The London Guide: News, Updates and Launches

Posted by Bon Vivant

2010 was an impressive year for restaurants in London, ending with a flurry of new openings including Brawn, the new venture from the team behind Terroirs on Columbia Road in East London, which is already delighting bloggers and reviewers alike; The Savoy Grill, Gordon Ramsay’s grand reincarnation at The Savoy; and Roux at The Landau, a new venture for the Roux family at The Langham hotel.

Heston Blumenthal’s first foray into the London restaurant scene will be at the Mandarin Oriental from 31st January 2011 with ‘Dinner’ by Heston, which is certainly the most anticipated opening of this year. Marcus Wareing will open The Gilbert Scott, a British brasserie at the St Pancras Renaissance hotel in February, which will also feature a 52-seat bar. Another Michelin darling, Claude Bosi from Hibiscus in Mayfair, is opening the Fox & Grapes gastropub in Wimbledon on 1st February. The new pub, which also has three bedrooms attached, is a collaboration with brother Cedric and former sous-chef at Hibiscus, Patrick Leano.

The Soho restaurant and members’ club Quo Vadis launched a new bar at the start of the year. The QV Bar is located on the ground floor next to the restaurant with its own menu of British classics and cocktails from mixologist Paul Mant.

Nearby in Soho, Ottolenghi will open a restaurant in February, serving sharing-size portions of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine. NOPI (North of Piccadilly) will be on the site of the old Club Bar & Dining.

Leicester Square will shortly be home to two new hotels with the St John Hotel due to open in January, to be followed by the W Hotel, the first W Hotel in the UK, which should be open in time for Valentine’s Day. The W Hotel will feature ‘Spice Market’, a restaurant that is already a big hit in New York, from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, a culinary heavyweight in America.

Heading over to Covent Garden, the team behind tapas restaurants Salt Yard and Dehesa have just launched the Opera Tavern on the edge of the Covent Garden Piazza on 20 January, and over in Marylebone, Andrei Lesment, previously of Baltic, brings the flavours of Scandinavia to the West End with his 26 cover restaurant, Verru.

The Restaurant at the Royal Academy of Arts has had a touch-up with a new all-day dining restaurant from Oliver Peyton. The British menu will also feature a selection of tapas-style small plates and terrines, and over 20 wines will be available by the glass.

Another refurbishment sees the Waterloo Brasserie re-open as the Waterloo Bar and Grill opposite The Old Vic theatre in Waterloo, which also has a large bar area downstairs, ideal for private parties.

On the fringes of London, London Syon Park, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, is set to open in early 2011, in the grounds of a 200-acre English country estate, Syon Park. The hotel will look out across the Thames to Kew Gardens, and it is ideally situated between London and Heathrow. Its restaurant, The Capability, will be run by chef Lee Streeton, formerly of The Ivy and Brown’s Hotel.

This article was written for the Hg2 blog, which can be seen here.

Travel Guide: New Hotel Openings

Posted by Bon Vivant

This year is set to be a bumper year for the London hotel scene with a plethora of luxury and boutique hotels due to open, which should also mean new, high quality restaurants. London’s hotel bar scene is already thriving, but with high expectations for the new arrivals, we could be in for a year of very stiff martinis.

Towards the end of last year, The Savoy hotel reopened after a long and expensive renovation, bringing with it Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill, which is already receiving stellar reviews, and the beautiful Beaufort Bar.

Another refurbished hotel will shortly follow suit with the reopening of the Four Seasons London scheduled for 31 January, along with Amaranto, its modern Italian restaurant from Executive Chef Adriano Cavagnini (previously at Hotel Eden, Rome), which will also have a lounge, a bar and a garden terrace. The rooftop spa has glorious views of London, including from the sauna.

Photo: The Four Seasons London

A short distance away, the Dorchester Collection’s 45 Park Lane will open in the summer where Wolfgang Puck will launch ‘Cut’, a restaurant he opened at the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills in 2006. I visited the original restaurant shortly after it opened and can highly rate the steaks and the tuna tartare starter.

