Tom Brown at the Capital
Launching on 10 April, Tom Brown at The Capital will showcase the ‘finest’ ingredients through its high profile chef’s ‘innovative techniques and bold flavour’. The restaurant will be tasting menu-only offering a range of price points from £80 to £165. As part of a wider refurbishment of The Capital Hotel, the 28-cover restaurant and its adjoining bar will feature a refreshed, contemporary design that ‘blends seamlessly with the timeless elegance of the Knightsbridge destination’. Announced earlier this year, the project is a homecoming for Brown for the Cornwall-born seafood specialist, who headed the kitchen at the five-star hotel’s restaurant from 2016 to 2018 while an employee of Nathan Outlaw.
The Capital, 22-24 Basil St, London SW3 1AT // www.tombrownatthecapital.com
Boxhall City
Boxpark originally announced plans for a new concept called Boxhall back in 2019, and this month will finally see that idea come to fruition with the opening of Boxhall City, which will launch within the historic Metropolitan Arcade building close to Liverpool Street station in London on 10 April. In comparison to Boxpark, Boxhall sites are designed to be smaller F&B-focused destinations with its debut site housing 13 traders. They include Gaucho Go, a new QSR concept from the steakhouse group; Baked Bird, which will open its first physical location at the food hall; independent bakery Sourdough Sophia; Burger & Beyond; and Egg Slut. Boxhall City will also house a dedicated kitchen space called Kitchen No.8, which is designed to be a platform for culinary talent to test new ideas and will host a rotating line-up of chefs including James Cochran and Ms Joyce K.
1-27, The Arcade, Liverpool St, City of London, London EC2M 7PN // www.boxhall.co.uk
Lilli by Akira Back
Not content with partnering with one Mayfair hotel at the Mandarin Oriental, chef Akira Back is also opening a venue at Montcalm Mayfair. Lilli by Akira Back sees the South Korea born chef work alongside Montcalm Mayfair’s executive chef John Stawicki to create a menu described as featuring modern interpretations of classic British dishes. The space and the drinks offer takes inspiration from England’s Georgian gardens and as well as the main restaurant, which will have a ceiling mural depicting a garden scene, there will be Bloom, a 14-cover private dining room.
2 Wallenberg Place, London, W1H 7TN // montcalm-mayfair/restaurant/lilli-by-akira-back
Ox and Finch
Glasgow-centric group Scoop Restaurants will launch its flagship site later this month. Ox and Finch closed for refurbishment in October last year. In its new iteration, the Kelvingrove restaurant will feel ‘reassuringly recognisable’ to returning guests, retaining the same identity, but with a fresh look and menu bringing ‘rejuvenated energy’. The head chef will be Craig Nelson, who is rejoining the team after four years working under some of London’s best chefs including Brett Graham and Sally Abé. Nelson’s menu will retain Ox and Finch’s seasonally-driven approach, evolving regularly to mix new dishes with established classics that make use of the best produce available.
920 Sauchiehall St, Finnieston, Glasgow G3 7TF // oxandfinch.com
One Club Row
Following the opening of The Knave of Clubs in Shoreditch back in February, The Camberwell Arms co-owner James Dye and former JKS Restaurants director of strategic projects Benjy Leibowitz are set to launch a restaurant venture above their new London pub this month. Like The Knave, One Club Row will be led by chef Patrick Powell, however, it will an entirely separate space to the pub below and have its own dedicated private entrance at the rear of the building. The restaurant is described as a ‘tribute to the best of New York hospitality’ and will serve a menu ‘rooted in simple, timeless classics, underpinned by the best seasonal UK produce’.
1 Club Row, London E1 6JX // oneclubrow.com
Josephine Bouchon Marylebone
Claude and Lucy Bosi’s second restaurant under their Josephine Bouchon brand opens on Marylebone’s Blandford Street on 24 April. While their first Josephine, on Chelsea’s Fulham Road, was described as being a love letter to the traditional bouchons of Lyon, the new Marylebone outpost is understood to have a more Parisian feel and a focus on British seafood. Expect a beautiful and inviting dining room and a menu of classic bistro dishes that will make you want to return again and again.
