About Time: You Visited London’s Best New Restaurant OpeningsBy Alicia Grimshaw
Looking for London’s best new restaurant openings? We’ve got it covered – from amazing Indian eats to fresh new Japanese hotspots, here’s where you need to be dining in London this November:
1. For Indian Eats: Bombay Bustle
What: Samyukta Nair and Rohit Ghai, Co-Founder and Executive Chef of Mayfair’s Michelin-starred Jamavar, are behind new restaurant Bombay Bustle on Maddox Street. Inspired by the Dabbawalas, the institution of men who use Mumbai’s famed local railway to deliver home cooked meals across the city, Bombay Bustle will pay homage to the culture and people, whose expanse of origins from across India have influenced its culinary history.
Eat and Drink: Seasonal delights, inspired by Mumbai and the surrounding areas, will include Misal pav topped with potato salli; Kolhapuri spiced spit roasted chicken; seabass and scallop Tawa Pulao, along with Kerala style ishtew with idiyappam, and a sweet double ka meetha with tutti fruity masala milk and almonds. Reminiscent of Samyukta’s school days, where lunch was delivered by the Dabbawala, there will also be tiered tiffin dabbas. Each box will be presented to the table and unpacked to reveal curries, breads and rice ideal for a quick, yet wholesome lunch.
Where: 29 Maddox Street, Mayfair, London W1S 2PA
What: Inspired by the great steakhouses of New York, Sophie’s are opening their biggest restaurant to date in Soho incorporating a 125-cover all-day dining restaurant, bar, and covered terrace, as well as a 120-cover high-end steakhouse, with meats aged and butchered in-house.
Eat and Drink: While steak, as in the previous restaurants, will be central to the menu, for the first time an equal emphasis will be placed on vegetable and fish dishes, including Cornish turbot with sorrel butter; whole prime rib slow cooked on the pit to share; and scallops from the fire with garlic butter. The all day menu, available 11am through until late, will deliver dishes such as centre cut fillet with béarnaise and fries; charred eel served with beetroot and horseradish dressing; and chargrilled rump steak with butter lettuce, rocket and hot mustard sandwich.
Where: Sophie’s Soho, 42-44 Windmill Street London, W1D 7NB
3. For All Day Dining: Mortimer House Kitchen
What: Mortimer House Kitchen is a new restaurant focusing on fresh, sustainable and organic produce with a menu brimming with Mediterranean eats with hints of Middle Eastern flavour. Found within the swanky Mortimer House in London’s Fitzrovia, the restaurant will open its doors on Monday (13th November).
Eat and Drink: Open from breakfast through to dinner, the all-day menu will offer a selection of refined dishes created by Head Chef Luca Unali and his team. The early morning menu has dedicated a whole section to the beloved avocado with dishes including baked avocado with poached eggs and smoked salmon, as well as grilled halloumi with avocado on flaxseed bread. The same approach to quality and seasonality can be expected throughout the day and into the evening with familiar dishes given an unusual twist such as charcoal cauliflower with garlic aioli; courgette spaghetti with pistachio pesto and smoked ricotta; and charcoal-grilled pluma Ibérico with smoked aubergine, tahini and zaatar.
Where: Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH
4. For Noodles: Koya in the City
What: This is the types of news that gets us excited: Koya is opening their second site at the new Bloomberg Arcade development in late November. Koya in the City will exemplify the spirit of Koya Bar on Soho’s Frith Street; the traditional and modest udon noodle bar where dishes are served simply, ‘shokudo’ style.
Eat and Drink: Koya in the City’s celebration of the simplicity of Japanese techniques and ingredients will be evident throughout the all-day menu, which will begin with a traditional and contemporary Japanese breakfast. The breakfast menu will include existing signature breakfast dishes such as the English breakfast udon with egg, bacon and shitaki as well as new dishes like the poached egg and bonito rice in miso soup, and kippers with poached egg, butter rice in miso soup .The dinner menu will feature Koya favourites such as their Kinoko Hot Udon with mushrooms and walnut miso and brand new dishes including: Tonkatsu – breaded aged pork loin with cabbage and fruit miso sauce, and Yasai Kakiage Ten – vegetable kakiage tempura udon noodle.
