Paloma Lacy and Jo Aspin round up the hottest NEW openings in London and beyond. Forks and knifes at the ready......
The UK’s restaurant sector continues to thrive this year so much so that it’s hard to keep up with all the new openings and new menus hitting the scene this summer. Here are our top hot tips for August 2022.
1) OXBO Bankside at Hilton London Bankside
To mark the re-opening of OXBO Bankside at Hilton London Bankside, Executive Head Chef, Ollie Couillaud, has created an exciting new menu. It features produce from the hotel’s roof garden, showcasing sustainably sourced British ingredients and paying homage to the multicultural locale, through a range of dishes with British, European and Middle Eastern influences.
Diners can expect fresh summer flavours, accompanied by a list of punchy cocktails, also made with seasonal ingredients, mixed at the hotel’s Distillery Bar. Summing up the menu, Couillaud, calls it, “happy food.” Dishes like medallions of fresh monkfish served with chargrilled British heritage tomatoes and a sweet lobster salad; neck of lamb sourced from Salt Marsh, Wales – marinated in Middle-Eastern spices and paired with spiced couscous and coconut yoghurt to evoke warmer climes, look set to keep diners smiling.
Available every Tuesday to Friday from 6-10pm. Bankside, 2-8 Great Suffolk St, London SE1 0UG.
2) Bottle & Rye
Responsible for securing South London’s position on the food map with a number of critically acclaimed restaurants, chef Robin Gill and his wife Sarah have opened Parisian-inspired wine bar, Bottle & Rye, in Brixton Village Market. Seating 28 guests, it’s open all day and serves natural wines, which is good news for hangover sufferers. And even better news for the pocket, a glass of wine starts at £5.
Robin and head chef Ben Hughes-Gage, formerly of Lino, have created a menu highlighting classics, such as: Ogleshield Gougères with pickled walnut; vichyssoise oyster tartare; smoked eel brandade with pink fir crisps and Provençal herbs; and Marinda tomato tarte fine with Innes Log cheese and Kalamata olives.
Brunch is served from 10am to 2.30pm, features poached Cacklebean eggs with Boudin Noir and hollandaise, and croque madames. The cocktail menu throws up some pleasant surprises in the shape of When Life Gives You Lemons (Konik’s Tail vodka, lemon, lillet and olive oil) and Ma Chérie (Plantation Rum, rye whiskey, vermouth and cherry).
Ground Floor, 404-406 Market Row, Brixton, SW9 8LD
3) Amuse
Leading Scottish chef, Kevin Dalgleish, has opened his first restaurant, Amuse. This refined, yet relaxed dining experience is located at Queens Terrace, in the heart of Aberdeen.
Amuse is an informal 70-cover restaurant complete with a contemporary bar, private dining space, and intimate outdoor area, The Snug for guests to enjoy.
Drawing on his classical training, Kevin has created a menu that highlights the best local and regional Scottish produce available from land to sea, with a touch of classic French flavours.
Highlights from the launch menu include: ravioli of Scottish West Coast langoustine and scallop, with buttered hispi cabbage and shellfish bisque; rump of Aberdeenshire lamb, pressed shoulder, glazed spring vegetables with green tomato jam and lamb sauce; Castleton farm strawberries, pavlova with lime and black pepper.
A lighter lunchtime menu features grilled seafood, seasonal fresh salads, homemade pasta dishes and specials. The bar menu features a selection of seasonal cocktails including Rock Rose Gin and Glenfiddich perfect serves and signature Amuse cocktails created by bar manager, Nicola Brown.
1 Queen’s Terrace, Aberdeen, AB10 1XL
4) RAREBIT
Neighbourhood all day restaurant, bar and grocery store RAREBIT has opened in Elephant & Castle's swish new development Elephant Park. With a focus on provenance the team have selected choice suppliers featuring coffee from Climpson & Sons, bread and pastries from Flor and Neal's Yard Dairy cheese.
Head Chef Liv Lionel has put together a modern British menu adding her own twists as she explores the meaning of 'modern British food' as a young British Caribbean woman.
Wine lovers are in for a treat as the corkage offering in the grocery store allows customers to sample some excellent wines at pocket-friendly prices and we are very intrigued by their Welsh Negroni - red vermouth has been replaced with Afon Mêl cherry mead.
11 Sayer St, SE17 1FY
5) Le Bab
Who doesn’t love a posh kebab? Le Bab kebabs deliver hugely on flavour, providing a healthier alternative to the bog standard kind. It’s just opened a 20-seat restaurant in the heart of Brixton on Coldharbour Lane, the group’s fourth London restaurant.
The selection of kebabs includes; ‘Fried Chicken’ Shish Kebab – BBQ free range chicken, southern fried chicken skin, red cabbage slaw, coriander, chilli mayo; The Legendary Paneer – spiced paneer, fresh beetroot and coconut purée, pickled cucumber, crispy onions, curry mayo, coriander; and the all NEW Impossibly™ Dirty Bab – Impossible™ Sausage shawarma, sweet chilli relish, house pickles, double-cooked fries, vegan mayo.
Plus the drinks list features a range of no- and low-alcohol beers and selected cocktails for just £5 during Happy Hour - this is elevated fast food at its finest.
408 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London SW9 8LF