11 Exciting New Openings In September
While we say goodbye to summer, we’ve got plenty to look forward to with new restaurants and venues opening up in London, and beyond. From an authentic Turkish restaurant that brings a taste of Istanbul to London, to a music and dining venue that looks like the perfect spot to enjoy some great jazz music over nibbles, here are the new openings in and around London we’re looking forward to in September.
Da Costa
Artfarm, the independent hospitality company behind Roth Bar, Mount St. Restaurant and the Fife Arms Hotel is all set to open a gorgeous new restaurant Da Costa, in Bruton. Located on the site of Somerset’s Durslade Farm, Da Costa uses freshly grown, seasonal ingredients from Durslade Farm and the surrounding area to create dishes that blend English cuisine with Italian culinary flair. The menu explores traditional northern Italian recipes and features an array of homemade pasta and risotto, including daily specials cooked over the fire. Highlights of the menu include carpaccio of Durslade Farm beef and Cornish Yarg, handmade buckwheat pasta with Fonduta and South Coast grilled red mullet with fennel and caper salad.
Opens on 7th September
where: DA COSTA, Durslade Farm, Dropping Lane, Bruton, Somerset BA10 0NL
website: www.da-costa.co.uk
The Grill
The Hero has a brand new opening called The Grill which serves as an elevated dining experience serving a selection of meat and fish from sustainable producers, with an open kitchen that focuses on cooking over fire. Star dishes include raw beef with hash browns, dressed crab and pork t-none with apple and John Dory. With high ceilings and walls with high panelling and distressed patina, the space is reminiscent of a forgotten ballroom and makes for an intimate, luxurious space for dining.
opens on 17th September
where: The Hero, 55 Shirland Road, London, W9 2JD
website: www.theherow9.com
Sesta
This neighbourhood spot will serve a seasonal à la carte menu that champions seasonal British ingredients and puts a creative spin on British and European classics. We spotted some fabulous starters on the menu like braised beetroot, blackcurrant molasses, sunflower seed cream, smoked eel and lovage quiche and miso and pumpkin seed crackers. The menu for mains includes cider flambee mussels, caramelised cream, lemon verbena and bottarga toast, mutton bacon ribs and an exquisite slow-grilled stuffed duck.
This neighbourhood spot will serve an à la carte menu that champions seasonal British ingredients.
Opens on 11th September
where: 52 Wilton Way, London, E8 1BG
website: www.sesta.co.uk
The Barbary Notting Hill
Following the success of The Barbary Covent Garden, Zoë and Layo Paskin’s Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant The Barbary will open in West London this month. The restaurant is set to take culinary cues from the landscape of the countries along the Barbary Coast, from Southern Europe to Northern Africa. You can look forward to house-made merguez, seasonal flatbreads, crispy pork belly skewers, aubergine ajo blanco and fried fish collar on the menu along with desserts like fire-baked basbousa and The Barbary’s much-loved hashcake.
The restaurant is set to take culinary cues from the landscape of the countries along the Barbary Coast, from Southern Europe to Northern Africa.
opens on 12TH SEPTEMBER
where: The Barbary, Notting Hill, 112 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 5RU
website: WWW.thebarbary.co.uk
Soul Mama
If you’re looking for a place to listen to great live music and enjoy some fabulous food, you’ll love this one. Opening in Stratford Olympic Park this month, Soul Mama is a brand new restaurant and music venue being launched by one of the UK’s biggest jazz talents, Yolanda Brown. One of the official music venues for the London Jazz Festival taking place in November this year, the restaurant promises a fabulous evening out. Executive Head Chef, Aleandro Brown will be leading the kitchen, bringing to the table his passion for Afro-Caribbean cooking. The menu includes recipes passed down through generations and includes signature dishes like the one-pot creamy coconut curry chicken with rice and peas and Ghanaian-style, kelewele-inspired plantain that will sit alongside dishes like mango jerk cauliflower and Venezuela-inspired cornbread arepas.
opens on 31st august
where: Ground Floor, Soul Mama Gantry Hotel, 40 Celebration Ave, East Village, London E20 1DB
website: www.soulmama.co.uk
Sael
This 85-cover brasserie pays homage to the diverse culinary heritage of the British Isles, and the food here will blend traditional flavours with global influences. Sael will exclusively feature ingredients sourced from the Isles, showcasing a menu that is accessible and hyper-seasonal. The restaurant will depart from the traditional three-course meal structure, instead, there will be a dynamic menu where you can choose your base ingredients cooked on a wood-fired grill and then customise with sides. Highlights include Orkney scallops, Cumbrian lamb, Carlingford oysters and Highland wagyu.