Leicester Square will shortly be home to two new properties with the St John Hotel due to open in January, to be followed by the W Hotel, the first W Hotel in the UK, which should be open in time for Valentine’s Day.

The St Pancras Renaissance is finally scheduled to open in February, which will be ideal for Eurostar travellers, where Marcus Wareing will open The Gilbert Scott, a British brasserie.

In Clerkenwell, The Zetter is due to open a sister property in May 2011 across the road from the original boutique hotel in a Georgian townhouse which will have the feel of a private residence with just 11 rooms, two suites and a lounge and cocktail bar, all designed by interior designer Russell Sage. Further East in Dalston, the Avo Hotel will open with only 6 rooms and a penthouse.

The Eccleston Square Hotel is also scheduled to open in May 2011 in Pimlico with 40 bedrooms all with £12,000 Hasten beds from Sweden and a large focus on the in-room technology.

The Corinthia near Whitehall will have a bar designed by David Collins when it opens in April and Thompson Hotels will open Belgraves in Belgravia later in the year.

On the fringes of London, London Syon Park, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, is set to open in early 2011, in the grounds of a 200-acre English country estate, Syon Park, home of the Duke of Northumberland. The hotel will look out across the Thames to Kew Gardens, and it is ideally situated between London and Heathrow.

Further properties are planned for 2012, including the ME hotel group’s first foray into the UK hotel market, and there are also plans to open London’s first 6 star hotel. Located just off Hyde Park in Knightsbridge the 36-bedroom townhouse hotel, The Wellesley, is currently undergoing a £36 million pound renovation, with plans to open in 2012. There are also rumours that Andre Balazs will open a hotel in a converted fire station in Marylebone.

Whilst not as active as London, Paris has also experienced notable additions, including the Shangri-La, which opened in December last year. With rooms around the EUR 800 mark, they’ll be directly competing with grande dames such as The Crillon and Plaza Athenee.

Other hotel groups will also be moving in to Paris, including the W Paris-Opera on Rue de la Chaussée d’Antin, near the Garnier Opera House, towards the end of the year and the Mandarin Oriental Paris will be located on rue Saint Honoré with a restaurant from Michelin starred chef, Thierry Marx.

Hotel O is due to open in the summer in the Les Halles district, near the Louvre, along with its sister hotel, Hotel Le Crayon, which describes itself as ‘a poetic, bucolic and artistic hotel that dares to play a game of audacious combinations’.

It has been rumoured that Paris will also be the destination for the next Armani Hotel, along with the current properties in Dubai and Milan.

In New York, 2010 saw the opening of the James Hotel in Soho, The Mark Hotel on the Upper East Side, with its excellent Jean-Georges restaurant, and The Chatwal in Midtown, with the trend set to continue during 2011, with openings including the Setai Fifth Avenue and the Morgans Hotel Group’s Mondrian Soho.

For further information on these hotels or to make a booking, please contact us.

London Restaurant News

Posted by Bon Vivant

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s latest article on the current news, openings and recommendations for London’s restaurant and bar scene. If you would like further information or to make a reservation, please contact us.

Hawksmoor Seven Dials

Hawksmoor Seven Dials will be opening on 1st November 2010 at 11 Langley Street in Covent Garden. The second outpost of the much celebrated Hawksmoor in Shoreditch will also be introducing The Bridging Hour cocktails – a selection of drinks created specifically for the time between lunch and the early evening cocktail hour.

Burgers and Beers at Corrigan’s Mayfair

A new burgers and beer menu is now available every evening from 6pm during September in the cocktail bar at Corrigan’s Mayfair. Burgers include hand-ground veal with smoked bone marrow, venison with duck egg and squid & mackerel with chorizo and rosemary. Each burger will be matched with artisan beers from around the world.

New Tapas Bar on Exmouth Market

The owners of Moro, the acclaimed Spanish restaurant on Clerkenwell’s Exmouth Market, have opened a small tapas bar, Morito, right next door to their main restaurant.

New West End Thai Restaurant

ORA Restaurant will launch in early November, ‘bringing authentic Thai food to London’s West End’. ORA will be located on Little Portland Street and will feature a menu of traditional dishes presented with a contemporary style.

