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London’s hottest restaurant openings: September 2023
Summer may be on its way out, but there’s plenty of new openings to keep the September blues away, including a new Forza Wine at the National Theatre and a Calcutta-inspired restaurant from a 23-year-old prodigy.
Paro
Described as a “love letter to Calcutta”, Paro is a project from 23-year-old chef Niaz Caan. A professional chef since the age of 14, when he worked at Brick Lane’s City Spice, Caan has since published a cookbook and earned his stripes in kitchen, and this new restaurant, near the West End’s Lyceum Theatre, is his first solo restaurant. Aside from making anyone over the age of 23 feel somewhat inadequate about their culinary abilities by comparison, Caan promises a menu of small plates and sharing dishes, such as mango chickpea chat, toddy shop tiger prawns, and slow-roasted lamb shanks with saffron, charred garlic & coriander.
To find out more, click here.
Forza Wine – 7 September
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While not quite on the stage, Forza Wines will still have a starring role at the National Theatre as it opens on its terrace this month. Bringing the popular Peckham wine bar to the Southbank, Forza Wines will be serving theatregoers (or just those who like to take advantage of the free wifi, power sockets and seating in the theatre lobby) its signature offering of low-intervention wines and an uncomplicated but well-executed menu of small plates.
To find out more, click here.
L’Atelier Robuchon – 15 September
The Joël Robuchon International group has relaunched its Mayfair restaurant as L’Atelier Robuchon London, with a menu, concocted by executive chef Andrea Cofini and group executive chef David Alves, that pays homage to Robuchon classics, including purée de pomme de terre (the late chef’s legendarily buttery mashed potatoes) and quail with foie gras. The beloved dessert trolley will also be returning, laden with madeleines. There will also be a cheese trolley.
And, to cut through all that delectable Gallic richness, head somm Neomie Favrat has curated a French-focused list. Favrat is especially proud of her Champagne selection, taken almost exclusively from small producers. There are 40 by-the-glass wines available, ranging from £9 to £195. Bar drinks are under the jursidiction of Renaud De Bosredon Combrailles, formerly of Louie in Covent Garden. Among the spirits that have been devised are tomato and basil-infused Campari, and, for those who really cannot get enough of patisserie culture, vodka flavoured with pastry from Robuchon’s Boulangerie in Acton.
To find out more, click here.
Llama Inn – 1 September
This cult Peruvian restaurant in New York has made the trek across the Atlantic from Brooklyn to the rooftop of The Hoxton in Shoreditch, in partnership with Carte Blanched, hotel group Ennismore’s in-house restaurant studio. Chef Marcin Maliczowski will be heading up the kitchen in London, preparing dishes including a ceviche of scallop, yuzu kosho, pitahaya & nori, as well as riffs on cooked Peruvian classics, like lomo saltado with chive crepe, pickled ajies, avocado, & rocoto cream.
The wine list has been curated by hospitality director Daniella Lauricella with an emphasis on small, independent, low-intervention and biodynamic producers from South America and Europe. Cocktails, as developed by Llama Inn’s James Beard Award-nominated bar director Natasha Bermudez, include the Llama Del Rey: pisco quebranta, dark rum, red wine, chicha morada, & pineapple.
To find out more, click here.
Lavo – 15 September
Given that it is from Tao Group Hospitality, the team behind Hakkasan, it’s safe to assume that Lavo will be a lavish affair indeed. Set to open at newly-opened The BoTree hotel in Marylebone, Lavo promises a luxurious interpretation of Italian cooking, as it has already delivered in the likes of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York and Singapore. Head chef Stefano Lorenzini will be rustling up the likes of wagyu meatballs topped with whipped ricotta, and tagliatelle al limone enhanced with marjoram, sweet butter, & Kaluga caviar.
Head sommelier Fabrizio Canino’s wine list showcases wines from across Italy, with by-the-glass options including a Bolgheri Vermentino and a Barbera d’Alba. Tao Group Hospitality UK’s head of bar Wendy Hopkins has collaborated with bar team members from across the group to develop the cocktail offering, which includes a smoked Old Fashioned and, as created by The BoTree’s assistant bar manager Nuno Castro, the Lavo G&T.
To find out more, click here.
Sumosan Twiga
A reopening rather than a straightforward opening, Sumosan Twiga in Knightsbridge has received a facelift across its three floors. Twiga brand founder Flavio Briatore, who used to be a Formula One manager, has a deep love of all things African, and that is supposedly reflected in the new interiors, with the press release pointing to a “savannah-inspired colour palette” and “bold zebra-stripe carpet along the three-storey staircase”. The cocktail list for the upstairs bar also allegedly takes inspiration from “African traditions”. The food is more of a combination (not necessarily a fusion) of Italian and Japanese dishes.
To find out more, click here.
To discover some of last month’s openings, click here.