousse; affogato; and Scottish strawberries with vanilla cream and balsamic syrup.

THE DETAILS: The restaurant will be open from 7pm every Saturday. The venue is cash only, BYOB and laid out mainly in booths for 4 and 6. To make a reservation, send an e-mail to bookings@bonniewild.co.uk. (There are still a few tables available for their previews this month – check out their Facebook for details).

If you can’t wait until July, you can find Bonnie Gull selling fresh oysters and Inverlochy smoked salmon at Leadenhall Market every Thursday and Friday. The Wild Game Co are at Whitecross Street Market (near the Barbican Centre) from Monday to Friday and Broadway Market every Saturday. (Just follow the smell of venison and look out for dashing young men in kilts.)

Coming Soon: Vongerichten Brings Spice Market To Soho

This February, internationally renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten will launch Spice Market at the new W London hotel near Leicester Square. This South East Asian-inspired restaurant will be a sister site to the  original Spice Market in New York’s Meatpacking District. Designed by Amsterdam-based team Concrete, the venue promises ‘a blend of the authentic old world feel of Spice Market NY and the contemporary architecture of the new W London, a ten-storey structure veiled in translucent glass which will change colour according to the time of day, the ambience of the area, or happenings in the hotel or the city.’

His name might be unfamiliar to London’s foodies, but three Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is already a household name in New York where he owns several high-end restaurants. Outside of the Big Apple, he owns and oversees restaurants in Shanghai, Paris, Canada, The Bahamas and beyond. His first London restaurant, Vong at The Berkeley Hotel, closed in 2003 but many of the team who worked there will be returning to the capital this year to work at Spice Market. Chef de Cuisine Tim Tolley was Head Chef at Vong for four years and General Manager Bertrand Pierson was at the helm from 2000-2003. They return to their former roles, supported by several other members of the Vong team.

Inspired by the street food and bold flavours of South East Asia, Jean-Georges has created an exotic menu that’s guaranteed to appeal to local foodies and the W Hotel’s globe-trotting guests. Signature dishes will include spiced chicken samosas with coriander yoghurt; cod with Malaysian chilli sauce and Thai basil; and Ovaltine kulfi with caramelised banana and spiced milk chocolate.

The restaurant looks set to be a stunner, split over two floors linked by a gold spiral staircase with warming  shades of gold, copper, chrome and wood throughout. Diners will be seated in intimate booths underneath custom-designed shimmering wok lamps which will cover the ceiling to create a flattering low light. The rear wall will house a 24 metre long wall of spices showcasing the colours, flavours and fragrances present in South East Asian cuisine.

Upstairs, there are plans for an open kitchen and a private dining room which will seat up to 34 covers. The ground floor will be home to a sushi bar and a cocktail lounge serving Spice Market’s signature cocktails, inspired by the flavours of Asia and the Orient. Diners can enjoy twisted classics like the pineapple Mojito or ginger Margarita, or treat themselves to a lychee-raspberry Bellini before dinner.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to London and opening Spice Market in the heart of London, Leicester Square. London is such a diverse and vibrant city that I think it will be the perfect place for the European flagship Spice Market,” said Jean-Georges.

Spice Market opens in February at the new W Hotel on Wardour Street, just moments from Leicester Square. Keep an eye on our Coming Soon page for details of this and other restaurants opening in 2011.

Coming Soon: Hawksmoor's Covent Garden Sister Site

This morning, Richard Vines (chief food critic for Bloomberg) announced possibly the best news we’ve heard this year. East London steakhouse, Hawksmoor, will be opening a sister site in Covent Garden before the end of 2010. This means that some of London's finest burgers, steaks and cocktails will now be served within walking distance of West End tube stations, theatres and night-spots. (No longer just tucked away on the edge of the City!)

It will be housed in the old Watney brewery on the corner of Shelton Street and Langley Street, with space for 120 diners and 50 in the bar. Owner Will Beckett has promised to pay particular attention to solo diners, providing space for up to 20 beef enthusiasts who want some alone time with their slabs of cow.

Work is due to start in May and the restaurant is scheduled to open in September. For steak lovers who can't always trek to E1 for a beef fix, this is fantastic news.

While you’re waiting for the new West End branch, don’t forget to try Hawksmoor’s new brunch menu. It includes an enormous Full English, their infamous burger and a whole lot more – well worth a weekend trip into town.

New & Coming Soon: Bistros, Burgers & Bruno Loubet

Looking for somewhere new to eat this month? Check out these hot newcomers...

Charlotte’s Bistro – The team behind Charlotte’s Place in Ealing have turned a former Fishworks site in Chiswick into a cute ‘n’ cosy bistro. The prices are reasonable for this wealthy corner of West London and the menu includes bistro classics like Bouillabaisse, beef onglet with hand-cut chips and aioli; and steamed haddock with a poached egg and Hollandaise sauce. Send the kids to Franco Manca and linger over the cheeseboard or strawberry pannacotta. If all goes well, this could become a neighbourhood favourite.

L’Art du Fromage – Tucked away in a side street off the King’s Road, this new French restaurant hopes to sell ‘cheese gastronomy’ to Chelsea diners. The menu promises a ‘cheese tour of France’ so expect fondue, Raclette and tartiflette, as well as snails, soufflés and crème brulee. Perhaps not somewhere you would go every week, unless you have a serious passion for dairy, but definitely one to try.