Where: 10-12 Bloomberg Arcade, London EC4N 8AR
What: After already causing a stir in Paris, successful high-end Japanese restaurant Yen is opening its doors at the new 190 Strand development on Tuesday (28th November). The restaurant will specialise in buckwheat soba noodles, which will be handmade on a twice-daily basis in a bespoke glass space by the restaurant’s soba specialists, Maruno Hidenori and Katsuki Sakurai, on show to the restaurant.
Eat and Drink: The menu will feature the soba cold with a variety of dips, grilled meats or tempuras – served in hot soup with a selection of toppings. The menu will also include a substantial sushi selection, which will be served in the main restaurant and at the 8-seater sushi counter. Main dishes will largely centre around the robata and tempura dishes, including Yen’s signature oyster and courgette flower tempura and Wagyu steak with ponzu sauce.
Where: 190 Strand, 5 Arundel Street, London WC2R 3DX
6. For a New Dining Destination: The Prince
What: Never before has an entire street been transformed into an epicurean avenue dedicated to some of London’s most exciting food, drink and social experiences, until now. Welcome, The Prince. Taking the former Prince of Wales pub and four disused connecting buildings on West Brompton Crossing, the team behind Pergola On The Roof and Pergola Paddington Central will revitalise this corner of West London to create a truly unique collection of spaces encompassing two bars, four individual restaurants, and a huge secret garden – all connected to each other, and all under one guise of The Prince. And it opens on Monday (15th November).
Eat and Drink: Converting each of the buildings into four individual restaurants, The Prince will welcome burger legends Patty & Bun, a west London debut for The Begging Bowl as well as Rabbit, and Vietnamese barbecue restaurant MAM. Open seven days a week, The Prince will offer a brand-new drinking and dining concept; grab a drink from a bar or a tasty bite to eat from one of the four restaurants, and venture through to a hidden secret garden. Found only through a small door at the back of each restaurant and the pub, this whimsical woodland space will begin with a top deck that will lead down into the enchanting garden where an outside bar will be wrapped around a vast twisted willow.
Where: 14 Lillie Road, Earls Court, London SW6 1TT
7. For Rotating Residences: Feast Bar and Kitchen
What: Good news, West London folk, you’ve got yourselves a new unique 5000sqft drinking and dining destination. Feast is the new grown up and developed version of the old street food and restaurant experience Little Feast, and the sister site to Feast Canteen in Hammersmith. An incredible den of deliciousness, Feast will have big sharing tables and communal seating for 300 diners, DJ’s, as well as a rotating line-up of the capital’s most incredible independent eateries.
Eat and Drink: First up in this exciting series of six-month residencies are Mexican taco dudes Del 74, and Hackney comfort food kings Morty & Bob’s. Especially for Feast, both restaurants will create bespoke all-day menus including hearty Mexican sandwiches and juicy tacos from Del74, as well as epic grilled cheese sandwiches and wholesome salads from Morty & Bobs. And rest assured, whether you like your meals meaty, veggie, vegan or free-from everything except epic flavour, these street food-inspired maestros have got you covered.
Where: White City Place, 201 Wood Lane London W12 7TU
Photo Credit: David Courreau
8. For Fried Chicken: Butchies
What: It was only a matter of time before the Butchies crew launched their first permanent restaurant, and this month it’s happening. Opening late November, Butchies new dine in and takeaway joint will feature a range of wings, sides, salads, specials, homemade pickles/hot-sauce, shakes and cocktails.
Eat and Drink: The menu at Butchies will offer six free-range fried chicken sandwiches all served in soft butter-toasted buns. Sandwiches include, The Original with house pickles and Butchies’ homemade garlic and fresh herb aioli; Cheesy Rider, served with house pickles, Butchies’ hot pineapple reaper sauce and lashings of oozing melted Red Leicester cheese; and Jenny from the Block with guacamole, chipotle mayo and smoked streaky bacon.. The Buffalo Halloumi is served with house pickles, buffalo sauce and blue cheese ranch, and a list of sides including hand cut twice cooked fries, and cheese fries with Red Leicester cheese dripping, and the famed hot wings complete the menu.
