Hot London restaurant openings: July

Nobu Shoreditch

Having opened hotels in Las Vegas, Miami and Manila, the Nobu hotel has hit London. With 243 rooms starting at £250, forming the focal point of the Shoreditch hotel is a 240-seater restaurant atop a grand staircase serving Nobu classics like black cod, rock shrimp tempura and yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño alongside new dishes fusing Japanese, Peruvian and other South American cuisine.

Overseen by owner Nobu Matsuhisa, on head chef Teruya Noriyoshi’s debut menu will be the likes of Hokaido scallops with foie gras, sautéed Japanese mushrooms and aged balsamic; and sea bass with yuzu, tomato and cucumber salsa, honey truffle and black truffle shavings. At the bar you’ll find vintage sakes, limited edition Japanese whiskies and rare Champagnes.

Westerns Laundry

Hotly tipped as one of the most exciting openings of the year, Westerns Laundry, in Lower Holloway, is a sister restaurant to Stoke Newington’s Primeur. The seasonally focused site goes big on seafood and produce from the British Isles, though takes inspiration from both Southern Europe and Asia.

The fish is largely sourced from Devon and Cornwall, so expect the likes of sea bass and seaweed tartare; raw scallops with olive oil; and chargrilled mackerel with miso and chilli. On the meet front there’s pork loin with chopped greens and basil, and beef rump with roast garlic butter, and green apple sorbet for pud. Like Primeur, Westerns goes big on wine with a 200-bottle list dominated by low intervention producers, with old and rare vintages presented in a handwritten leather-bound book.

Mei Ume

With La Dame de Pic having opened amid much fanfare earlier this year, The Four Seasons in Tower Hill’s second restaurant, Mei Ume, has launched with more of a whisper but no less excitement. Serving a mixture of Chinese and Japanese cuisine with former Royal China, Sake No Hana and Yauatcha chefs at the helm, on the menu you’ll find the likes of crispy baby squid with salted eggs;

Dover sole with cloud ear mushrooms; celery braised pork belly with crab; Waygu with sake butter sauce and Peking duck. Meanwhile, a sushi station will serve spicy tuna with karashi and Parmesan flakes. Cocktais comes laced with saké, shochu and both Taiwanese and Japanese whisky.

Temper Angel

With tacos having hit the headlines big time this year, meat fiend Neil Rankin is back with a second Temper concept in Angel focusing on curries made from meat and fish cooked on open flames. Influenced by curries from Malaysia, Japan, Thailand and Sri Lanka, his meatball masala is redolent with bone marrow, while the brave can get their chops around a fiery lamb scotch bonnet vindaloo. Japanese dishes include smoked chicken with curry and dashi stock; and crisp egg with katsu.

While Rankin shone a light on mezcal at the Soho original, gin is the star of the show here, with 20 expressions on offer from across the UK in addition to Japanese gins. Temper 2.0 will have a larger fish focus, and will also serve whole and half smoked ducks finished in a tandoor.

Ikoyi

Joining Aquavit, Veneta and Duck & Waffle Local in St James’s Market is newcomer Ikoyi, a West African restaurant co-founded by Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale. Chan has worked with Heston Blumenthal and at Noma, while Hassan-Odukale takes care of front-of-house duties.

The menu is inspired by Hassan-Odukale’s Nigerian roots, so expect to find Jollof dishes like wild Nigerian tiger prawns in a banga bisque with Jollof rice and smoked bone marrow; octopus pepper soup with coastal herbs; and grilled papaya, buttermilk whey and yeast caramel. The pair tested the waters with a stint at revolving Marylebone restaurant Carousel last year.

Sibarita

Spanish restaurant Sibarita has swing into town and is already making waves in Covent Garden. Billed as a wine and cheese bar, the tiny, 26-seater site has its focus firmly on fun.

In the kitchen you’ll find head chef Krisztian Palinkas serving up Spanish and Catalan classics and deli treats like calamares a la Roman’ with alegria pepper and toasted coriander; chicken chilindron with crispy Serrano ham; and oven-baked torta del casar cheese with garlic bread. Wines run the gamut from entry-level to pricey drops from Priorat to pair with local Spanish cheeses and nutty hams from acorn fed pata negra pigs.

Minnow

Clapham Common has a new local, seasonal hotspot in the form of Minnow, which overlooks the common. The all-day dining venue specialses in seasonal British food with an international twist whipped up by the former head chef of Jason Atherton’s Social Wine & Tapas.

Dishes include chilli cornbread with fried egg and avocado served with paw paw and cayenne; squid with lemongrass, lime and ginger, baby octopus with curry leaf paste and charred green mango; whole roast poussin cooked over a Robata grill, and caramelised watermelon with a blood orange and Campari sorbet. The site includes a walled garden and wine is served in ‘pay as you drink’ bottles.

