New restaurants to watch

July 19, 2012

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This summer may be turning into a big let-down where the sun is concerned, but new restaurants keep on coming. These are the ones to look out for.

The growth of established restaurants continues, like a second Burger and Lobster in Soho, a new Pizza East in Kentish Town (with the added bonus of Chicken Shop below), Caravan’s second branch in the new Granary Complex in King’s Cross, another Polpo in Smithfield, and Tramontana Brindisa in Shoreditch. The guys behind Terroirs and Brawn will open a new eatery on the site of The Green Man & French Horn in Covent Garden in September; cuisine will be similar to their previous restaurants with the addition of a seafood menu, and wines will mostly hail from the Loire region.

The pop up still reigns supreme this summer, albeit in permanent form. After a very successful stint at the famous Jack The Ripper pub The Ten Bells, some of the members of Young Turks and The Clover Club have returned to run Upstairs at The Ten Bells along with ex-Ledbury Giorgio Ravelli. There’s an à la carte menu this time, featuring intriguing British dishes like brisket, beetroot, bone marrow and blackberries. Beard To Tail are also taking the plunge, opening on Curtain Road in September. The menu will have cocktails and all the animal parts you can imagine yourself eating.

Peruvian-Brazilian-Japanese chain Sushisamba will occupy the 38th and 39th floors of the Heron Tower at the end of July, but we’re more excited about Duck & Waffle, the 24 hour restaurant that will take over the floor above from August. Huge windows will allow dramatic views of the sunset, sunrise and everything in between, while you munch on Fourme D’Ambert Eccles cakes and bacon-wrapped dates with spiced sausages.

This season’s most ambitious project comes courtesy of D&D. Launching in September, the Old Bengal Warehouse, originally built by the East India Dock Company, will re-open containing British restaurant New Street Grill, an all-day eatery specialising in seafood and fish simply called Fish Market, cocktail bar The Old Bengal Bar and a wine shop which will focus on wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux.

The Americana trend continues with Rita’s Dining on Stoke Newington Road, which offers fried chicken, pulled pork and so on. The brainchild of Jackson Boxer of Brunswick House Café, this is bound to pull in the Dalston crowds. Fried chicken will also be the order of the day at Wishbone in Brixton Market, and Honest Burgers, the original Brixtonian burger purveyors, are opening a second eatery in Soho. Both are scheduled for August.

There’s more hip fast food at Lardo, a charcuterie and pizza bar that launched in London Fields earlier this month. Over in Fitzrovia (or Noho as some prefer to call it) Bubbledogs will focus on hot dogs and – wait for it – champagne, if further proof was needed of junk food’s current coolness. Former Ledbury chef James Knappett and sommelier wife Sandia Chang are in charge, and if hotdogs aren’t your thang you can grab a seat at separate dining area Kitchen Table, where European fare will be served.

And last but not least, we leave you with what might just be the next big thing: ramen bars. First Tonkotsu got rave reviews, and from August onwards Bone Daddies is set to follow suit, with Ross Shonhan from Zuma at the helm. Watch this space.