London Food And Drink News: 15 May 2014

Ben O' Norum
By Ben O' Norum Last edited 118 months ago
London Food And Drink News: 15 May 2014

Vauxhall venison: Dram & Smoke

Welcome to our weekly round-up of all that’s happening in London’s food and drink scene.

Inside this week: cocktails, pop-ups and Irn Bru.

Cocktail clubs

The London Cocktail Club team has announced plans for a new branch in Shoreditch, close to Boxpark. Details are sparse, but the theme will be Motor City, whatever that means. It follows branches at Oxford Circus, Goodge Street, Shaftesbury Avenue and the original in Covent Garden.

Further south, Deptford drinking den Little Nan’s is launching a second outpost in Brockley next week. Little Nan’s Cocktail Club will open above The Talbot pub on Tyrwhitt Road and serve an array of Royal-themed cocktails in teapots, alongside beers, wines and spirits. It officially opens on 30 May but will be on soft launch from next Saturday. Here’s the menu. Now to decide between a Zara Phillips or a Lady Diana.

Kennington flower show

Next week sees the launch of a set of pop-up garden dinners in Kennington. From 21 until 30 May, The Magpie Kitchen will land in Roots & Shoots, a nursery and training centre for young people, set just off Kennington Road. Within picturesque floral surrounds, guests can enjoy two courses for £13 or three for £15, and bring their own wine. There’s a Middle Eastern slant to proceedings with mezze to start and Lebanese chicken for mains, while a pear and almond tart rounds things off. See the full menu and book tickets here.

Scottish scran in a steelyard

Just down the road in Vauxhall, Scottish pop-up Dram & Smoke is taking over a deliberately much less picturesque disused steelyard. Launching next week, it will run every Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday lunchtime, serving a six course dinner featuring haggis bonbons, Scottish charcuterie, cullen skink and smoked venison. Not to forget a deep fried Mars Bar with Irn Bru to finish. Tickets (available here) cost £40 including the meal, a welcome cocktail and an Edinburgh-brewed Innis & Gunn beer. More beers and whisky or gin cocktails are available throughout from a cash bar.

Yorkshire wraps at Harvey Nichols

New pop-up Hereford + York launches in Harvey Nichols today. Celebrating the best of British, it will serve slow-cooked Hereford beef and Yorkshire puddings in a ‘fast food’ format: the Yorkshire is scaled up and fashioned as a wrap, with a filling of rare roast beef, horseradish and watercress. The pop-up will hang around until 1 August.

Nobu hotel

Nobu Matsuhisa, the man behind London’s high-end Nobu restaurants, as well as more than 20 others around the world, is to open a hotel in Shoreditch in conjunction with his famous longstanding business partner Robert De Niro. It will be based on Willow Street, just off Great Eastern Street (and round the corner from Londonist Towers), and have 156 bedrooms along with a restaurant and fitness centre. It’s not due to open until early 2016, though.

The City pantry

Anna Hansen will be launching a second branch of her popular Clerkenwell restaurant The Modern Pantry early next year after signing a lease on a new site in the City. The exact location is not yet known. Hansen has won many fans for her bright-flavoured, fusion-minded creative cooking to the point that brunches and evening sittings are usually full at the original site.

New openings

Shiny and new on London's scene this week are two second branches. Camden's Blues Kitchen has expanded east and opened up a vast site in Shoreditch, which promises London's biggest Bourbon collection. And Battersea's Ben's Canteen has opened up in Earlsfield. Friday sees the launch of restaurant The Typing Room and bar Peg + Patriot, both in Bethnal Green's Town Hall Hotel. The space was previously home to Viajante, headed up by chef Nuno Mendes who has since moved on to run Chiltern Firehouse in Marylebone.

Talk to us

We still want your help to keep these weekly food and drink news round-ups as relevant, up-to-date, and interesting as possible. Got any top tips, local gems or foodie news? Tried one of the new restaurants we mentioned? Leave a comment below or hit us up at hello@londonist.com. ‘Til next week…

Last Updated 15 May 2014