Callooh Callay Launches New Members’ Bar

Callooh Callay‘s Jub Jub bar has been re-launched as a members’ bar. To unlock the door, guests will need to have earned a key by demonstrating an appreciation for cocktails.

Another West End Mexican Restaurant

Following the recent trend for new Mexican restaurants in the West End, Lupita has opened, claiming to be the ‘first truly authentic restaurant in London’. You can read an early review from Marina in the Metro here.

Eight Over Eight To Re-Open

Eight Over Eight will re-open on Monday 20th September after being closed for many months because of fire damage.

Sanctum Soho launches The Gentlemen’s Afternoon Tea

Boutique hotel Sanctum Soho launches their new men’s afternoon tea from 1st October. Designed for men wanting to take some time out to relax and indulge, the tea includes a three course selection of hot and cold dishes, a silver tankard of Jack Daniels and, to finish, a cigar on the side to be smoked on the roof garden.

Jason Artheton to Open New Restaurant

Jason Artherton, ex-chef at Ramsay’s Maze, will open Pollen Street Social, located on Pollen Street, near Hanover Square, in January 2011.

The main restaurant will seat 60 customers and there will be space for another 45 guests in an adjacent bar area that will be open all day, serving a tapas style menu. The restaurant will also feature a dessert bar, where the pastry chef will prepare puddings in front of you after dinner.

The Savoy To Re-Open

Following a multi-million refurbishment, The Savoy hotel will finally re-open on 10 October. The Savoy Grill will be run by Gordon Ramsay Holdings.

London Restaurant News

Posted by Bon Vivant

The Criterion Harvest Fayre

Head chef Matthew Foxon has created a menu showcasing fresh and seasonal ingredients for the autumn, with a focus on sustainably sourced ingredients, since The Criterion is now a member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association. Menus are £20 for two courses with a glass of champagne or £25 for three courses with a glass of champagne. Bon Vivant’s members will receive an additional glass of champagne as well.

New Restaurant Opening – Polpetto

Polpetto is the new venture from the team behind Polpo, the successful Venetian ‘bacaro’ with a New York vibe from ex-Caprice Holdings director Russell Norman. Polpetto is located on Dean Street, and like its sister restaurant, has a no reservation policy for dinner, so expect to queue, as this place will surely be as popular, or try to secure a much coveted lunch booking.

For further information visit www.polpetto.co.uk, or to make a reservation please contact us or call the restaurant directly on 020 7734 1969.

Claire Clarke Patisserie at Harvey Nichols

Claire Clark, ex pastry chef at French Laundry, is opening a patisserie pop up serving afternoon tea at Fifth Floor Harvey Nichols. The patisserie will open on 13^th September in the Foodmarket and the afternoon tea will be served at the newly refurbished Fifth Floor Restaurant. Harvey Nichols Foodmarket will be continuing with a selection of Claire’s cakes after the patisserie pop up closes in November.

Hakkasan to Open Second London Restaurant in Mayfair

caterersearch.com reports that Hakkasan, the Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant, is set to open a second London site in Mayfair in November on Bruton Street. The restaurant will be spread over two floors including a 145-seat dining room in the basement with private dining facilities as well as a 75-seat ground floor lounge bar.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Heston Blumenthal will open his London restaurant, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, at the Mandarin Oriental on December 1^st with a three-course set lunch for £25 and a three-course a la carte dinner for £55 pounds. Reservations can be made from October 15^th by calling 20 7201 3833.

Park Terrace Restaurant

To celebrate the start of Grouse Season, the Royal Garden Hotel is delighted to offer a Complimentary Glass of Wine with any Lunch or Dinner booking in the newly launched Park Terrace Restaurant, available until 30th September 2010. In addition, Executive Chef Steve Munkley is introducing two additional Grouse dishes to the dinner menu, the ‘Royal Garden Grouse Sausage Roll’ and the ‘Roasted Breast of Northumberland Grouse’.

Papillon Closes

French restaurant Papillon, which is owned by the Jessen group, who also own One Lombard Street, has closed down after being refused planning permission to extend the restaurant. The owners are looking for another site at which to open a more casual restaurant and are currently considering whether to sell the Papillon site or open another restaurant in its place.

