Welcome to our weekly round-up of all that’s happening in London’s food and drink scene.
Inside this week: beaches, bars, rooftops, rich people
Grill on the roof
Today sees the launch of another summertime pop-up on top of Selfridges roof, high above Oxford Street. Dubbed On The Roof With Q, the new residency is a spin-off from Q Grill, which opened in Camden this March serving ribs, burgers, grilled meats and the like. The pop-up will come complete with its own charcoal grill and serve seafood and salads alongside meaty options, while desserts will all be free from gluten, dairy and refined sugar, taken from a new cookbook by model Daisy Lowe. Wines, summer cocktails and Pimms will also be on hand.
Hoxton on sea
Spurred on by a glimpse of the sun, today sees the courtyard at the Hoxton Hotel transformed into an outpost of the seaside, and it will stay like that until next Wednesday. As well as offering space to sunbathe should the weather behave itself this weekend, there will also be mini fish & chips, candy floss, Big Apple hot dogs and another Pimms bar. Nostalgic seaside-style live entertainment is also promised.
Brixton summer party
The ladies from roaming wine events company A Grape Night In are hosting a summer soiree at Brixton Cornercopia this weekend, celebrating the imminent launch of their #WineWednesdays pop-up in the same place. It’s running on Saturday evening and Sunday lunch and evening, with food from Jimmy’s Underground Restaurant, beers from Indie Ales and, naturally, lots of wine. Tickets cost £10 including a cocktail and nibbles, while a full menu of seasonal dishes and lots more beers and wines are available. See the full details and buy tickets here.
New bars for Camberwell
Wine bar Le Tire Bouchon has opened up on Coldharbour Lane close to Denmark Hill station. The name is French for corkscrew and the bar will serve all-French wines and cheeses alongside British charcuterie (from Cannon & Cannon in Brixton). Down the road on Camberwell Church Street, Communion Bar launches tonight underneath tapas restaurant Angels & Gypsies. Cocktails are the main attraction alongside rums and wines, while live music will also feature. We’re keen to try out the interesting-looking cocktail list which includes Nurse Pinoy, a mix of rum, lemon and Calamansi juice that’s dedicated to Filipino nurses at King’s College Hospital, and Grass Arena inspired by John Healy’s autobiographical tale of homelessness, alcoholism and chess that goes by the same name. It features a blend of Carlsberg Special Brew, chilli-infused whisky, cranberry syrup and Buckfast. Food from the restaurant will also be available at the bar. And it sounds like you might need it.
Rich dinners
The UK’s richest restaurateur has been named as Richard Caring, whose portfolio of restaurants includes The Ivy and Balthazar in Covent Garden and Scott’s and 34 in Mayfair among many others. His estimated worth of £800 million makes Jamie Oliver’s £240 million seem rather small fry.
New openings
This week saw the launch of Gong, the bar at level 52 of The Shard. As if being Europe’s highest bar wasn’t impressive enough, it also comes with its own infinity pool. Back on ground level, a combined Dirty Burger and Chicken Shop venture opened up in Whitechapel on Monday, amusingly just a couple of doors down from Nando’s. And in Soho The Palomar is now on soft-launch, with 50% off all food until Saturday. It’s a spin-off from hip Jerusalem restaurant Machneyuda and merges Middle Eastern, North African and Spanish flavours.
Talk to us
We still want your help to keep these weekly food & 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 [email protected]. ‘Til next week…