6-8 Blandford Street, London W1U 4AU // josephinebistro.com
Sushinoya
Wasabi founder Dong Hyun Kim is launching a new, higher-quality grab-and-go sushi concept in a bid to make ‘real’ sushi accessible to everyone. Run by the same core team as the 65-strong Wasabi, Sushinoya will launch its first location later this month at London’s St Pancras International before following up with a further restaurant in London’s Moorgate in May. According to the South Korea-born businessman - who launched Wasabi in 2003 - Sushinoya will fill a gap in the market for ‘high-quality sushi that doesn’t compromise on freshness or flavour’ while offering the same convenience as Wasabi thus ‘changing the grab-and-go sushi scene in the UK’.
The Kerfield Arms
The new venue from the team behind Islington pub The Baring opens this month. Formerly known as The Crooked Well, The Kerfield Arms will be led by chef Jay Styler in the kitchen who has created a ‘simple-yet-considered’ menu that include hearty pub fare such as cuttlefish and lardo shish, pul biber chilli; fried pig’s head, smoked eel and warm tartare sauce; Yorkshire hogget, violet artichokes, bagna cauda and pine nuts. Look out for the its mid-week lunch menu that offers a weekly changing main dish for £12 or £15 with a pint or glass of wine.
16 Grove Lane, London, SE5 8SY // thekerfieldarms.co.uk
Alfie’s
Ben Tish and head chef Stevie Phillip will oversee the food offer at this new upstairs dining room located within Belgravia’s The Alfred Tennyson pub. Alfie’s is tapping into the current zeitgeist for intimate yet casual French dining serving ‘a refined menu exploring British and French classics’. The usual suspects will feature on the menu - paté en croute; oysters; dressed Cornish crab; and a Hereford beef tartare, served tableside - alongside heartier dishes such as slow-cooked lamb shoulder; and roasted brill with Cornish mussels and smoked mackerel sauce. There will also be a ‘black book’ of rare and exceptional bottles of wine for those feeling flush.
10 Motcomb Street, London, SW1X 8LA // cubitthouse.co.uk/the-alfred-tennyson-belgravia
The Swine Bistro
Jo and Stu Myers reopen their Leeds-based restaurant The Swine that Dines in a new, larger location on 4 April. Renamed The Swine Bistro, it will have 35 covers - around double the size of the original restaurant - and will serve a seasonally changing menu of solid bistro dishes, such as pork and pistachio sausage with lentils watercress, and mushrooms; and a venison, harrisa and sherry sausage, chickpeas and chard as well as its much-loved pies, with options to include ox cheek and oxtail; and guinea fowl, bacon and leek pie.
77A Otley Road, Headingley, Leeds, LS6 3PS // swinethatdines.co.uk
Mr Porter
Netherlands-born steakhouse concept Mr Porter is heading to London with a restaurant in the basement of the Park Lane Hilton Hotel in the space that was once home to Trader Vic’s set to launch this month. Joining the group’s sites in Amsterdam and Barcelona, Mr Porter London will serve ‘expertly seared’ steaks sourced from high-quality Aberdeen Scottish beef, alongside slow-cooked lamb, mushroom carpaccio, and roasted aubergine with grated egg. The restaurant will feature an expansive central bar and formal dining area with a ‘refined, intimate interior that maintains an approachable and comfortable atmosphere’.
22 Park Ln, London W1K 1BE // mrportersteakhouse.com/london
Bubala King’s Cross
Vegetable-focused Middle Eastern restaurant group Bubala will open its third London restaurant this month, in King’s Cross. Set over two floors, the restaurant will hold 90 covers inside and a further 30 on the outdoor terrace, making it Bubala’s biggest restaurant to date. Executive chef Ben Rand will oversee the menu at Bubala King’s Cross, which will feature signature dishes alongside new additions. The interior design is described as blending ‘grand architectural features with Bubala’s signature warmth’ and will include an open kitchen with a wood-fired oven and charcoal grill, and a large halo light installation in the entrance area.
Unit 1, Cadence Court, 4 Tapper Walk, London N1C 4ED // www.bubala.co.uk
OCASA
Executive chef Lucie Sainerova, formerly of Novikov International, will head up the kitchen at OCASA, a new Mexican-inspired restaurant and bar will open on 18 April in the Spinningfields area of Manchester. Taking over the former Sunset restaurant and bar site on The Avenue, the restaurant take inspiration from Tulum and the street food scene of Mexico City and feature a menu of robata-grilled yakitori-style taco skewers called yaki takos and dishes such as dragon salt wagyu tacos and lobster thermidor nachos. It will also be home to one of the UK’s most extensive collections of premium agave spirits and cocktails, according to the owners.