Barts Bar Re-Opens

Self styled as Chelsea’s ‘worst kept secret’, Barts, the speakeasy bar on Sloane Avenue, has re-opened after a major refurbishment. For further details, visit http://www.barts-london.com.

London Restaurant News

Posted by Bon Vivant

Welcome to Bon Vivant’s latest article on the current news, openings and recommendations for London’s restaurant and bar scene.

‘Let Them Eat Caviar’

Bob Bob Ricard has launched a new caviar lunch menu, available every day in August until 5pm, for £19.75. The lunch menu includes:

10g caviar with sour cream and blinis
Meat pelmeni or truffle and potato vareniki
A shot of Russian standard vodka

New Restaurant Opening – Tinello

Tinello, a new ‘casual Tuscan-infused restaurant’, has just opened in Pimlico by the Locatelli brothers with a chef who used to work at Locanda Locatelli. For further information, visit www.tinello.co.uk

Spritz at 2 Veneti

2 Veneti, on Wigmore Street, would like to offer a complementary Spritz to each guest dining with them until the end of September, to enjoy the rest of Summer in true Veneto style. 2 Veneti brings you authentic Venetian cuisine in understated elegance at reasonable prices. Available for dinner only and once per person. Pre-booking essential. To make a booking, please call 020 7637 0789 and quote ‘Spritz’.

Vintage Fine Wines at Galvin at Windows

Galvin at Windows will be offering some of their finest vintage wines by the glass at cost price from August 16^th 2010. Each day, General Manager Fred Sirieix will select a bottle of wine from the restaurant’s cellar, to be opened at 8pm for customers to try on a first come, first served basis. The price per glass will be based on the cost price of each bottle and is expected to start from £20 a glass.

Red wines include Chateau Chasse-Spleen, (1986) and Cos d’Estournel, 2eme Cru Classe (1985); whites include Pessac-Leagnan, Chateau Pape Clement, Graves (2004) and Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons, William Fevre (2007).

For reservations in the bar or restaurant call 0207 208 4021 and to find out the ‘wine of the day,’ follow Galvin at Windows on Twitter (@GalvinatWindows) or call them directly.

Summer Menu at Galvin at Windows

Galvin at Windows is also offering a new 5-course summer menu for early and late evening diners, available Monday to Friday from 6 to 7pm, 10pm to 10:30pm (Monday to Wednesday) and 10pm to 11pm (Thursday and Friday). The menu includes pachino melon soup, mackerel with pickled radish and wasabi, lasagne of chicken and foie gras and glazed pork belly. Menu available upon booking only.

Antonello Colonna at Brunello at The Baglioni

On Monday 27^th September, the famous Italian restaurant, Antonello Colonna, takes over the stoves at Brunello Restaurant in the Baglioni Hotel. The menu will feature dishes such as salt cod cannolo with sour cream, caviar and candied lemon and crisp suckling pig, and smoked potatoes and fruit mustard, priced at £60 for four courses.

The Antonello Colonna experience will be the third guest chef appearance at Brunello, following the successful Enoteca Pinchiorri event in May. In November, Don Alfonso 1890 restaurant from Sorento will take over Brunello.

Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver to open Restaurants in The City

caterersearch.com has reported that Gordon Ramsay is set to open a restaurant based on his Plane Food concept in the One New Change development near St Paul’s, alongside Jamie Oliver’s Barbecoa, a joint venture with US chef and barbeque enthusiast Adam Perry Lang.

Michael Roux Jnr at The Landau

The Chef Hermes Blog has reported that Michel Roux Jnr is to take over the running of the 100 seat Landau restaurant at the Langham Hotel.

Artisan du Chocolat – Cocktail Collaboration with Tony Conigliaro

Artisan du chocolat has launched a collaboration with Tony Conigliaro from 69 Colebrooke Row to create the Carretero – his take on a traditional Cuban mulato, made with Chocolate Spirit, homemade Havana Club liqueur and fresh lime, served as a granita, sprinkled with coca nibs on top. Carretero is priced at £4.50 and is available exclusively at Artisan du Chocolat Westbourne Grove shop and chocolateria.

