Peckham Cellars, Peckham

Wine shop by day, Peckham Cellars becomes a hip bar-restaurant by night. Co-founded by an ex-sommelier, its 80-strong wine list zeroes in on smaller producers from unusual regions. Having learnt their trade at outstanding London restaurants like Rovi, Spring and Quo Vadis, two other co-founders have taken charge of the kitchen, serving small plates that go big on provenance and flavour (eel, ’nduja and pickled green tomatoes, say) and bar snacks including a ‘dirty onion’ tortilla. The bar stays open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, then Sundays are given over to family-style set menus. Throughout the week, a cool soundtrack spans soul and disco to jazz and hip hop.
 
125 Queens Road, Peckham, SE15 2ND

Visit PeckhamCellars.co.uk

Decimo, King’s Cross

Peter Sanchez-Iglesias has won Michelin stars for two Bristol restaurants (Casamia and Paco Tapas) and now wants to complete his hat-trick in the capital. On the tenth floor of the Standard hotel, Decimo’s floor-to-ceiling windows frame dramatic views across the London skyline. Accessed via a red elevator on Euston Road, the main space is supported by an open kitchen, intimate standalone bar and two handsome private dining rooms. For his new venture, Sanchez-Iglesias merges the Spanish cuisine of his family with his love of Mexico. Expect tonnes of flavour via para picar gambas over ice; aguachile crab and jalapeno; cauliflower tacos; caviar-topped tortillas; and meat and seafood cooked over open fire. Highlights from the grill include suckling pig shoulder, XL langoustines and quail with mole glaze. Make time before or after for a drink at downstairs bar Double Standard.

10 Argyle Street, King’s Cross, WC1H 8EG

Visit Decimo.com

 

Le Comptoir Robuchon, Mayfair

Joël Robuchon was the most decorated chef in the history of the Michelin Guide, at one time holding 32 stars across his restaurant empire. He died in 2018, but a new spot in Piccadilly bears his name. The kitchen at Le Comptoir Robuchon is led by Jeremy Page, who worked closely with the great man for over a decade at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Paris. Grab a banquette or a seat at the marble kitchen counter and dive into a two-part menu designed for sharing: ‘La Saison’ is a selection of contemporary, seasonal dishes; ‘Les Eternels’ is a collection of Robuchon’s beloved classics, such as native lobster and romesco sauce, quail, foie gras and truffle, and his famous mashed potato. Next door’s Le Deli Robuchon offers more casual dining options.
 
6 Clarges Street, Mayfair, W1J 8AE

Visit RobuchonLondon.co.uk
 

14 Hills, City

Sprawling hospitality group D&D London is responsible for the Square Mile’s newest restaurant-bar-deli. With views towards Tower Bridge, the open-plan space – which sits directly beneath the public garden atop 120 Fenchurch Street – is something of an indoor garden itself. Amid the trees, shrubs and seasonal climbers, guests can enjoy French-accented menus put together by Thomas Piat (ex-Bar Boulud). Signature hits include a sharing dish of venison (roast saddle, venison pie, venison bone marrow, plus long pepper and whisky sauce); a seafood starter of white crab, cauliflower and Oscietra caviar; plus classics such as beef tartare, Jersey rock oysters, and Dover sole served on the bone.
 
120 Fenchurch Street, City, EC3M 5BA

Visit 14Hills.co.uk


 

Sussex, Soho

Not content with bestriding the west London restaurant scene (Notting Hill’s The Shed, Battersea’s Nutbourne, Rabbit on the Kings Road) the Gladwin boys have struck out for the centre of town. There’s a clue in the name: the brothers’ new Soho opening celebrates all that’s great – and sustainable – about rural Sussex. Ingredients come direct from the family farm and vineyard or handpicked local suppliers. Menu highlights include monkfish carpaccio with aubergine, lemon, chilli and toasted pine nuts and red amaranth; artichoke and potato nests, beetroot tahini, pickled onions, feta and dill oil dust; and pumpkin gnocchi with caramelised quince, sage and tunworth foam, garnished with buckwheat and sorrel. For a more immersive experience, head downstairs to the state-of-the-art kitchen, which hosts a chef’s table for up to 20.
 
