With plenty of exciting restaurant openings constantly taking place across the Capital, we pick London’s best new restaurant openings taking place over the coming month.
Yard Sale Pizza – Leytonstone
Following the success of their three restaurants in Clapton, Finsbury Park and Walthamstow, Yard Sale Pizza will open in Leytonstone this month. Taking over a spot on Leytonstone High Road, the new space has been designed by regular Yard Sale collaborators, Fettle, set to serve Yard Sale’s award-winning pizzas. Handmade from double fermented dough, pizzas are available in two sizes – either 12” or super-size 18”, then topped with high quality ingredients before being stone baked. Toppings include the likes of signature ‘Holy Pepperoni’ (Cobble Lane pepperoni, Napoli picante and Nduja) and ‘TSB’ (tender stem broccoli, parmesan, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil). Elsewhere, a selection of homemade dips, salads, sides and local London beers will be available alongside Nonna’s gelato and Borough Wines.
Yard Sale Pizza Leytonstone is set to open in March and can be found at 622 High Road, London, E11 4QS.
Stem – Mayfair
A new restaurant from Mark Jarvis – Chef Patron of Anglo in Farringdon and Neo near Oxford Street – Stem will open in Mayfair this month. Just off Regent Street, Mark Jarvis hopes to bring a bit of Anglo to the west end: “informal, but precise in terms of its modern British food.” Part of a significant regeneration project from The Crown Estate, increasing restaurant and retail presence in the area, Stem’s interiors will be designed by Commercial Kitchen and Bar Ltd, seating 35. On the tasting and a la carte menus created by Jarvis with Head Chef Sam Ashton-Booth (formerly Head Chef at Anglo), typical dishes will include ‘Smoked eel, celeriac and white chocolate’; ‘Pigeon, coconut, salted peanut’; and ‘Pineapple, olive oil, lime and salt’. An international wine list will also be available, including approximately 120 bins, overseen by Operations Manager Jon Cannon.
Stem is set to open in March and can be found at 5 Princes Street, London, W1J 0DW.
The Vurger Co – Shoreditch
Off the back of a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign – The Vurger Co will open its first permanent site in Shoreditch. Aiming to “revolutionise fast food through the power of plants”, The Vurger Co will have space for 30 covers, with both indoor and outdoor seating, and serve a full menu of plant-based vegan burgers. Burgers available from The Vurger Co will include the best-selling ‘Tabasco Auburger’, made with aubergines, chickpeas, red onion and melted vegan cheese. This will be joined by the ‘Classic’, ‘Mexican’ and ‘MLT’, packed with baked mushrooms and rocket, then topped with walnut and sun dried tomato paste. These will all be available alongside The Vurger Co’s now famous mac’n’cheese and shakes. What’s more, all packaging, including straws, used by The Vurger Co is compostable.
The Vurger Co is set to open on Sunday 12th March and can be found at Unit 9, Avant Garde, Richmix Square, London, E1 6LD.
Hām – West Hampstead
Literally meaning ‘home’ in Old English, Hām West Hampstead is the latest project from Rose Tuckey and David Houten, with Head Chef Matt Osborne in the kitchen. A neighbourhood restaurant championing produce from small British farms and artisan suppliers, Hām will have a homely atmosphere. As for the food, Australian-born chef Matt Osborne (having previously worked at The Ledbury, Terroirs, Salon in Brixton and Toasted in East Dulwich) will serve a regularly changing menu, reflecting British cooking with flourishes of his Australian background. Open for brunch and dinner, dishes may include the likes of Norfolk quail, artichoke, kombu and watercress; Cornish Brill, verjus sauce, Pink Fir and mussels; or Dexter beef with black sesame, white soy and turnips. These will be complete with desserts such as chocolate crémeux, blood orange sorbet and peppermint; plus a selection of cheese from Mons Cheesemongers and Neal’s Yard Dairy.
Hām West Hampstead is set to open in March and can be found at 238 West End Lane, London, NW6 1LG
Chokhi Dhani London – Battersea
The first overseas restaurant from Chokhi Dhani will open in London this month, with three decades of experience gained through restaurants in India. In the heart of Battersea, the restaurant will showcase the level of fine food, atmosphere and service found within the group’s Rajasthan venues, but with a contemporary twist reflecting its new position in the world’s most cosmopolitan capital. Overseeing the menu, Vishnu Natarajan has previously worked as executive head chef at Carom in Soho (seeing the restaurant win a Harden’s Award) as well as having travelled extensively, introducing global audiences to the food of the subcontinent. Vishnu will work alongside Rajasthani cuisine expert Bhagwan Singh on a menu that promises to feature dishes from across the subcontinent, whose textures and flavours attempt to deliver an immersive, multi-sensory experience. Moreover, the restaurant will also celebrate local culture through its interiors, placated by a life-size, two-ton bronze elephant sculpture.
Chokhi Dhani London is set to open on Thursday 22nd March and can be found at Unit 2, 2 Riverlight Quay, Nine Elms Lane, London, SW11 8AW.
What The Pitta – Camden
Born from a pop up at The Pump in Shoreditch during the summer of 2016, What The Pitta will open their third branch this month. The brainchild of British-Turkish friends Cem Yildiz and Rojdan Gul, the UK’s first vegan doner kebab stall, What the Pitta’s kebabs use non-GMO soya chunks, marinated in a blend of Middle Eastern spices and grilled. The bread is also made on site, in front of customers, and filled with homemade hummus, tzatziki, fresh salad and seasoned soya. Vegan Doner Kebab prices begin at £7.95, with additional meat-free dishes available including Turkish pizza, a couscous salad box, and baklava for dessert.
What The Pitta Camden is set to open on Friday 9th March and can be found at 89-91 Bayham Street, London, NW1 0AG.
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