London Food And Drink News: 26 June 2014

Ben O' Norum
By Ben O' Norum Last edited 117 months ago
London Food And Drink News: 26 June 2014

Another slice: Pizza Pilgrims

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

Inside this week: pizza, pies, Peckham, pop-ups and more.

Pizza Pilgrims: the second coming

After making their name at street food markets, Pizza Pilgrims opened a restaurant on Dean Street last summer, proving just as popular. Now, they’ve announced plans for a second branch which will open on 11 July in Kingly Court, just off Carnaby Street. Pizza Pilgrims Pizzeria & Frigittoria will serve favourites from the existing branch, as well as some non-pizza newbies including deep-fried calzones (filled with tomato, salami, mozzarella, parmesan and basil), potato and mortadella croquettas, and arancini stuffed with ragu and mozzarella. Gelato from Soho’s Gelupo will be on hand for pudding. The restaurant is due to open on 11 July.

Forza Win: permanent in Peckham

Another nomadic Italian food set-up is getting a home next month. After having served pizzas from a City roof, run a bacon-filled brunch club in Bermondsey and put together a meaty barbecue in Bethnal Green, Forza Win have converted an old cash & carry on Copeland Road into a new restaurant called Dispensa. It will launch on 4 July and run every Thursday to Sunday evening until September. Forza Win’s signature wood fire will again be key to a menu based around spiedini (skewered meat) along with salads and some home-made pasta to start. Spritz and a beer vending machine will keep diners lubricated. Places must be booked in advance, supper-club style: tickets cost £25 and are available here. Beyond September, plans are underway to run one weekend event every month, focusing on different themes but always based around seasonal British produce, Italian cooking styles, and that all-important wood fire.

Mele e Pere: pub pop-up

On Monday, Soho Italian Mele e Pere will launch a month-long pop-up just around the corner from the restaurant, in old-time boozer Sun & 13 Cantons on Great Pulteney Street. The restaurant is one of our favourite Italians in London, and head chef Andrea Mantovani is putting together an interesting-sounding menu for the occasion that merges Italian cooking with pub classics, including a burger braised in Barolo wine and topped with pancetta and Asiago cheese. There will also be a list of bar snacks featuring deep-fried gnocchi and cured ham. The pop-up will run until 2 August, open for dinner from Monday to Saturday and for lunch on weekdays.

La Tagliata: there’s no choice

Limited menus are all the rage at the moment, from chicken or steak at Hixter to steak or King crab at Beast and burger or lobster at, well, Burger and Lobster. When La Tagliata opens in Spitalfields on 14 July, it will go a step further, offering just one main course. Only the Italian dish of tagliata, which features sliced sirloin steak on a rocket and parmesan salad, will be served, accompanied by a single fresh pasta starter (with a choice of sauces) and a few puds.

Pies in Putney

Traditional pie, mash and eel shops might be a dying breed, but a new pie restaurant will open near Putney bridge this July. Putney Pies will serve sweet and savoury pies for brunch, lunch and dinner, accompanied by sixteen craft beers and ciders. It will come complete with a sizeable riverside terrace to enjoy the pies and pints on, while a subterranean bar will also open later in the year.

Toilet wine

It may not sound that appealing, but there’s nothing unsanitary about new Clapham wine bar WC, which is due to open next month. Set in a 100 year-old public toilet right next to Clapham Common station (and underneath it), it features an outdoor area and a subterranean space. While wine and charcuterie (W & C) will be the main offerings, another highlight will be Brixton Brewery beer on tap for the very first time.

More new openings

Regular market traders Arabica have opened a fully fledged restaurant in Borough, it’s now on soft-launch with 50% off food until Monday. New Parisian restaurant Brasserie Gustave has launched on Sydney Street in Chelsea, promising many dishes served on a trolley and finished tableside, from whole seabass to Crêpe Suzette. Dedicated bar The Club Room has opened underneath Soho’s Russian restaurant Bob Bob Ricard and is now on soft-launch, serving Thursday to Saturday from 8pm to 1am. And Greek restaurant Opso has just opened in Marylebone, although it’s only serving breakfast and lunch until 3 July.

There are also two new sites from Benugo in the West End. Stephen St Kitchen has opened at the bottom of the BFI offices near Tottenham Court Road, and Wellcome Kitchen will launch at Wellcome Collection on Euston Road on Monday as an extension of the current Wellcome Café. Benugo also runs Bishopsgate Kitchen and has restaurants in the British Museum and Serpentine Gallery among many other venues and train stations.

Meanwhile, we’ve finally got a date for the long-awaited reopening of Peckham Bazaar. Diners will once again be able to get a hit of the restaurant’s Balkan offerings as of 16 July officially, though soft-reopening has been mooted from 8 July.

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 hello@londonist.com. ‘Til next week…

Last Updated 26 June 2014