All the new openings to get your teeth stuck into rounded up by Jo Aspin and Paloma Lacy. Read on for ChattingFood's September 2022 picks...
1) Alex Dilling @ Hotel Café Royal
Hotel Café Royal welcomes London-born Alex Dilling to one of London’s most prestigious addresses in W1. Bringing with him double Michelin star experience from The Greenhouse and Helene Darrozé at The Connaught, where he was Executive Chef, this is his first stand-alone restaurant venture. He promises to deliver some of the most creative dishes to London’s epicurean circuit in a 7-course menu. The restaurant highlights Alex’s modern take on traditional French gastronomy. Perfectly executed beautiful plates are matched by the splendour of the curvature of Regent Street. The restaurant’s redesign has created an intimate dining room with soft, refined features, making way for an ambience that’s both elegant and contemporary in equal measures. PL.
Opens: 1st September 2022
2) Din Tai Fung Cente Point
Dumpling fans listen up. Taiwanese Din Tai Fung opens a third London site at Centre Point this month. Their signature steamed pork Xiao Long Bao will be served up alongside rice, noodles dishes like Braised Beef Noodle Soup and Prawn & Egg Fried Rice and quite frankly we’ll be queing up for the Salted Egg Yolk Custard Lava Buns alone. The 13,500sq ft space which seats 218 will offer floor to ceiling double-height windows on both sides and a separate bar area where you can sip on their signature serves: Din (Homemade Jasmine Infused Roku Gin, Lychee Juice, Strawberry Puree, Fresh Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup) Tai (Patrón Silver Tequila, Pineapple Juice, Fresh Lime Juice, Homemade Sage Syrup) and Fung (Bacardi Spiced Rum, Calvados, Lemongrass & Ginger Cordial, Fresh Lemon Juice, Ginger Ale). JA.
Opens: 22nd September
3) M Restaurant Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf will be home to the newest of the M restaurants, joining existing locations, Victoria & Threadneedle Street. This M promises a modern gastronome’s playground of international grill, bar, wine tasting room and member’s club all under one roof. Situated at the base of 226-metre high, diamond-shaped, 10 Newfoundland residential tower, affords it spectacular views of both the River Thames and Canary Wharf waterways. The menu uses the powers of nature, with food cooked using coal, wood, smoke and ice to indulge the senses with seasonal ingredients. Breakfast diners can expect Firecracker Scrambled Eggs and Wagyu Sausage & Egg Muffin, with smoked ketchup. Available throughout the day, the a la carte menu takes inspiration from Provence, with small plates such as Cobia Tartare, Burrata De Grasse and Lobster & Avocado Salad. Salt Baked Seabass and Breaded Rib of Veal make for great sharing platters. Regional main courses include Duck & Watermelon – duck breast, duck beignet, compressed vodka watermelon, brought together with a deep and velvety jus. PL.
Opens: 5th September
4) Palm House
We can’t wait for this one! Miami cool meets Cuba and lands in Victoria SW1 this September with the opening of Palm House. Featuring palm trees and leafy tropical plants plus a colourful Cuban mezzanine bar dedicated to daiquiris, the whopping 400 capacity restaurant and bar will be open from brunch through to dinner and is takes its inspo from the Maimi beach scene. The Cuban / Miami mash up menu . The menu is split into sharing dishes and larger plates, as well as sides and desserts. Tuck into Mahi Mahi ceviche, Molé chilli chicken tacos and picanha rump steak. Tropical cocktails and beers from indie suppliers will match. JA.
Opens: 22nd September
5) Woven @ Coworth Park
Set in 240 acres of picturesque parkland, Coworth Park is always on the best lists of country house retreats. This position is secure with the arrival of the latest restaurant Woven by Adam Smith. With assurances of an unforgettable culinary experience, Chef Adam Smith promises fresh, creative and temporary dishes, with a keen eye on a seasonal larder, including seafood, top class butchery, foraged mushrooms, hand-picked herbs and native flowers. Adam Smith said: 'A memorable dining experience is created by so much more than the dishes that we eat. Stories and knowledge from my entire career, alongside inspiration from the idyllic landscape, will be woven into the menus, and the dishes, whilst refined, will be presented in playful and contemporary ways. Woven has been many years in the making, and we cannot wait to welcome our first guests.'
Designed by Martin Hulbert interiors will focus on the natural world. The main dining room seats 44 guests, with the adjoining conservatory, seating 14, panoramic views over Coworth Park’s grounds. PL.
Opens: 8th September