BYO Wine at Corrigan’s Mayfair

Corrigan’s Mayfair is offering a no corkage charge on wines when dining on the a la carte menu throughout August. Please quote BYO when making your reservation.

Cox, Cookies and Cakes

Shoe designer Patrick Cox will open a bakery on Brewer Street in Soho in late August called Cox, Cookies and Cakes, in a collaboration with Eric Lanlard. For further information, visit www.coxcookiesandcake.com

London Restaurant News

Posted by Bon Vivant

This is the first of a new series of articles to keep you updated with the latest news, opening and recommendations for London’s restaurant and bar scene. If you would like further information or to make a reservation, please contact Bon Vivant on 0207 278 0642 or please visit http://www.bonvivant.co.uk

London Restaurant Festival

The London Restaurant Festival is a citywide celebration of eating out, designed to showcase London’s diverse and exciting range of restaurants. From 4 to 18 October, food lovers can explore some of the capital’s finest cooking, from its high-profile Michelin-starred restaurants to coveted neighbourhood gems.

This year’s event includes a ‘Gourmet Odyssey’, where in one lunchtime, food enthusiasts can eat at three influential restaurants, meeting chefs and fellow foodies along the way, transported on a Routemaster bus; The Big Debate, where speakers including AA Gill and Janet Street-Porter will argue ‘Is French Food a Spent Force?’; and there will be a chance to dine on the London Eye, where every night during the festival, one capsule of the London Eye will become a 10-seat pop-up restaurant, with a different chef cooking each evening. To purchase tickets, please visit their website here.

OXO Tower

The OXO Tower Brasserie has recently launched a new ‘Not Afternoon Tea’ menu served on the terrace during the summer, featuring a range of four tasting dessert plates, each paired with a matching cocktail. The Not Afternoon Tea menu will be available daily from 3:00pm to 5:30pm, priced at £19.50 per pairing. To book a table, please contact them on 020 7803 3888.

Koffmann’s

Pierre Koffman, who is known as a bit of a legend on the London restaurant scene has opened his eponymous restaurant, Koffmann’s, at the former Boxwood Café site at The Berkeley Hotel. Expect hearty, robust and seasonal food from the French master.

Tapas Revolution

Passionate Spanish chef, Omar Allibhoy, who trained with Ferran Adrià at El Bulli and currently Head Chef at El Pirata Detapas, is on a 550-mile culinary crusade to convert a cross-section of the country to the joys of cooking tapas.

Omar has plotted a giant ‘T’ for ‘Tapas’ on a map of England and is offering a free Spanish cooking masterclass and tapas feast for anyone who lives, works or just happens to find themselves standing or sitting on the ‘T’.

To join ‘The Revolution’ simply check your co-ordinates, find an appropriate location on the ‘T’ via the website www.tapasrevolution.com, then contact Omar on omar@tapasrevolution.com, 07776 294 355, or send him a tweet @TapasRevolution.

Take Away Dim Sum

Opening this week next to Liverpool Street Station, Now is a new take away concept from the Ping Pong team, serving South China-inspired street food.

Now is open throughout the day serving anything from breakfast pastries to soups, salad, rice pots and dumplings, with prices starting at £1.29 for a breakfast bun to £3.99 for six steamed dumplings. For further information, visit www.nowstreetfood.com

Bombay Café in London

Dishoom, which was created on the heritage and traditions of the old Bombay Cafés, has opened to great praise recently, with an all-day café menu that takes inspiration from the food of Bombay. It has a no reservations policy, which suits its touristy location in Covent Garden.

Shaka Zulu

After three years in the making and with a total cost of £5.5m, Shaka Zulu, a vast African-themed restaurant, bar and club spread over 27,000 sq ft, opens in Camden on August 4^th. Based over two floors, with a seafood and oyster bar as well as an authentic South African Braai serving traditional dishes, Shaka Zulu is decorated with unique and hand made mosaics, tribal masks and cultural scenes from the Zulu nation and heritage.

If you have news of your own to add, please comment on this article or contact us.