About Time: You Discovered London’s Hottest February OpeningsBy Alicia Grimshaw
Let’s all forget that bleak, sad, cold January ever happened, and let’s look forward to lovely, comforting February. The capital is alive with new openings, and we can’t wait to go out and feast on bao buns, vegan fast food and Korean fried chicken.
The city is still having a big love affair with single-item restaurants, a big US plant-powered restaurant has finally made its way to British shores, and a legendary Chinese hotspot is reopening. Enough with the chit chat, it’s time to eat:
1. For White Poultry: Randy’s Wing Bar Aldgate
The Run-Down: Having graduated from incredibly popular street food and pub residencies to their first permanent Hackney Wick restaurant in 2016, entrepreneurs and London Wing Fest founders Richard Thacker and Andy Watts are now adding to their Randy’s Wing Bar coop with a second location nestled near Aldgate and Tower Hill Underground stations.
Eat and Drink: New additions include baked oysters, succulent sliders and a bespoke wing flavour, alongside Randy’s original gourmet chicken wings with homemade sauces; from classic Buffalo with truffle blue cheese, to Gong Bao beauties with pickled pineapple and Sichuan pepper, as well as chicken burgers, loaded fries, tempting sides and desserts. Not one to ruffle any feathers, Randy’s will be introducing counter culture for busy City workers at lunchtime, offering a selection of salad boxes, wraps and boneless wings to-go in record time.
Gimme More: Cocktail maestro Stu Bale is the brains behind Randy’s new cocktail menu, and has previously designed cocktails for Hix Restaurants, 69 Colebrooke Row and the London Edition Hotel. Think liquid, alcoholic goodness.
Where: 30 – 33 Minories, London EC3N 1DD
2. For Modern Chinese Cuisine: Poon’s
The Run-Down: Poon’s is back in London Town, baby! Established by seventh generation masterchef, Bill Poon, Poon’s dominated the London dining scene from 1973 – 2003, gaining a cult and celebrity following and a Michelin star in 1980. Now, Bill’s daughter, Amy, is bringing Poon’s back in a new guise for 2018, joining a wave of emerging, modern Chinese restaurants in the capital.
Eat and Drink: Opening as a three month pop-up in Clerkenwell on Saturday (17th February), the restaurant will serve modern home-cooked Chinese food with a focus on fresh, clean flavours, authentic ingredients, and a modern-take on classic dishes. The menu will feature a large selection of gluten-free, vegan and organic dishes such as chilli radishes, spicy aubergine salad and tofu hotpot. These sit alongside reimagined Poon’s signature dishes including san choi bao, claypot rice with home-made wind-dried meats, Hainanese chicken, and steamed fish Guangzhou-style.
Gimme More: The restaurant design uses vintage Chinese prints, pretty crockery and a fresh and vibrant colour palette in line with the restaurant’s modern approach and presentation of Chinese food and design.
Where: 131 – 133 Central St. London EC1V 8AP
3. For Vegan Fast Food: by CHLOE.
The Run-Down: Probably one of America’s biggest exports in terms of vegan munch, by CHLOE. is finally making its way to London, and we can’t wait. by CHLOE. is a US plant-based, fast casual restaurant opening its doors on Russell Street on Tuesday (6th February).
Eat and Drink: To mark its arrival to the UK, by CHLOE. will introduce a series of exclusive menu items “London by CHLOE.”. Taking inspiration from quintessential British dishes, the restaurant will offer a plant-based, vegan take on classic fish n’ chips, shepherd’s pie, pea n’ ham soup as well as sticky toffee pudding.
Gimme More: The UK-exclusive specials will be available alongside by CHLOE.’s signature salads, burgers, fresh pastas, daily-baked sweets (Sweets by CHLOE.), dairy-free ice cream (Chill by CHLOE.) and more; all of which are made in-house daily.