Where: 22 Rivington Street, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3DY
9. For Wine and Small Plates: Londrino
What: Leandro Carreira’s highly anticipated restaurant and wine bar will open its doors in London Bridge at the end of November. Londrino’ will observe the flavours, traditions and ingredients from Leandro’s native Portugal, through the eyes of a chef that now calls London home. Situated on the residential street of Snowsfields, Londrino will offer two separate dining spaces; an elegant a la carte restaurant open for lunch and dinner and a relaxed all-day wine bar for light meals and grazing.
Eat and Drink: Expect dishes such as Clams Bulhão Pato with coriander; octopus with red pepper miso; fermented potato with egg yolk and mustard; beef Maronesa; and mackerel with savoy cabbage and smoked seaweed butter. A regional Portuguese cheese trolley and dishes such as grilled soaked brioche with sour caramel and hazelnuts, and Requeijão with lemon curd with malt and vanilla waffle will be available for dessert.
Where: 36 Snowsfields, London SE1 3SU
10. For Dining and Drinking: Broadleaf
What: This November sees the opening of a stunning new bar and restaurant from the team behind The Botanist Broadgate Circle, The Botanist Sloane Square, Aviary and The Jugged Hare. Broadleaf by ETM, situated in the shadow of Tower 42 on Old Broad Street, is a new premier drinking and dining destination in the Square Mile.
Eat and Drink: The modern British menu will champion provenance, seasonality and quality, offering brasserie-style dishes using the freshest ingredients from an open-plan theatre kitchen. Opt for kiln roast salmon with pickled beetroot and horseradish cream, or for something more substantial sample the slow braised Cumbrian Longhorn short ribs served alongside Dauphinoise potatoes and glazed shallots. Turn to the grill, for classic cuts of steak with peppercorn sauce and fries, delicious burgers or, for something a little lighter, fragrant Asian salad with candied cashews and coconut chilli dressing.
Where: Broadleaf, 25 Old Broad Street (to the left of Tower 42), London EC2N 1HN
11. For Cantonese Cuisine: Duddell’s
What: Duddell’s is coming to London, and we’re pumped. Following from its two Michelin-starred counterpart in Hong Kong, Duddell’s London will offer a more relaxed take on Cantonese cuisine, featuring both recognized and reinterpreted classics as well as Duddell’s signature dim sum symphony which is more delicate and intricate than traditional dim sum and showcases the team’s folding prowess.
Eat and Drink: The menu will highlight the skill behind processes such as steaming and stir-frying, focusing on dishes that use minimal ingredients with flavours that bring out the texture, technique and freshness of Cantonese cuisine.Chef Daren Lieu will bring to Duddell’s London his new take on traditional dishes such as: ying yang prawn with citrus dressing; smoked black Angus ribs with red wine soy and baby peach; and truffle chargrilled black cod with Chinese-aged vinegar, lily bulb and Nameko mushroom.
Where: St Thomas Street, Southwark, London SE1 9RY
What: Good Food Society (also of Yosma, Frescobaldi London and Firenze) are behind Hovarda, a new Aegean-inspired bar and restaurant on Rupert Street. Opening on Friday (17th November), the bar will serve cocktails and wines alongside live music and DJs, and the kitchen will rustle up Aegean bites.
Eat and Drink: Hus Vedat of Yosma has consulted on a menu focusing on dishes inspired by the countries surrounding the Aegean Sea. The fish menu will change daily depending on what the fishermen have caught from around the British Isles – it will be cooked whole over live fire and served simply with lemon, sea salt and olive oil. Dishes on the menu include: marinated sea bream with fennel and saffron; wood fire beetroot, orange and Galomitzithra; grilled smoked eel with fava, radishes and caper leaves; and crab borek with lemon sauce.
Where: 36 – 40 Rupert Street, London, W1D 6DN
