London Food And Drink News: 29 May 2014

Ben O' Norum
By Ben O' Norum Last edited 118 months ago
London Food And Drink News: 29 May 2014

The beers on the bus go down and down...

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

Inside this week: big openings, barmy hours and a beer bus

All tomorrow’s openings

It’s a big one tomorrow with the launch of three new venues all boasting pretty impressive credentials. Corbin & King (the restaurateurs behind Brasserie Zédel and The Wolseley, among others) will launch Fischer’s, a Vienna-style brasserie in Marylebone. Russell Norman launches his fourth Polpo restaurant on the same day, with 50% off food all weekend. Set on Notting Hill Gate, it will be more than double the size of any of the other branches and will have a stand-alone bar for the first time, meaning you can pop in for a drink even if you’re not eating. Finally, Pavilion will open on High Street Kensington, featuring a deli, Champagne bar and florist as well as the main restaurant area. Adam Simmonds, formerly at Danesfield House in Slough, will oversee a British menu focused on seasonal ingredients.

Beer bus

It’s come just a bit late for our Year of the Bus walk, but finally there’s a way to combine drinking and buses without upsetting TfL. The ten-tap Craft Beer Bus has taken up residency at Eastfields Yard in London Fields where it’s currently open Saturdays and Sundays only from 11am-11pm. There’s also some smoked BBQ meats on offer to help line your stomach, and plans for the bus to open daily from mid June.

Putting down noodles

Popular pop-up United Ramen have announced plans to put down roots and open a permanent restaurant on Islington’s Upper Street later this year. Due at the start of September, the restaurant will serve United Ramen’s signature fusion noodle dishes such as a Korean-inspired salmon kimchi ramen, or a British-minded roast beef ramen with mini Yorkshire puddings and wasabi gravy.

After midnight snacks

London is set to gain another private member’s club, and another sky high restaurant and bar next month as APM opens on the 31st floor of Centre Point. The letters in the name stand for Always Past Midnight, and the description is apt as the venue will open at 2.30am every Friday and Saturday night (or rather Saturday and Sunday morning) and run until 7am. The menu will have just four dishes, all breakfast inspired. Somewhat curiously, the team have worked with food magazine FOUR to involve top chefs such as Simon Rogan and Jason Atherton in devising the menu, which will change every three months. We can’t help but think the house music that plays until beyond sunset will be the bigger draw, though. An opening date and membership details are still to be confirmed.

Hamming it up

A new hotel will open in Soho on Sunday, on long disused Ham Yard near Piccadilly. Ham Yard Hotel comes from the same people as The Soho Hotel and The Charlotte Street Hotel, and will come complete with a restaurant and bar of the same name. The restaurant will serve all-day British fare, while the bar will include a cocktail club that sees members receive monthly cocktail mixes stored in named bottles.

More openings

Riverside Chiswick pub The City Barge has re-launched, boasting a gastropub menu based around fresh seafood and a large garden next to the water. And over in Battersea, The Latchmere has re-opened under the new ownership of Renaissance Pubs, who also run The Tommyfield in Kennington and The Avalon in Balham among others. Not far away, posher-than-your-average fish & chip shop group Kerbisher & Malt have launched their fourth site on Clapham's Abbeville Road. It joins branches in Brook Green, Ealing and Mortlake. The same street will also be getting a bit of Mexican action: Comensal will serve modern takes on Mexican classics, while its bar area will be well-stocked with tequila, mezcal and Mexican beers, as well as promising a mighty fine Margarita. It opens on soft-launch this Saturday, with 50% of food until 5 June. Looking further ahead, the Hawksmoor team have announced that their new Knightsbridge restaurant will open on 3 July with soft-launch from 16 June.

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 29 May 2014