April has been a busy month for new restaurant openings across the UK. Read on for our top suggestions on where to dine if you're looking to try something new.
Ploussard
NEW neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar, Ploussard is now open on St John’s Rd. A short hop from Clapham Junction Station, this 34-seat restaurant is named after a wine grape variety found in France’s Jura region.
It's a new venture from Other Side Fried duo, Matt Harris and Tommy Kempton. Diners can expect a seasonal menu to accompany the low-intervention wines. Dishes include crispy chicken skin, smoked scallop roe & pickled onion, which sounds stupidly delicious, and lamb & anchovy crumpet. And for pudding? Burnt bay custard tart & poached rhubarb is just one of the innovative options up for grabs.
Co-founder & head chef Matt Harris, said: “It's been a dream of mine to open my own restaurant and now it’s actually happening it’s a bit surreal. The area is already great for dining out with the likes of Soif and Sinabro just up the road from us, but it's about to get a whole lot better! We hope Ploussard becomes a proper neighbourhood gem.”
Bookings are now open via RESY. PLOUSSARD, 97 St. John’s Road, Battersea Rise*, London, SW11 1QY. Open Tuesday to Sunday but check the website for full opening details as service varies according to the day.
The Brasserie, By Smoking Lobster
One of the UK’s sunniest spots has just gotten a whole lot warmer with the opening of The Brasserie, in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. It marks the coming together of boutique hotel Foresters Hall and the Smoking Lobster Group.
Six years ago, Giancarlo Giancovich opened the Smoking Lobster Ventnor Beach. With panoramic views of one of the island's best beaches and delicious dishes celebrating the best island produce available. It quickly became popular with tourists and locals alike reimagined through a pan-Asian lens.
Together with a team that includes many family members and close friends, Smoking Lobster Group then launched Smoking Lobster Cowes in July 2021.
The Brasserie menu highlights Mediterranean influences and seasonal products, with a focus on locally sourced seafood and freshly made pasta.
Le Petit Chef
International theatrical dinner experience, Le Petit Chef, has launched at The London Cabaret Club, hosted at The Bloomsbury Ballroom. Visitors are being treated to 3D cinema and the ultimate in gastronomy, presented by the world's smallest chef.
Every guest can look forward to a show on their own plate. Between meals, the table is unobtrusively transformed into a screen, whereupon the little chef entertains with various performances. The food is on the table, the show moves into the background and the curtain goes up for regional and international delicacies. The menu is preselected and offers dishes such as Bouillabaisse, Burrata Salad, Lobster Risotto, Hereford beef and Vanilla Creme Brûlée.
Le Petit Chef plays Tuesday and Wednesday at 18:00 and 20:30; Thursday to Saturday at 17:30 and Sunday at 13:00, 15:30 and at 18:00.
Level 6 Kitchen & Bar, Tate Modern
From 20th April, Tate Modern plays host to a new seasonal menu inspired by the works of Hilma Af Klint and Piet Mondrian at the Level 6 Kitchen & Bar. Pioneers of abstract art, reflecting a fascination with the natural world, the menu installation coincides with their joint exhibition at the gallery.
Executive Chef Chris Dines, explains: “The artists both shared an interest in new ideas of spirituality and had a desire to understand the forces behind life on earth, which inspired me to use flavours and ingredients familiar to their native lands. Sweden and the Netherlands use similar techniques and produce in their recipes but have their own signature dishes recognised across the menu.”
The unique combination of Dutch painter Mondrian and Swedish artist af Klint has been translated perfectly into a bespoke menu full of beautiful dishes that exemplify the artists’ use of colours, shapes, and ideas evident in their paintings. The menu is the work of Dines and head chef, Frank Szymkow.
The plate pictured here sums the initiative up perfectly - pickled beets, swede & turnips, apple, sorrel and lingonberry for starter. Mains include bavette steak Rydberg, blood pudding, spinach ‘Rhug Estate’ egg and Hasselback potato, leek, dill cream cheese, fried pickled onions.
By Paloma Lacy