If spring’s emergence has given you the itch to sip cocktails on a Soho terrace, feast on Caribbean fare in west London or treat yourself to fire-grilled vegetables in a space that feels like a Parisian bistro, then you’re in luck. March brought a wealth of new restaurants, bars and pubs to the capital; here are 11 we recommend.
• It’s £5 vermouth cocktails, “Italian-ish” small plates and the ever-popular Custardo (an espresso-spiked drinkable crème anglaise) at the new Soho outpost of Forza Wine. In what is a welcome anomaly for this part of town, it has a 70-cover terrace. Bring on summer.
• Beloved Knightsbridge institution Sale e Pepe finally has a follow-up, in the form of Sale e Pepe Mare at the grand Langham hotel. Expect nothing less than a dramatic seafood display, tableside cacio e pepe and roaming champagne trolleys at this theatrical ode to the sun-kissed glamour of the Italian coastline.
• It’s Italian once again with Osteria Vibrato – restaurateur Charlie Mellor’s candlelit dining room in Soho that leans traditional without ever resorting to red-sauce clichés. It doesn’t get much more old-school than the rich, made-to-order risotto bianco, and the wine list skews heavily towards classic Italian producers from across the country. If you’re lucky, musicians from nearby Ronnie Scott’s may drop in to play some tunes on the restaurant’s upright piano.
• Chef’s Table star Guirong Wei has opened The Wei – a sequel to popular Shaanxi restaurants Master Wei and Xi’an Impression – and this time, dumplings steal the show. “For nearly 10 years, my restaurants have been known for hand-pulled noodles,” she told Broadsheet. “But dumplings are equally central to Xi’an [Shaanxi province’s capital city].”
• Head west for a goat curry that the high commissioner of Jamaica claimed was the best he’d ever tasted. House of Flavaz serves Caribbean dishes that are comforting and complex in flavour in a space that serves as a community space and cafe by day, before transforming into a restaurant and late-night bar.
• Trullo chef and co-owner Conor Gadd champions stripped-back Italian dining at his new Covent Garden trattoria Burro. He’s reached into ’70s Italian cookbooks to bring classics to the fore, including vitello al burro (vean pan-seared in butter) and whole lemon sole with prosecco, butter and caviar.
• Speaking of trad techniques, Ukrainian-owned bar Flipdog is venturing all the way back to the 17th century for inspiration. Here, bartenders use a searing hot poker, heated to 1200 degrees Celsius, to give their cocktails a distinctive caramelised and smoky flavour.
• It’s a little bit Twin Peaks red room upstairs at Hausu, the Peckham restaurant that’s just opened a chocolate-hued, dimly lit bar with a drinks programme led by the seasons. Salted Iberiko tomato Martini, anyone?
• A seriously good burger (we’re talking beef patties topped with Guinness-braised pulled brisket) is just one reason to check out Empire Tavern, the new pub on Mare Street, Hackney, by the team from Leytonstone Tavern. It promises a pre-theatre menu for those catching a show at Hackney Empire next door, plus late-night DJ sets on weekends.
• The founders of El Pastor in Soho have completely transformed their subterranean bar – and it’s now a destination in its own right. El Siete is a warm, neon-lit space with seven types of Margarita – one which gets progressively spicier.
• Vegetables are the showstopper at the sleek Spitalfields sequel to Notting Hill’s Holy Carrot. Chef Daniel Watkins continues to champion fire and fermentation, but this time, isn’t keeping things strictly plant-based, incorporating eggs and dairy into the menu.
• Follow the unmistakable waft of fire cooking until you get to Impala, chef Meedu Saad's long-awaited debut restaurant in Soho. Here, the co-owner and executive chef of Kiln is driving a new wave of North African cuisine in London, and cooking what Broadsheet columnist Jimi Famurewa describes as “one of the most sensational things I have eaten this year”.
