15 of the Top Bars and Restaurants that Opened in February
And just like that we are almost through the second month of the year. Where did it go? No one knows. In amongst Valentine’s Day, the end of Dry January and awards season there have been rather a lot of new openings. We’ve had new ventures from Jason Atherton, more openings at Nova and third restaurants from Yard Sale and Hawksmoor. Here are 15 to add to your never-ending bucket list…
Hai Cento
Jason and Irha Atherton have again teamed with Chef Patron, Paul Hood, for another winning collaboration, serving up casual New York/Italian dishes and classic Italian cocktails at Hai Cento in Victoria Nova. Boasting an extensive menu, the pizza is a must-try, with both classic toppings, as well as adventurous offerings such as confit lamb neck, spiced aubergine, ras el hanout, mint and yoghurt. Upstairs, an in-house cocktail bar, the Drunken Oyster, offers an array of cocktails, as well as taptails – spritzes on tap. Hai Cento’s low-lit space, (walls decorated to look like peeling wallpaper and set to a soundtrack of hip-hop), oozes relaxed cool.
Yard Sale Pizza
Okay, so not strictly brand new, Yard Sale Pizza has opened a new venue (rejoice the residents of Walthamstow) and it is the first Yard Sale to have a weekend brunch. The menu includes crisp garlic, rosemary and sea salted pizza bread with a dippy egg – order whilst you wait for your pizza. The new addition is also kitted out with their own outdoor ‘yard’, a first since it started out in Johnnie’s back yard in 2013.
Bon Vivant
The naughtiest restaurant on the block, Bon Vivant has bought French glamour to Bloomsbury. Truly French cuisine, croissants and coffee are served in the morning, followed by light lunches, intimate dinners and indulgent bottomless brunches. Dishes include classics such as tartines, charcuterie plates and magret de canard as well as more modern offerings and a French focused wine list. Be sure to have the apple tart, it’s beautiful and delicious in equal measure.
Hawksmoor Borough
Hawksmoor is well known for its legendary steak and the newest opening doesn’t disappoint. Hawksmoor Borough is located bang on the doorstep of one of Hawksmoor’s original Borough Market-based suppliers, The Ginger Pig, and includes an ever-changing weekly menu of specials drawn from the market nearby. Spanning two floors of a former warehouse, the natural light is a change from many other Hawksmoor venues – all the better to admire your meal. They also have a testing kitchen for Hawksmoor’s chefs to try out their ideas. Come the evening, it becomes a private dining room with its own kitchen and own distinct menu that revolves almost entirely around market produce. Word of advice; no tight clothes.
The Hyde at the Royal Park Hotel
The luxury bar offers sofas in front of a fireplace, or ringside seats at the Bar to watch The Hyde’s talented bartenders concoct an array of combinations. The Hyde boasts some of the World’s finest wines and Spirits including The Balvenie 40, Yamazaki whiskey, Tesseron Extreme Cognac and spirits from the prohibition bourbon list. Intimate surroundings complement design that still retains the character of a 19th Century quintessentially British townhouse.
Rail House Cafe
Situated in Victoria’s new NOVA development, Rail House Café host a 330-cover dining room. Far from being too open or overwhelming, there’s private spaces, a bar and terrace area to boot. When it comes to the food, they’ve put an unusual spin on some classics and you can expect the likes of green tea waffles and a Burgerdict; an eggs benedict come burger creation, which will be served up alongside some healthier options such as a sea bass ceviche and chargrilled octopus.
Lorne
A Victoria opening that isn’t in NOVA sees sommelier Katie Exton and chef Peter Hall come together to create a restaurant which is all about good food and wine, without any pretentiousness or snobbery. A big focus on produce, dishes include quail, with butternut squash, barley and mountain yam, and mackerel, with pickled cucumber, ratte potatoes and nasturtium. Desserts are equally tempting, from a chocolate crémeux with salted caramel and peanuts to a Yorkshire curd tart with builders’ tea ice cream. The succinct wine list changes regularly alongside a seasonally changing cocktail list, London brewed bottled beers, Monmouth Coffee and teas from Rare Tea Company.