Where: 24-43 Russell Street, London WC2B 5HA
The Run-Down: From the team that brought Korean street food to the masses, the On the Bab gang are opening a sister site, On The Dak on Friday (2nd February) in Covent Garden. ‘Dak’ means chicken in Korean, and the all-day menu at On The Dak will feature Korean fried chicken, chicken noodles, chicken soup and more, all to eat in or to go.
Eat and Drink: On the menu will be four flavours of Korean fried chicken available in small, medium or large; spicy or mild Chitang, Korea’s soul-nourishing chicken soup noodles; Chibun, spicy Korean BBQ chicken or fried chicken with cabbage; and Chibab, chicken and salad with rice. A meat-free Chibab is also available, served with mushrooms and house soy. Sides include various kimchis as well as salads, rice and chicken dumplings.
Gimme More: On the first day of opening, Friday (2nd February), On The Dak will celebrate by giving away 100 portions of their signature Sweet Soy Korean Fried Chicken from 11.30am until 1.30pm on a first-come, first-served basis.
Where: 1 Monmouth Street, London WC2H 9DA
5. For a Taste of Spain: Sabor
The Run-Down: Chef Nieves Barragan Mohacho and business partner José Etura are behind Sabor, a new restaurant focusing on capturing the flavours of the duo’s native Spain, taking diners on a journey from the tapas bars of Andalucía through to the asadors of Castile, and the seafood restaurants of Galicia.
Eat and Drink: The in-house fishmonger will prepare and serve fresh seafood, ordered by weight from a seafood counter alongside the kitchen. The menu will also feature regional dishes from right across Spain, including those from the Basque country and Catalonia, all given the Nieves touch. Dishes will include:diver caught scallops and 5 jotas ham consome; wild rabbit empanadilla; and Jerusalem artichoke and jamon tortilla with sage alioli.
Gimme More: Also on the ground floor, to the right, will be the Sabor bar. Like the Andalucían tapas bars that inspired it, the bar will feature poseur tables where everyone can enjoy drinks and tapas, and be encouraged to throw their paper napkins on the floor, a sign of a favoured bar by the locals in Spain. Dishes in the bar will include: cured presa Iberica; camarones fritos with fried quail egg; and crisp fried chicken oyster bocadillo.
Where: 35 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BR
6. For a Foodie Hub: Feast Canteen
The Run-Down: Opening on Wednesday (14th February), Feast Canteen is reinventing the ‘canteen’ concept and dialling it up a notch by taking the unused, uninspiring food court in Hammersmith Kings Mall and transforming it into a slick canteen for the modern age. West London is about to get a whole lot tastier.
Eat and Drink: With no other food line-up like it in west London, Feast Canteen will see Made of Dough dishing out the finest pizza, Sinchowserving healthy rice paper rolls, Patty & Bun serving their legendary burgers, Breddos Tacos offering their renowned tacos, and Salvation Noodles making authentic Vietnamese noodles with a modern twist. Each of the restaurants will take the top dishes from their menus as well as adding some new additions. Deliveroo will also be providing a host of new home delivery options to Hammersmith and its surrounding areas in West London.
Gimme More: Especially for the launch, Feast Canteen is offering the chance to ‘eat for free’ for a week, for those who sign up to the Feast Canteen website. The winner will be picked at random every week from a weekly prize draw for the year ahead. That’s a whole week of free food, people!
Where: Kings Mall, King Street, Hammersmith, London W6 9HW
The Run-Down: Opening this month, Popina is a new daytime eatery and delicatessen adding to North Mayfair’s already extensive foodie portfolio. Founded by chef Isidora Popović who’s already a familiar face on the London Market circuit (with over 20 prominent locations including Portobello Road, King’s Cross and Broadway Markets), this will be Popović’s first brick and mortar outpost.
Eat and Drink: Expect breakfast favourites such as kedgeree, as well as hearty sandwiches and daily changing salads at lunch. Stews and curries will be a menu mainstay with both meat and vegetarian options. For those with a sweet tooth, a range of freshly-baked sweet pastries will also be available including Popina’s acclaimed chocolate hazelnut cake.
