Empire Empire, a double tribute to the Indian disco scene of the 70s and the traditional cuisine of the Old Punjab, has opened in Notting Hill ahead of a formal launch next Thursday, 15 June. The restaurant, in All Saints’ Road, is a follow-up to the successful Gunpowder trio from Harneet Baweja (pictured), and features a […]
Fresh pasta restaurant Bancone is to open its “biggest branch yet” in Borough Yards, adjacent to Southwark’s Borough Market – putting it in direct competition with pasta pioneer Padella. Bancone launched in Covent Garden in 2018 and followed up with a branch in Soho. Last year the business raised £900,000 via crowdfunding to finance expansion plans. […]
Veteran Scottish chef Nick Nairn is to open a new venture next month in his home town – Bridge of Allan in Stirlingshire – following the destruction of his restaurant Nick’s in a kitchen fire two years ago. The site has been completely restored to accommodate a new restaurant, Nairn’s, with a terrace on the high […]
Here’s our weekly round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 4 June 2023. ***** The Evening Standard “A brutally brilliant destination in its own right.” Jimi Famurewa visited the new National Theatre restaurant, Lasdun, and wondered what he’d done wrong when every other customer left at exactly […]
Kachori, a smart new Indian restaurant, opened this week at the Elephant Park development scheme in southeast London, with a kitchen run by highly rated Brinder Narula, a former head chef at Gymkhana and Benares. Named after the savoury or sweet-stuffed deep-fried batter balls sold as snacks in India, Kachori describes itself as a modern […]
Late-night and early-hours sandwich-seekers in London’s West End will be heading for the Hippodrome casino in Leicester Square following its link-up with Crouch Hill sarnie supremo Max Halley. Max Halley at the Hippodrome opened yesterday, 1 June, with a newly developed menu including a ‘Meatball Bonanza” featuring USDA meatballs; a ‘Bacon Chop BLT’ supplementing standard […]
An ambitious Greek seafood specialist opens next week in Marylebone. Kima – meaning ‘wave’ – is the latest restaurant from Andrews Labridis and Nikos Roussos (pictured), the duo behind nearby Opso and the Soho gastrobar Ino. Meals at Kima are structured around a central fish counter: guests choose a fish and the kitchen transforms it into a […]
Chef Anna Søgaard, who came to prominence at Manchester’s ultra-minimalist restaurant Erst, is to head the kitchen brigade at a new Shoreditch venture from the team behind Crispin in Spitalfields and bar Crispin in Soho. Bistro Freddie, which is due to open this summer, has taken over the Luke Street premises formerly occupied by Oklava, […]
Jersey-born chef Joe Baker is to open a wood-fired grill restaurant celebrating the island’s seafood and produce in St Helier, the capital, later this month. Pêtchi – which means ‘try to catch a fish’ in Jèrriais, or Jersey French – will occupy the first and second storeys of the historic Liberty Wharf building overlooking Liberation […]
Happy Bank Holiday Monday! Here’s our regular round-up of what the nation’s restaurant critics were writing about in the week up to 28 May 2023. ***** The Observer “In an area not renowned for its ambitious restaurant choices, this is one which deserves to thrive.” Jay Rayner was in Northern Ireland, struck lyrical by the […]
