Trillium
Glynn Purnell and wine specialist Phil Innes are taking on Birmingham’s business district with their new venture Trillium. The new venture will offer an ever-evolving, seasonal menu and give guests the option for small plates, including truffled bresaola and mushroom carpaccio with pickled mushroom and Oxo cube; and roast scallop with oxtail bolognese, smoked scallop roe and basil as well as large plates such as the roast Tamworth pork chop with salsa verde and Old Winchester. There will also be a rotating wine list from Innes’ Birmingham-based wine shop Loki Wine.
Trillium, 1 Snow Hill Queensway, Birmingham, B4 6GH / www.trilliumrestaurant.co.uk/our-menu/
Salon Madre Leeds
DJs, pool tables and Lucha Libre on the big screen are what the new Salon Madre in Leeds is promising. Set to open early this month, the new venue will offer frozen classic and flavoured margaritas and palomas alongside pared-back Mexican dishes designed for sharing, which will include al pastor tacos, gringas and burritos. The Leeds site will mark the brand’s third city location, joining its restaurants in Manchester and Liverpool. Founders Sam Grainger, Owain Williams, Chris Edwards, Nud Dudhia and Chris Whitney will also be opening 100-cover Mexican restaurant Madre in the city in the new year.
114 Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 1BA / www.thisismadre.co.uk/leeds-sign-up
Dim Sum Library
Aqua Restaurant Group is bringing its Hong Kong-born concept Dim Sum Library to the capital. Located in Covent Garden on the former site of the group’s casual Italian restaurant and deli LUCI it will offer all-day dining with modern Cantonese style food with signature dishes to include the wagyu beef puff with black pepper. The menu will also stretch beyond the name with non-dim sum options including black truffle crispy chicken; and sweet and sour pork. The new location will mark the international debut of Dim Sum Library and take Aqua Restaurant Group’s portfolio to 25 sites globally.
136 Long Acre, London WC2E 9AD / dimsumlibrary.co.uk/
San Hao
Say hello to San Hao, the noodle restaurant set to open in Chinatown this month. The 120-cover restaurant will take up residence in the former three-story site of Wan Chai Corner promising to bring reimagined traditional Chinese noodle dishes through a British lens. Executive Chef Daren Liew has developed dishes that include Hakka Berkshire pork noodles; and red prawn noodles with heritage tomatoes, dates and chilli oil. The restaurant was first announced in May.
3 Gerrard Street, London W1D 5PD / sanhaolondon.com/
Dover Street Counter
The Dover’s more rebellious sibling, Dover Street Counter, joins Mayfair just a few doors down from the debut restaurant on Dover Street. Founder Martin Kuczmarski is launching the sister site as ‘more playful’ with ‘rebellious energy’. Inspired by the counter style dining of the late 1950s Los Angeles, the menu will include disco fries; buttermilk fried chicken; and chop-chop Mediterranean salad alongside larger plates such as the beef ribeye tagliata. Classic cocktails will be on offer with an extensive section for margaritas – from pineapple-Tajin to a vodka-based vodkarita. With this new opening Kuczmarski appears to be on a roll with his new restaurant Martino’s having opened in Chelsea just last month.
31 Dover St, London W1S 4ND / www.doverstreetcounter.com/info
Market Place Leicester Square
From pizza to Mexican food, burgers to burritos, the new Market Place site in Leicester square has got it covered. Located in the five-storey building that once was home to Black & White Hospitality’s flagship Mr White’s, Market Place Leicester Square will host a range of established brands such as Bread Ahead, bringing its viral crème brûlée doughnut, alongside some newer names. It doesn’t stop at food; the site will also include bars and entertainment such as comedy nights, live music and DJ nights.
20-21 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7JX / www.marketplacefoodhall.com/locations/leicester-square
Vagabond Winery
Vagabond is set to launch ‘the UK’s largest urban winery’ early this month in east London’s Canada Water. The 6,000sq ft space will combine the group’s self-pour wine bar model and a 100-tonne winery led by head winemaker José Quintana. Vagabond’s signature tap-and-pour machines will offer more than 100 wines by the glass. The opening also marks the launch of Vagabond’s new online wine store, available nationwide now.
9 Deal Porters Way, Canada Water, London SE16 2AJ /www.vagabondwines.co.uk/
Berbere Stratford
Making its shopping centre debut, London pizza group Berberé will be opening at Westfield Stratford City. This 88-cover restaurant will join existing sites in Clapham, Kentish Town, Tottenham, Court Road and Marylebone. It will feature a design, created in partnership with Atelier Ochre, that will take inspiration from converted workshops and factory spaces.
154 The Street, Montfichet Road, London, E20 1EN / www.berberepizzeria.co.uk/westfield-stratford/
Roti King Edinburgh
Located just off Edinburgh’s Princes Street, Roti King will make its Scottish debut in a former hairdressers. The site will offer street food dishes including roti canai, char kway teow (rice noodles stir-fried with prawns and egg) and Malaysian fried chicken. Since beginning his culinary journey in a small kiosk in Oriental City, Colindale, chef Sugen Gopal has now opened Roti King sites in Euston, Waterloo, Battersea, Spitalfields and Brighton.
8 South St Andrew St, Edinburgh, EH2 2AZ / rotiking.com/
HOAX
Hospitality duo Simone and Lidia Crepaldi are set to launch their modern Italian restaurant. Trading in the former home of Chick ‘n’ Sours on Kingsland Road, HOAX will include a 30-cover restaurant and a ‘secret’ sub-branded cocktail bar, The Devil You Know (TDYK), in the basement. The restaurant will feature a semi-open kitchen headed by chef Riccardo Lottero, who’s CV includes the Michelin-starred Massimo Camia Ristorante in Novello, Italy. Steak tartare with Robiola cheese and hazelnut; chicken with black truffle and brioche; and slow-cooked beef cheek in red wine broth are just a few of the dishes that will be available.
390 Kingsland Road, London E8 4AA / hoaxrestaurant.com/
Chargal
This ambitious modern Turkish restaurant in Mayfair is from the man behind Turkish fine dining spot The Mantl in Knightsbridge. Said to blend Turkish heritage with refined Mediterranean flair, the three-storey venue will have a ground-floor mezze level, first-floor dining space and a basement lounge for after dinner drinks and is set to challenge the idea that London has lost its late-night mojo. Chargal’s menu will centre on open-fire cooking with dishes to include refined interpretations of Turkish classics – although grilled halloumi doughnuts with pomegranate jam will also feature.
11 Berkeley Street, London, W1J 8DS / chargal.com/