Gimme More: Pick up market stall bestsellers such as truffle squares (Great Taste Award winner), pear and chocolate hazelnut tart, rhubarb and ginger cheesecake and cheese burek, a Serbian specialty made using strong, barrel-aged feta.
Where: 83 Duke Street, Mayfair, London W1K 5PF
8. For Bubbles: Prosecco House
The Run-Down: Single item restaurants are big business in the capital at the moment, and it was only a matter of time until a wise owl decided it was time to open a dedicated prosecco-only bar. Throwing open the doors on Thursday (23rd February), Prosecco House is London’s first bar devoted to bubbles.
Eat and Drink: The bar will stock Prosecco DOCG, the premium prosecco from Veneto, the home of the drink and has been created by owner Kristina Issa who wants to bring the same excellent quality of prosecco enjoyed in Italy to London. Kristina is working directly with family owned vineyards in Veneto and will be exclusively stocking five vineyards that are not available anywhere else in London, and the bar will have over 20 different proseccos on the menu, hand picked by Kristina.
Gimme More: A small selection of cicchetti will be served alongside the prosecco and will include Salami Lovison, Prosciutto, Gorgonzola and Ricotta with sundried tomatoes and Italian pickled artichoke. There will also be a small selection of prosecco cocktails available including Aperol Spritz, Bellini and Prosecco House signature cocktails.
Where: 1 Crown Square, One Tower Bridge, London, SE1 2SE
The Run-Down: After conquering north London with their 48-hour slow-fermented doughs and Italian ingredients, founders Claudio Vescovo and Gianluca D’Angelo are bringing their neighbourhood pizzeria, Zia Lucia to Brook Green, west London. Opening on Saturday (3rd February), the restaurant will be serving up an impressive selection of Italian classics.
Eat and Drink: Maintaining its ethos of great value genuine Italian food, the majority of the wood-fired pizzas at Zia Lucia Brook Green will be under a tenner and will feature fresh, classic Italian toppings, signature Arianna and Andrea Pirlo pizzas, and will be available on all four types of dough. Toppings range from Italian favourites such as fiery nduja, spicy spianata salami, truffle honey and burrata, to rich gorgonzola and vegan butternut squash cream. Alongside the pizzas, will be a selection of Italian-style starters, plates, salads and desserts.
Gimme More: For the launch month, Zia Lucia will add a limited edition, green vegetable dough to the menu named after their new neighbourhood – the ‘Brook Green Dough’.
Where: 61 Blythe Road, Brook Green, London W14 0HP
10. For Taiwanese Eats: Daddy Bao
The Run-Down: If you’ve visited Taiwanese joint Mr Bao in Peckham, you’ll be pleased to hear the bao bun clan are opening the hotly anticipated Daddy Bao in Tooting in late February. Like the original site, Daddy Bao will be throwing down well-loved Taiwanese and their signature hot, fluffy bao buns.
Eat and Drink: Serving signature pillowy bao buns, crunchy fried chicken and Taiwanese snacks-a-plenty the Daddy Bao menu will be filled with original favourites. You’ll find Mr Bao – slow braised Flock and Herd pork, pickles and peanut powder packed into a milky white bun, and the drunken prawn bao – a classic bun stuffed with beer-marinated prawns, pickled mooli and spiced spring onion. Daddy Bao also looks set to become a popular hot-spot amongst vegans, being one of the few restaurants to serve milk-free bao buns in London. The special vegan buns are filled with either Teriyaki shiitake mushroom, miso mayo and crispy shallots or braised tofu with roast butternut squash, golden kimchi and coriander.
Gimme More: As well as the firm favourites, Daddy Bao will also have a selection of brand new dishes on offer, such as crispy Taiwanese fried chicken with a sweet and spicy sauce, Snow Peas with a spicy soy glaze and Shen Jiang Bao – similar to the Shanghai-style soup dumpling, xiao long bao.
Where: 113 Mitcham Road, Tooting, London SW17 9PE