Also open - Zilli Green (Aldo’s vegetarian addition to Soho); Adagio Pizza al Taglio (pizza by the slice on Greek Street); Manson (noisy Fulham bistro); and El Camino (Mexican on Brewer St).

Guerilla Burgers – Opening near Selfridges on February 17th, this ‘laid back, no frills’ burger bar will serve fish tacos, crinkly fries, crayfish cocktail, hotdogs and more. Burgers range from the classic cheeseburger to the all-out rodeo burger, topped with BBQ sauce, onion rings, crispy bacon and house salsa. Will their shakes and burgers tempt us away from Byron Soho? Only time will tell.

Colony Bar & Grill – Hoping to cash in on the tapas trend, Atul Kocchar’s latest venture will serve small plates inspired by the street food of India, the Orient, East Africa and the Caribbean. In the evening, diners are advised to choose roughly 4-6 dishes per couple, while at lunchtime Colony will serve traditional thalis (made up of 7 small dishes). The restaurant opens in Marylebone on February 18th.

Bistro Bruno Loubet – Having spent the past eight years working in Australia, chef Bruno Loubet has returned to London and will open his new bistro at the Zetter Hotel on February 22nd. Surrounded by Clerkenwell dining institutions like St John and Eastside Inn, he hopes to demonstrate his passion for the modern bistro fare which proved popular at his previous London establishments Bistro Bruno and L'Odeon. The menu includes dishes like beef daube Provencal; confit lamb shoulder with harissa; grilled black bream with vegetables ‘a la Grecque’; and Hare Royal with onion raviolo.

Don’t miss out – keep up to date with our New Openings and Coming Soon lists, updated almost daily by our dedicated team. If we’ve missed anywhere, do let us know!

Coming Soon: Zilli Green - Aldo Goes Meat-Free In Soho

On February 14th, Aldo Zilli will open a vegetarian restaurant, Zilli Green, on the site of his former flagship restaurant Signor Zilli. Inspired by his appearance on Celebrity Fit Club, the new venture on Dean Street will celebrate his newfound commitment to healthy living and reinforce the message that vegetarian food doesn’t have to be dull. With only a handful of all-veg restaurants managing to impress London’s foodies, this could be a welcome addition to the meat-free dining scene.

Aldo explains, “This year marks my 30th anniversary as one of Soho's original restaurateurs. At the time, I brought a fresh approach to Italian food to London and I want to mark this anniversary with an equally exciting approach to a healthy way of life that everyone can enjoy.”

If you’ve walked down Dean Street this week, you might have noticed the old Signor Zilli furniture piling up outside as the place is being rapidly remodelled in time for it’s Valentine’s Day launch. The new interior will feature reclaimed wood on both the floors and tabletops, a colour palette of soft greens and browns, and low hanging lamps in the shape of plants - just in case you’d missed the no-meat message.

The Head Chef will be Enzo di Marino, a vegetarian chef who trained in the Abruzzo region of Italy before a stint in Japan. His food, prepared in a meat and fish-free kitchen, will be inspired by vegetarian dishes from around the world, while the ingredients will be sourced from local producers.

The menu (available online here) offers starters like goats cheese and Jerusalem artichoke tart; red lentil and barley soup; and vegetable tempura - all priced under £6.00. Aldo’s Italian influence is evident in a predictable pasta section, while other main courses include a curry with quinoa and ‘platters’ offering Japanese tasters and mezze. If Zilli is hoping to push the boundaries of meat-free cuisine, he might want to rethink a few things - tofu skewers or veggie burgers and bangers anyone?

Still, if we ever get tired of the burgers at Byron or the mince and tatties Dean Street Townhouse, we'll be sure to pop in for a few leafy greens.

Coming Soon: Battery And Tompkins In Canary Wharf

As the credit-crunched suits regain their appetites and the ban on business lunches is lifted, Canary Wharf is slowly filling up with interesting eateries. Jamie’s Italian led the way and still boasts impressive queues mid-week, while The Parlour is settling in but having a few teething problems with their menu. The eagerly anticipated Roka is now open and Wahaca’s third branch will unleash Mexican street food on E14 next week.

In December, Wharf diners will have even more restaurants to choose from as the Inc Group’s latest project – Battery – takes over the former site of Ubon. Set at the top of a lighthouse-style building, Battery will offer a modern European menu, fine wine and panoramic views across the City and Docklands. The venue will feature floor-to-ceiling glass walls on three sides and is named after the buzzing financial area of the same name in New York. Next year, Battery will launch a members bar on the third floor, complete with wood panelling, leather sofas and an intimate private dining area.

In March 2010, another Inc Group eatery will join The Attic Champagne and cocktail bar, which is their current offering within the Pan Peninsula. Tompkins will be divided into four areas – a main bar, brasserie lounge, restaurant and mezzanine bar. Designed with New York bistros in mind, the venue will feature bespoke Tom Dixon chandeliers, plenty of polished marble, and a glass staircase leading up to the mezzanine cocktail bar. Outside, a spacious waterside terrace will seat 150 people in the summer months.

There are rumours that Boisdale are also planning a Wharf branch before the end of the year and the Rocket pizza mini-chain hope to launch in the area next year.

Check out more London restaurants coming soon or just opened.