Adam Byatt
A chef’s chef if ever there was one, Adam Byatt continues to go from strength to strength. His YouTube channel, where he details the craft behind his dishes, is closing in on 300,000 subscribers and his Clapham restaurant Trinity excels without losing its distinct personality - fine dining rooted in classicism, great produce and exacting standards, but without fuss. Byatt has also played a quiet yet key role in launching Wildflowers, the smash-hit Pimlico debut from protégé Aaron Potter, while Brasserie Constance at Fulham FC’s Fulham Pier development has proved another success.
Amy Poon
After a few false starts, Amy Poon, daughter of legendary restaurateurs Bill and Cecilia Poon, has opened a strikingly beautiful restaurant at Somerset House. Rather than recreating the original, the restaurant draws on the food she grew up eating at home. The result is one of the most original Chinese openings in the capital in recent years. Poon’s Somerset House is a deeply personal restaurant explores that deftly explores a wholly underappreciated side of Chinese cooking.
Jeremy King
The revival of Le Caprice as Arlington and the opening of The Park in Bayswater - while both executed perfectly - feel like a prelude to Jeremy King’s latest and hugely ambitious reimagining of Simpson’s in the Strand. King has sprinkled his customary magic over the historic site, bringing its famous grill room back to life and accentuating it with two beautiful bars, a banquet hall and a second restaurant. The loss of Simpson’s would have been a blow for London; thanks to King it is in very safe hands.
Artem Login
Last year Artem Login opened two major Soho restaurants within months of each other: Japanese-inspired MOI and northern Spanish ALTA. Both share a commitment to high-quality UK ingredients and live-fire cooking. As part of the family behind café chain L’Eto, Login is no newcomer to hospitality, but launching two ambitious - and already thriving - restaurants in quick succession remains an impressive feat, with more reportedly on the way.
Marcus Thesleff
Following success in Dubai, Marcus Thesleff returned to London five years ago and has since built a mini empire of high-performing, high-quality restaurants. Expansion has recently accelerated, with Thesleff Group opening a string of central London sites alongside international projects. Highlights include Sale e Pepe Mare at The Langham, which deftly blends old school Italian charm with modern flourishes, and MA/NA in Mayfair, which celebrates Japanese cuisine through ‘precision, patience and a deep connection to land and sea’.
Phil Winser, James Gummer, and Olivier van Themsche
The trio behind the growing Public House Group can’t seem to put a foot wrong, with their venues thronging with people and winning over critics for their beautiful styling and excellent food. With venues in Notting Hill and further afield, including the highly-acclaimed The Fat Badger and newly opened Ce Ce’s and with more projects in the works, the trio are behind what is undoubtedly London’s most exciting pub/restaurant group at the moment.