Red Rooster

Londoners now have the chance to try Barack Obama’s favourite fried chicken joint as New York chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster has come to town, transplanting his Harlem outpost to the Curtain hotel in east London. Red Rooster’s fried chickens are marinated in both buttermilk and coconut milk then coated in a plethora of Ethiopian spices, fried, and serve on mace gravy.

Menu highlights include Harlem fiied chicken with waffles, pickles and hot Bourbon maple syrup; pork and shrimp hot rice with garlic and caramelised pineapple; Helga’s meatballs with bone marrow dumplings, and, exclusive to London, duck kitfo with foie gras. Right next to the restaurant is the Red Rooster Taqueria selling Margaritas by the bucket-load alongside pork, and lamb tacos.

Neo Bistro

Inspired by the new wave of bistros in Paris, Neo Bistro in Mayfair is a neighbourhood restaurant from Anglo’s Mark Jarvis, who has teamed up with Alex Harper, formerly of the Michelin-starred Harwood Arms, on the project.

The ever-changing menu at the relaxed restaurant will include seasonal specials scribbled on a blackboard. Dishes are seasonal in focus and include the likes of cured Tamworth pork; roast sea bass with mousserons; venison chorizo; fresh cheese with smoked potato, grilled leeks and walnut pesto; and chocolate tart with malt ice cream. Wines hail from emerging regions and shine a light on lesser-known grape varieties, and are served alongside craft beers and cocktails.

Chik’n

Londoners, including the db team, have gone clucking mad for Chick ‘n’ Sours, which serves mammoth fried chicken burgers like the K-Pop, laced with gochujang mayo and spicy slaw, alongside killer cocktails. Now the clever founder has opened a sister site, Chik’n in Baker Street, focusing on all-day breakfasts, chicken sarnies and sides.

Obsessed with quality, all of the chickens are free-range and each month there will be a different ‘guest fry’ on the menu. Staples include a spicy chicken burger with Sriracha sour cream and kimchi slaw; and a barbecue chicken burger with homemade BBQ sauce, BBQ mayo, cheese and pink pickled onions. Sides include ‘disco wings’ and nacho fries.

Ivy City Garden

The Ivy’s casual bistro concept is showing no sign of stopping. Hot on the heels of The Ivy Soho Brasserie comes The Ivy City Garden in Bishopsgate Gardens. Offering bistro classics from sunrise to sunset, expect the likes of Eggs Benedict, chicken Milanese, steak tartare, shepherd’s pie, lobster and prawn cocktail, and cappuccino cake. While situated slap bang in the heart of London’s concrete jungle, the lifght and airy glass space has been designed to make diners feels like they’ve been transported to an exotic garden filled with climbing plants and an elephant statue.

The Darjeeling Express 

London is having something of a love affair with Indian tapas at the moment, with the likes of Kricket and Gunpowder leading the charge. Having run her successful Darjeeling Express supper club for four years, self-taught chef Asma Khan has found a permanent site in Carnaby Court.

Bringing with her a stong female team, dishes centre around large sharing plates based on the old-fashioned ‘dawaat’ (feast), which was part of her family tradition in India. Food is a mix of North Indian and Bengali cuisine, with the likes of Calcutta lamb dum biryani, khare masale ka gosht, Hyderabadi haleem and a mutton shikampuri kabab all featuring on Khan’s ever-evolving menu.

Tuyo

Perfectly encapsulating the mash up of cuisines London prides itself on, Tuyo takes the Catalan pincho concept and twists it with the addition of llevantine ingredients mixed in with Mediterranean flavours.

The brainchild of Ricardo Pimentel of the Salt Yard Group, dishes on the debut menu include harissa lamb rump with pisto, black olive couscous and pistachio; duck and figs on a bed of pearl barley, gremolata, pomegranate, carrot puree and smoked almond; chicken thigh with honey poached apricots, sumac yoghurt and pistachios; blue cheese and date croquettes; and halloumi, roast beetroot, orange hazelnuts and 8 year aged balsamic.

Duddell’s

Two Michelin-starred Hong Kong dumpling den Duddell’s has opened its first UK outpost in London Bridge. Serving killer dim sum and Cantonese food with a modern twist, expect the likes of truffled siu mai prawn and pork dumplings; yin yang prawns; and chargrilled black cod with aged vinegar and lily bulbs. Steering the ship is Daren Liew, a former executive sous chef at Hakkasan. Up at the bar you’ll find fine wines and craft cocktails with an oriental twist.

Smoke & Salt

Brixton has yet another cool new restaurant in the form of Smoke & Salt, which recently set up shop in Pop Brixton in the space one occupied by Indian tapas joint Kricket. Billed as a ‘casual fine dining’ venue, the food is local and seasonal in nature, with The Shed’s Remi Williams and Aaron Webster at the helm. On the current menu is merguez tartare, chalkstream trout, Whiltshire beef heart, and ‘London Mess’ for pud, while cocktails include The Boston Sour.