New
Starting with one that just opened yesterday – NAKIMUSHI, by the Notting HIll Fish + Meat Shop team (also behind Dorian, EEL Sushi, and Supermarket of Dreams) is a three-floor Japanese townhouse restaurant in W8, including a ground-floor ramen bar and a 25-seat restaurant with contemporary Japanese cooking. In Covent Garden, the team behind Peckham’s much-loved Levan are opening the new modern French bistro, Cassette (and the CG cool-a-fication continues). For pizza, Soho has a new seven-course tasting menu at Napoli on the Road, which sounds great. And reservations for Cloth’s second restaurant, Cloth Cornhill, located on the Simpson’s Tavern site in the City, are now open for bookings from 1 October.
Relaunches
The Peasant pub, now refurbed and relaunched as the new George & Dragon (keep up!), will have Island (a Michelin recommended upmarket surf and turf that used to be above Mare Street Market), run by chefs Brad Carter and Tom Brown, in the kitchen. Franco’s, the St James’s institution, has been re-designed as an all-day bar; and also on St James’s, grande dame Quaglino’s is back in October.
Limited Time Runs
We’re excited for this one: The Emory’s excellent abc Kitchens, by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, has Tarde de Tacos every day from 2:30-6:30, including barbeque pork tacos with red onion and habanero chilli relish, or crispy Dover sole tacos with aioli, crunchy cabbage and apple slaw, with a mini cocktail flight available (grapefruit paloma, basil jalapeño margarita, and frozen strawberry margarita). They also have a taco and slushie special (a taco and duo of mini slushies for £20) which sounds like the best value, chicest combo around. On until the end of September.
Lastly, to squeeze out some extended summer vibes, the scenic rooftop at Endo’s Kioku restaurant at Raffles London at The OWO has a summer bento lunch menu with Minuty rosé. The terrace is open from Tuesday-Sunday for both lunch and dinner, until late September.
Events
On 20 Sept, as part of Moro’s Alumni Series, Ellen Parr from Lucky & Joy will be in the kitchen to cook alongside Sam and Sam Clark, bringing the flavours of China to Moro classics; book here.
On 23 September, Café Kowloon is going to The Parakeet for a four hands, seven-course menu celebrating Hong Kong-inspired Cantonese flavours; book here.
Manteca have just launched family-style Sunday lunches (12-5PM), with seafood fritto misto, trays of lasagna, or spaghetti with pork and beef meatballs, and a build your own gelato sundae bar; book here.
And for something a little further out, Fowlescombe Farm in Devon is having an outdoor harvest evening on a long table under apple trees, with a dinner that utilises the last of the summer crops, with the first of the autumn. Book to join the dinner, 18 September.
Fingers at the Ready
Noma has just opened further tables for two for their 4 November to 30 January seatings. Join the waitlist if a table isn’t instantly available; try here.
Residences
Legendary NYC restaurant Raf’s will be in residence at Raffles London at The OWO on 18 and 19 September.
Le Café LPM, La Petite Maison’s new all-day café concept, will be launching its first standalone café tomorrow, for a one-year residency in The Lanesborough. Menu here.
And A. Wong is in residency at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair until 26 September, while their Pimlico location is refreshed. They now have both lunch (1.5 hours) and dinner (three hours) seatings, serving set menus.
Eye Spy, Filipino-Inspired
Two Filipino-inspired restaurants on our radar include: Bunso, opening in Kentish Town, will have baked goods by day and pizza at night. And Toastee, opening soon in Westfield White City (bear with us), will be a dessert bar with French toast.
International
NYC
Straker’s opens in New York this month, in the space that was previously Keith McNally’s Lucky Strike. We look forward to seeing the photos of this one.
Madrid
Nobu has just opened in Madrid, with a hotel and restaurant – their first in the Spanish capital.