No.1 The Avenue, Manchester, United Kingdom M3 3AP // www.ocasamcr.com
Shan Shui Social
More than four years on from Restaurant revealing plans for Singaporean restaurateur Ellen Chew to bring her Chinese and Southeast Asian fusion concept Shan Shui to London the group is finally set to open on Buckingham Palace Road in London Victoria. Called Shan Shui Social, the restaurant will be an offshoot of the Shan Shui brand and serve a diverse menu of Chinese dishes ranging from Cantonese dim sum and roast meats to the spicy and sour flavours of Sichuan cooking. Interiors will be inspired by 1920s Shanghai, with the restaurant holding 74 covers.
14 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0QP
La SPOT
Has London’s sandwich scene ever been better? Adding itself to the mix tomorrow (2 April) is La SPOT, a brioche sandwich bar and tapas restaurant coming to Fitzrovia’s Charlotte Street. There will be brioche with fillings such as oxtail and cheddar - pulled oxtail with red wine sauce, cheddar, black pepper, and wild rocket; red prawns cooked with kimchi, fresh ginger, and crispy rice; and chicken curry with confit piquillo pepper and briquele cheese as well as a range of tapas dishes.
18 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 2LZ // laspotlondon.co.uk
Bangkok Diners Club
Ben Humphreys, his wife Bo and business partner Danny Collins are launching an ambitious new wave Thai restaurant in Manchester’s Edinburgh Castle pub that combines the country’s barbecue traditions with the low-n-slow approach favoured in the US. Taking the small upstairs space that was previously occupied by chef Shaun Moffat, Bangkok Diners Club will offer a short menu of dishes designed to share made with a mix of high quality local ingredients and imported Thai produce. The menu will include pork jowl taco with burnt tomato jaew; mutton gaeng khua with pickled celeriac and roti; roast pork belly pad prik king with rhubarb and holy basil; and papaya salad with smoked peanuts and shrimp floss. Humphreys cooking CV is focused on Asian-inspired restaurants, including Australasia, Tattu, Tokyo Ramen, Rabbit on the Moon and Gordon Ramsay’s Lucky Cat.
17 Blossom Street, Manchester M4 5EP // https://www.bangkokdinersclub.com/
Coquina
The duo behind St Leonards-on-Sea’s BAYTE will launch a modern European restaurant within the Hastings Contemporary art gallery early this month. Ruby Boglione and Silvy Pilkington say that Coquina will take its cues from ‘Spanish tapas bars and other bustling European eateries’. The kitchen will be led by Wil Hopson, whose CV includes Carousel, Kricket and Moro. Most recently, he headed the kitchen at Tillingham winery in nearby Rye. His menu will include classic potato tortilla; morcilla sausage with roasted apples, fresh pear and maple syrup; crispy lamb over hummus with pomegranate molasses; radicchio with Jerusalem artichoke, sheep’s cheese and cedrat; and South Coast dayboat fish with saffron Bomba rice.
Rock-a-Nore Road Hastings TN34 3DW // www.coquinarestaurant.co.uk
Kung Fu Mama
Ottolenghi co-founder Noam Bar-Chang and founder of Kung Fu Mama Retail Chris Hsu are opening a Taiwanese noodle bar. On Covent Garden’s Long Acre, Kung Fu Mama will offer a contemporary take on authentic Taiwanese flavours using Kung Fu Mama Retail’s dried noodles. The bijou site will have space for just nine covers inside and four outside and will serve a concise menu of healthy noodle dishes with ingredients that are oven-baked rather than fried, seed oil swapped out for extra-virgin olive oil, and salt, sugar and fat levels kept to a minimum.
80 Long Acre, London WC2E 9NG // kungfumama.co.uk
Lina Stores Manchester
Lina Stores will make its regional rebut mid this month with a restaurant and delicatessen and cocktail bar on Manchester’s Quay Street. The 150-cover site will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week with a menu centered around fresh, handmade pasta, antipasti inspired by the delicatessen, sharing secondi dishes and desserts. Adjacent to the open-theatre kitchen, will be a coffee and cocktail bar which will serve a versatile wine list consisting of organic and biodynamic wines from all corners of Italy.
17 Quay Street, Manchester M3 3HN // www.linastores.co.uk