63-64 Frith Street, Soho, W1D 3JW

Visit Sussex-Restaurant.com
 

Muse, Belgravia

As a preternaturally gifted chef in the 90s, Tom Aikens became – and remains – the youngest person ever to win two Michelin stars. Menus at his new venture, a 25-cover restaurant in Belgravia, look back nostalgically on a remarkable life. Behind the high concept, there is some very fine dining to be had, with each dish showcasing a single key ingredient or element. You just have to choose whether you want three, six or ten courses, all to be enjoyed in tasteful townhouse surrounds. A cocktail list created by Mr Lyan himself, Ryan Chetiyawardana, can be explored in the ground-floor lounge, which has five seats overlooking a downstairs kitchen. Everyone else eats upstairs at a handful of tables or one of six further kitchen counter seats.
 
38 Groom Place, Belgravia, SW1X 7BA

Visit MuseByTomAikens.com

 

Manteca, Soho

Chris Leach from Kitty Fisher’s and Smokestak’s David Carter were the men behind one of last year’s best restaurant residencies. Hot on the heels of their success at 10 Heddon Street, the pair have opened at a permanent site on Great Marlborough Street. Like its pop-up predecessor, Manteca has menus that revolve around nose-to-tail cooking, hand-rolled pastas and fire-cooked cuts to share. To a playlist of afrobeat, hip hop and soul, guests can begin with the likes of fried parmigiano rinds or a plate of homemade mortadella. Next, there are unusual small plates such as duck sausage, prunes and armagnac; white bean crostini with salmoriglio and Calabrian chilli; or pig head fritti. Pasta dishes might include brown crab cacio e pepe; or agnolotti dal plin with pork and hazelnuts. The wine list goes big on independent suppliers from Italy and beyond.
 
58-59 Great Marlborough Street, Soho, W1F 7JY

Visit MantecaRestaurant.co.uk

Silo, Hackney Wick

The UK’s first zero-waste restaurant has joined Crate Brewery at Hackney Wick. Award-winning chef Douglas McMaster’s sustainable approach covers everything from trading directly with farmers to composting leftovers and creating the open-plan space with pioneering, high-quality materials such as cork, mycelium and upcycled plastic and leather. Originally a Brighton hotspot, Silo arrives in town offering a continually changing menu of up to 15 dishes. Highlights might include grilled fantail squid, white kimchi and Douglas fir; Jerusalem artichokes cooked on fire and served with Cashel Blue and ruby kraut; and blue potatoes, barbecued sea kale and caramelised whey. For something sweet, try the golden linseed ice cream with fig leaf oil; or sea buckthorn with fresh cheese, grand fir and fermented caramel. A smart cocktail list has been drawn up by young Mr Lyan – who certainly gets around – and Empirical Spirits, the Copenhagen-based grain-to-bottle distillery.
 
Queen’s Yard, Hackney Wick, E9 5EN

Visit SiloLondon.com
 

Daffodil Mulligan, Shoreditch

Richard Corrigan (Corrigan’s, Bentley’s) has left the safety of Mayfair to open his third London restaurant with a little help from countrymen John Nugent and Tony Gibney. The Irish trio have launched 50-cover Daffodil Mulligan in Shoreditch, where a frequently changing menu draws on produce from Corrigan’s Virginia Park Lodge estate in Ireland. Dishes include the likes of braised kale with ham knuckle on toast; Tipperary Hereford prime sirloin with a parsley, anchovy and caper dressing; grilled lamb chops with pickled cucumber; and baked back of sole with Jerusalem artichoke, ceps and hazelnuts. A concise cocktail menu offers twisted classics such as the ‘Shoreditch Sour’ (Black Bush whiskey with a lemon and Malbec float) and ‘Long Way Home’ (Jameson Black Barrel, orange bitters and ginger beer). These inventive sips are best taken in the basement saloon bar, which features an eight-seat oyster bar and crustacean display, and hosts a series of live music nights.
 
70-74 City Road, Shoreditch, EC1Y 2BJ

Visit DaffodilMulligan.com