Welcome to our weekly round-up of all that’s happening in London’s food and drink scene.
Inside this week: Jamie Oliver, Jobcentres and The Gherkin.
Dine in The Gherkin
While there has always been dining space at the top of The Gherkin, it has rather annoyingly been reserved solely for members, tenants and private functions. But not anymore. As of Monday, the restaurant on floor 39 will open to the public for five weeks in celebration of its 10th year. It will serve one and all before reverting to its exclusive roots after 4 September. The restaurant is run by Searcy’s (who also run the Champagne bars in St Pancras and One New Change, among many other venues) and will offer either a 10-course tasting menu for £70 or a three-course menu for £45 (£35 at lunch). See details and book on the restaurant’s website. Were this permanent, it would shoot straight into joint second-place in our list of London’s highest-up restaurants, beaten by Duck & Waffle and tied with Sushisamba both in the Heron Tower, but above every restaurant in The Shard.
Oliver’s expansion
Piccadilly will become the latest place in the capital to get the Jamie Oliver treatment, as the celebrity chef has announced he will open a second Barbecoa restaurant. It will follow the same format as the original in St Paul’s, majoring in barbecued meat, beer and bourbon cocktails. Interestingly, Barbecoa St James will be just a stone’s throw from Gordon Ramsay’s upcoming opening Heddon Street Kitchen, which is a spin-off from the original Barbecoa’s neighbour, Bread Street Kitchen. There is also due to be a Jamie Oliver opening in King’s Cross soon, though it’s not clear what form this will take.
Pub antics
Pub group Antic has caused controversy by naming its latest opening The Job Centre. The Deptford High Street pub has taken the place of a former job centre, but one local resident has complained that the name “sends an extremely insulting and profoundly negative message about the role of your establishment in the neighbourhood and your view of the majority of the people who live there”, and that the pub “is for the new people moving into Deptford, for whom Jobcentres are a joke, and not the existing residents of Deptford, for whom Jobcentres are often a necessity”. Read the full story and tell us what you think. Antic’s other pubs include The Antelope in Tooting, Balham Bowls Club, The Tiger in Camberwell and The Old Red Lion in Kennington.
Brightoning up Pimlico
Boutique Brighton hotel Artist Residence is coming to London, and bringing a version of its 64 Degrees restaurant with it. The Brighton restaurant is quite possibly the seaside town’s hippest spot at the moment, serving small plates based around simple, seasonal ingredients. It was recently voted 36th best place to eat in the UK in the National Restaurant Awards. The London version is due to open in Pimlico at the end of August.
New openings
La Tagliata has opened in Spitalfields, offering just one main course option. Peyton and Byrne has opened two new casual eateries, one in the newly relaunched Imperial War Museum and another in Greenwich close to the Maritime museum. Burger pop-up Brioche has launched in Covent Garden, taking the place of PipsDish and brought about by the same team. It will run all summer offering burgers made with seasonal British ingredients and the namesake brioche buns.
Opening soon
Eelbrook will launch in Fulham on 28 July, promising ‘casual fine dining’ and serving dishes made with the best of British ingredients. Japanese ramen restaurant Kanada-Ya is to launch on St Giles High Street in September. And it’s a while off, but in around a year’s time Islington will get another burger spot as MeatLiquor opens on Upper Street.
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…
