As hospitality businesses continue to re-open, a collection of brand new restaurants, bars, and pop-ups have also planned to open in London. We pick the most exciting new restaurant openings taking place throughout November.
London’s best new restaurant openings
Fallow, St James’s Market
Initially launched as a 12-week pop-up at 10 Heddon Street last year, Fallow will open a permanent site in St James’s Market. The sustainably-focused restaurant will continue to serve bold sharing-style dishes celebrating the most sustainable produce from across the British Isles and from their small holding near Esher. Whole animal butchery will be a particular focus, with the kitchen also having a dry ageing room.
On the launch menu, expect the likes of Fallow’s signature corn ribs with kombu seasoning, and mushroom parfait with shiitake and truffle, using mushrooms cultivated from used coffee grounds in the kitchen. Other highlights include British and Irish oysters from the raw bar; Fallow deer tartare; cod’s head with sriracha butter; ewe kebab with dill pickles and buttermilk; and cuts from retired dairy animals grazed on pasture, including dairy cow sirloin steak and rib of beef, and cull ewe mutton chop.
Fallow St James’s is set to open on Tuesday 16th November and can be found at 2 St James’s Market, London, SW1Y 4RP.
Sarap Filipino Bistro, Mayfair
Taking over Fallow’s former residency space, Sarap Filipino Bistro will open on 10 Heddon Street. A new restaurant from Ferdinand ‘Budgie’ Montoya, the space will follow the success of Sarap BAon in Brixton.
Meaning ‘delicious’ in Tagalog, Sarap’s new site will have a sleeker feel than the Brixton original, serving a ‘Bistro’ menu celebrating the chef’s Filipino heritage and roots. Paying homage to the sour, salty and sweet characteristics of Filipino cuisine, the menu is centred around Lechon suckling pig – a speciality of the Philippines and a signature at the Brixton restaurant. For Sarap Bistro, however, the slow-roasted suckling pig will be served whole, stuffed with lemongrass and truffled adobo pork rice. Elsewhere, dishes will include the likes of rellenong crispy pata (twice cooked adobo pork rice stuffed trotter); ensaladang talong (smoked aubergine, tomato and salted duck egg); monkfish escabeche; or ginisang monggo (squash stuffed with mung beans and spinach).
On the new opening, Ferdinand ‘Budgie’ Montoya said: “I’m so excited to be opening Sarap Filipino Bistro at 10 Heddon Street, it’s a fantastic site with a great track record in launching some great restaurants. I want to build on our work at Sarap BAon Brixton of championing FIlipino cuisine and showcase our cuisine in a modern and progressive light. This is not about elevation, this is about representation!”
Sarap Filipino Bistro is set to officially open on Tuesday 23rd November, following a soft launch period from 12th-18th November, offering 50 per cent off food. The new restaurant can be found at 10 Heddon Street, London, W1B 4BX.
Manteca, Shoreditch
Focussing on nose-to-tail cooking, hand rolled pastas, and fire cooked cuts to share, Manteca is relocating from Soho to Shoreditch. With a new area dedicated to the team’s in-house butchery and cured meats, the new restaurant’s menu will offer the likes of a house salumi plate with fennel pollen salame or black pepper and Lambrusco salami, coppa or ‘nduja, and sticks of coppiette; pig head fritti will be served with apple mostarda; and ‘nduja steamed mussels will accompanied by cream, parsley, and sourdough. Elsewhere, new dishes include clam flatbread; pig skin ragù; fazzoletti with duck ragù; and seaweed tagliatelle with smoked seaweed butter.
Designed to be shared, larger dishes include thick-cut Oxford Sandy and Black pork chop, and wood roasted sea bream, while the constantly changing line-up of specials may include house-made Stracciatella with olive oil; stuffed pig snout; zampone (stuffed trotter), or chicken offal frittata. To drink, the restaurant will serve a concise selection of aperitivi and amaro cocktails, with a house amaro made using artichoke leaves and chamomile.
On the Shoreditch opening, co-founder Chris Leach said: “While we’ve loved our residencies around London, it’s exciting to open our very own restaurant in Shoreditch which finally brings Manteca to life in the way I’ve always imagined. The hanging room is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time, and will give us the space to make and cure more salumi than ever, and to be quite experimental in what we do. We want Manteca to be somewhere that guests can come for a quick plate of pasta and glass of wine at lunch, or to take their time over cuts to share during a leisurely dinner with family and friends.”
Manteca is set to open on Tuesday 16th November and can be found at 49-51 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3PT.
Yatay, Chinatown
A new Japanese robatayaki restaurant and bar, Yatay will open in Chinatown this month. Inspired by the new age Izakayas of Tokyo and the street culture of Japan, the new restaurant will serve classic robatayaki skewers alongside raw dishes, salads, and small and large sharing plates.
In the kitchen, pickling and fermenting will be a crucial facet, with traditional Japanese techniques used to create modern fusion dishes. Highlights from the menu will include monk fish karaage with gochujang mayo; blow torched mackerel with wasabi and pickled ginger; Tsukune meatball skewers with confit egg yolk; king oyster mushroom with sudachi and mushroom salt; sweet potato with miso cured cream cheese and garlic chips; and stone bass in kombu with spiced sea urchin butter. A concise, well curated sake list will also be on offer, with plans for Yatay to launch a late night underground bar, Zoku, later this year.
Yatay is set to open on Tuesday 16th November and can be found at 22 Wardour Street, London, W1D 6QQ.
Dai Chi, Soho
From the team behind Angelina in Dalston, Dai Chi will be a new Japanese inspired kushikatsu restaurant. Exploring the art of deep-frying the highest quality vegetables, fish and meat on traditional kushi skewers, the new restaurant will bring a glimpse of Osaka’s famous Kushikatsu dining culture to Soho. As a nod to its sister restaurant, Dai Chi will serve its kushiage omakase style, with the option of a simple or more complex tasting menu. The set menu will begin with two crudo courses, followed by kushikatsu, including skewers such as lotus root, goma and black sesame whipped with tofu; scallop with bergamot ponzu and Exmouth caviar; lobster tail and Hokkaido brioche; or lamb neck with ginger, rosemary and soy, finished with harissa and mustard garnish. Diners will also be able to upgrade the omakase menu, with sticks of A5 wagyu tenderloin and white truffle, and deep fried oysters with blackberry and yuzu kosho granita.
Dai Chi is set to open in November and can be found at 16A D’Arblay Street, London, W1F 8EA.
Union Social at The Gantry, Stratford
A new design-led hotel, The Gantry will launch in Stratford this month. The venue will be home to a host of food and drink spaces, including a food market, an integrated café on the ground floor, a dedicated sparkling bar, an all-day restaurant and an 18th-floor sky bar with panoramic views across the city. On the first floor, Union Social will be the hotel’s main dining area, serving a relaxed all-day menu “with a global edge”. With Sicilian executive chef Salvatore Coco in the kitchen, the menu will showcase flavours from all around the world while championing produce from the south-east of England. On the menu, highlights are set to include tarragon risotto with roasted autumnal vegetables; sesame glazed sea trout with white miso tamari-mirin infused ginger broth; and Greek lamb meatballs with tzatziki, pickled red onion and pine nuts.
Union Social is set to open on Thursday 11th November and can be found at 40 Celebration Avenue, East Village, London, E20 1DB.
RELATED: Akoko brings West African fine dining to central London