This 85-cover brasserie pays homage to the diverse heritage of the British Isles, blending traditional flavours with global influences.
opens on 16th September
where: 1 St James’s Market, London SW1Y 4AH
website: www.saellondon.com
Dosa
Dosa, Chef Akira Back’s critically acclaimed restaurant concept which originally opened in Seoul, Korea, will now open within the new Mandarin Oriental Mayfair. You can expect an immersive dining experience featuring a Korean-inspired tasting menu served at an intimate chef’s table, where you can watch the artfully curated dishes being prepared using unique Korean traditions and techniques. Named after the Korean word for “expert”, Dosa offers 14 guests the chance to experience Chef Back’s culinary journey at each sitting. The eight-course ever-changing menu features exquisite dishes, such as mulhoe, a fisherman’s chilled soup from Pohang, and majangdong, a dish that’s inspired by a district in Seoul known for its Hanwoo beef and nose-to-tail culinary traditions.
opens on 18th September
where: 22 Hanover Square, Mayfair, London W1S 1JP
website: www.mandarinoriental.com
Leydi
Leydi, a new eatery celebrating Istanbul’s dining culture, is set to open in the Spiers & Pond building in Farringdon. The all-day restaurant, created in collaboration with renowned chef Selin Kiazim, features generous, celebratory Turkish food meant to be shared. The restaurant serves breakfast options reminiscent of legendary Turkish morning feasts including house pastries like böreks and tahinli (a caramelised tahini spiral) or stuffed Lavash rolls and egg dishes such as menemen (a spiced scrambled eggs preparation). You can also look forward to house-made döner with freshly baked lavash, along with Kiazim’s signature stone oven-baked lahmacuns and pide.
The all-day restaurant, created in collaboration with renowned chef Selin Kiazim, features generous, celebratory Turkish food meant to be shared.
opens on 1st september
where: 15 Old Bailey, London EC4M 7EF
website: hydehotels.com
Good Measure
This September, Tooting will welcome a new bar called Good Measure that will launch beneath Daddy Bao, the Taiwanese neighbourhood restaurant. Transforming the hidden basement storeroom into a subterranean den, Good Measure will serve some great cocktails with a Tawainese twist. Expect an intimate candlelit space with just fifteen seats, with Taiwanese bar snacks on the menu and some old-school hip-hop and low-fi beats playing in the background. Inspired by the burgeoning cocktail scene in Taipei, Good Measure will offer an array of cool, inventive drinks, using ingredients and flavours found throughout Taiwan’s famous culinary landscape.
Good Measure will serve punchy cocktails but with a Tawainese twist.
opens on 6th September
where: 113 Mitcham Rd, London, SW17 9P
website: daddybao.co.uk
Café François
There’s a new modern-day French canteen coming up in Borough Market from the team behind Maison François. Drawing together influences from the classic cafés found in Paris, the contemporary delis of California and the stylish bistros of Montreal, the menu has its roots in French cooking, while embracing global influences. The food here will take you from breakfast sandwiches and egg dishes to start the day to a daily selection of classic desserts, including the restaurant’s delicious éclairs available in a range of flavours. For lunch, you can find rotisserie chicken sliced to order that you can have added to baguettes or salad with mustard dressing or enjoy steak sandwiches laced with Béarnaise sauce and bánhi iì made from roast pork belly and pickled vegetables.
opens mid-september
where: borough yards, Stoney St, London SE1 9AD
website: www.cafefrancois
The Blue Stoops
The Blue Stoops is a new opening from the team behind Allsopp’s Beer, one of the UK’s oldest and largest breweries. Founder Jamie Allsopp is opening the pub with the mission of reviving cask ale beers, and handsome bespoke beer engines designed with high swan necks will take centre stage here. The pub will pay tribute to the original Blue Stoops in Burton-upon-Trent where his family brewed from 1730, and the kitchen boasts a menu that offers a true British pub experience.
opens mid-september
where: 127-129 Kensington Church St, London W8 7LP
website: www.thebluestoops.com