With plenty of exciting restaurant openings constantly taking place across the Capital, here’s our pick of the best new restaurants arriving in London over the coming month.
M RAW – Victoria
Having launched his second branch of M in Victoria Street last year, ex-Gaucho MD Martin Williams is set to launch M RAW – London’s first 100 per-cent gluten-free fine dining establishment – under the venue’s same roof this month. Since opening, M Victoria Street has been shortlisted as ‘Best New Opening 2016’ in Restaurant Magazine’s R200 Awards, and has become massively renowned for its world class beef on offer, sourced from across the globe. In addition to a completely gluten-free menu, M RAW also promises to serve the most sustainable and ethical fish in the capital. Collaborating with Australian based ethical seafood pioneer Mark W Eather, M RAW will be London’s only restaurant to offer sashimi from king fish, octopus and sea bass all caught with the Ike Jime fishing method, generally acknowledged as the most ethical and sustainable way to fish. The menu is set to offer a selection of signature tartars, tempura, ‘hot earth bowls’ and bento boxes, and a sashimi selection which, unsurprisingly, looks to be the most impressive asset.
M RAW is set to launch in October and can be found at Zig Zag Building, 70 Victoria St, London, SW1E 6SQ.
Panzo – Exmouth Market
Joining the likes of Berber & Q Shawarma Bar and Macellaio RC, PANZO will open on Exmouth Market this month. A Neapolitan-inspired pizza restaurant, PANZO’s concept is rooted in serving individually sized pizzas made with double-cooked dough that’s made using ‘lievito madre’ and is left to rise for 26 hours in order to create a light, crispy base. These individual pizzas are then topped with the best quality produce available, so expect toppings such as mushroom, mozzarella, goat cheese, stilton, pine nuts and honey; and pumpkin, courgette, mozzarella and ham, amongst others. The concept of the twice-cooked dough is heavily inspired by the Neapolitan panuozzo sandwich (made using charred whole wheat dough stuffed with fillings such as tomato and stracchino cheese) which will also feature upon the menu. For dessert, a selection of Italian pastries will be served alongside Italian classics such as Tiramisu, and all drinks will be served on tap, including a range of Proseccos, beer and wine using eco-friendly kegs.
PANZO is set to open in October and can be found at 50 Exmouth Market, London, EC1R 4QE.
Little Smoke – City
Husband and wife team Scott Hunter and Maria Larsen of Noble Inns (the team behind Smokehouse and The Princess of Shoreditch) are set to launch their latest project this month. Taking over a space within the city, Little Smoke will specialise in working with whole native and rare breed animals, all sourced from small independent farms and butchered on-site at sister restaurant Smokehouse in Islington. The meats will then be roasted, smoked and grilled at Little Smoke, offering a daily-changing menu of beef, lamb and pork dishes dependent on the day’s butchery. Cuts will include the likes of Bavette steak, pork belly and lamb chops, plus larger sharing joints such as the ‘Dino Rib’, whole beef shin and Tomahawk steak. In addition to the meats, some homemade sauces will be on offer, such as beer mustard and aged beef mayo, with side dishes including burnt sweetcorn with ancho and apple salsa verde; and burnt chilli greens. Elsewhere, all wines will be sourced exclusively from family growers and co-operatives, adhering to the restaurant’s ethos of working with small producers, with many organic and biodynamic wines making up the largely European wine list.
Little Smoke is set to open on 10th October and can be found at City Point, 1 Ropemaker Street, London, EC2Y 9AW.
MNKY HSE – Mayfair
Taking over the former site of Dover Street Wine Bar, MNKY HSE is the first UK project from chef Pablo Peñalosa Nájera. Having previously worked at Four Seasons in Bogotà and Mexico City’s Morimoto, the chef’s MNKY HSE will serve a range of contemporary Latin American dishes intended for sharing, mostly made with British seasonal ingredients. Elsewhere, an upstairs bar/lounge area will offer a vast list of cocktails, with a focus on increasingly popular mezcal, and will act as a platform for the restaurant’s house band to perform, alongside a host of international and resident DJs.
MNKY HSE is set to open on 3rd October and can be found at 10 Dover Street, London, W1S 4LQ.
Margot – Covent Garden
Italian restaurant Margot is set to launch in Covent Garden next week, with Paulo de Tarso and Nicolas Jaouën at the helm. The 104-cover restaurant’s kitchen will be overseen by Executive Chef Maurizio Morelli, though it’s the pair’s signature service concept that will take the space’s main focus. Margot will strive to make guests feel relaxed and welcome, with a team trained by the restaurateurs on hand to ensure each and every dining experience is no less than exceptional. As for the food, the menu promises to offer an authentic taste of Italy’s various gastronomic regions, with many dishes available in two portion sizes to allow for a flexible dining experience. Autumn menu highlights include the likes of scallop carpaccio with lime, fresh broad beans and red chilli sauce; tagliolini with Sicilian red prawns; veal ossobuco with saffron risotto “alla Milanese’ with veal jus; and desserts such as tiramisu and Sicilian cannolo with ricotta cream and pistachio ice cream.
Margot is set to open on 10th October and can be found at 45 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5AA.