Welcome to our weekly round-up of all that’s happening in London’s food and drink scene.
Inside this week: burgers, doughnuts and hotels
Haute hotels
It’s been a big week for hotel restaurant openings. We saw pan-Asian restaurant Ting and all-day deli and eatery Lang open within the Shangri-La hotel in The Shard on Tuesday. Alain Ducasse, whose self-titled restaurant at The Dorchester is one of just two London restaurants to have three Michelin stars, opened his second London venture, Rivea, yesterday. Set in Knightsbridge’s blingy Bulgari hotel, it mixes French and Italian influences in a smart but less formal setting. And by no means least, chef Simon Rogan opened the doors to his much-anticipated new Claridge’s restaurant, Fera. Dinners are tasting menu only, starting from £85 and focus strongly on creative ways with wild and foraged food.
End of play
Iconic cocktail haunt The Player in Soho has shut. Originally opened in 1998 by bar legend Dick Bradsell, current owner Jonathan Downey has sold it to the people behind Sherry Butt, a popular bartenders’ haunt in Paris. The site is being extensively refurbished and will open as a completely new bar later this year. With the closure ends street food taco brand Breddos's popular slider bar residency, but they can still be found cooking at TripSpace in Haggerston. “The Player was great but we’ll do something greater somewhere else soon,” said Jonathan Downey.
Slider decider
Docklands pub The Gun will host its second Slider Decider competition this June. Sixteen restaurants will be cooking-up creative mini-burgers for the public and a panel of judges, in the hope of being crowned London’s best slider. On the menu is a hot smoked Iberico pork cheek with guindilla marmalade, lardo and fennel and watercress slaw from Ember Yard; a white sausage, black pudding and mushroom mayonnaise number from Brindisa; and a beef slider with burrata and smoked aubergine compote from L’anima. The event takes place on 5 June, from 6pm. Tickets cost £15 and include a beer and two of The Gun’s own sliders as well as the chance to taste all the others as you go. Get more info and read about all the entries.
Bakery rooms
St John Bakery Rooms is to open on Maltby Street market next month. Open weekend daytimes only, it will serve a number of well-loved St John dishes including their bacon sandwiches for breakfast, eccles cakes and their custard, jam or salted caramel filled doughnuts which we’ve raved about before. The St John bakery will continue to operate as normal around the corner on Druid Street.
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 [email protected]. ‘Til next week…