Nape
After a successful pop-up in December, Nape has settled permanently, becoming the first permanent site from the team behind Cannon & Cannon. Concentrating on high-quality cured, air-dried and smoked meats, with the menu comprised of Gloucester Old Spot loin, Dorset smoked mutton and Cobble Lane beef to name a few, and paired with bread from Bread Ahead for the ultimate sausage sandwich experience. There’s also several fascinating pairings and small plates to try, either within the relaxed, paired back venue, or to take away. Feast away.
The Other Naughty Piglet
The team behind Naughty Piglets in Brixton have The Other Naughty Piglet with fan Andrew Lloyd Webber at The Other Palace in Victoria A seasonal restaurant, they are serving creative small plates and pouring natural wines.
www.theothernaughtypiglet.co.uk
Balans Soho Society Clapham
After 30 years in the game, Balans Soho Society has decided it’s time to celebrate by opening a new restaurant in Clapham. Similar to the original Soho branch, Balans’ menu has all the classics it’s known and loved for, as well as the addition of international small plates, think jerk chicken samosas and smoked almond brie. It’s a well-known favourite and Balans Soho Society proves that too much of a good thing…is a good thing.
TT Liquor
Set across three floors, TT Liquor is part liquor store, part bar. Promising over 1,000 liquors including rare and specialist labels not easy to come by, you are invited to drink in, buy and take home, or create your own private liquor collection in one of their many ‘Member’s Deposit Boxes,’ which you can come back to each time you visit. They also have a cocktail menu that showcases the important eras throughout the history of cocktails with small plates of foods each created to complement the specific characteristics of each drink.
Barbecoa
Barbecoa Piccadilly is serving simple but elegant Anglo-French dishes with a prominent focus on primeval cooking with wood, smoke and fire. An open kitchen that boasts a Japanese robata grill, a Spanish Mibrasa charcoal over, an Argentinian grill, a Tandoor oven and Texan smoker – Barbecoa Piccadilly’s kitchen is amongst London’s best equipped. In addition to its predecessors’ focus on steak, a number of alternative dishes are on offer, including coal-roasted lobster thermidor, smoked and grilled poussin, plus seafood served from the cold bar.
Famous Flames
Bea Vo’s (the lady behind Stax and Boondocks) Famous Flames is all about the (you guessed it) flame grill, serving up flame grilled burgers and fried wings. The new restaurant on Kentish Town Road is small, with only fifteen seats if you want to sit in, but it’s worth it for the famous potato buns and juicy burgers. For wing fans there are four styles of deep fried wing buckets – Southern, Korean, Buffalo, Memphis BBQ and Filipino. Desserts sound simple but are delicious – fuss-free soft-serve cones dipped in chocolate or butterscotch glaze.
Farang
Ex-Smoking Goat chef Seb Holmes is cooking at a six month residency in Highbury, in a venture that we are hoping will become permanent. A sample menu includes dishes such as pork belly and lobster lon (a coconut cream based curry) with dipping vegetables and herbs, jungle curry of fresh Cornish fish and fresh doughnuts with crab apple jam, coconut and kaffir sugar and pandan custard. We hope it catches on.
Bone Daddies
The latest opening of Bone Daddies in Marylebone serve a selection of robata and wok dishes exclusive to the new site, plus some of the restaurant’s much loved favourites. Classic ramen, rich pork bone broth tonkotsu and sweet spicy pig bones are on offer, while a selection of new dishes will be available from a kushiyaki section, featuring skewers of ingredients such as chicken, ox cheek, salmon, prawns and marinated shiitake mushrooms. In addition, dishes from the wok including yaki soba and vegetarian chahan are exclusive to the James Street venue. All of these can be washed down with a strong selection of Japanese beers, cider, sake and wine. It’s come a long way since its inception as a ramen bar, and is providing Japanese soul food at its finest.
