With the New Year just around the corner, there are a whole host of restaurants waiting to open their doors in the UK in 2019. Here are a selection of ones that you are going to be itching to visit.
Ex Noma chef, Leonardo Pereira is coming to Covent Garden. Having worked at the iconic Noma for the five years and more recently The Greenhouse there are high expectations for this restaurant. The restaurant will feature Iranian food with British produce. That means dishes like: raw scallop and Iranian caviar and pomegranate, goat’s milk and pistachio to name but two.
It is due to open in January 2019. If that is too long to wait however they do have a popup at Brick Lane’s Hopscotch until Christmas.
The Crown, Chiswick
Henry Harris is making more pubs around London and The Crown is the latest iteration. Known for his bourgeois cooking he has described the cuisine at The Crown as as “Mediterranean leaning, with Sicilian inflections".
Originally the pub was due to be named ‘The Harlot’, however the name was quickly scrapped due to it not being suitable. The Crown is going to open in January 2019.
Having recently opened Kerridge’s Bar and Grill, getting Sager + Wilde to take over the Bassoon Bar and having a BBC television show based around it, the Corinthia has been busy. It also has no intention of stopping, with its newest introduction, Andre Garrett. He will be taking over The Northall among other things.
Hailing from Somerset, Andre Garrett knew from a young age that being a chef was what he wanted to be. The youngest head chef at Nico Central has had a successful career in the industry. Winning the Roux Scholarship and a Michelin Star at Galvin’s Orrery.
In this new chapter of his life Andre will be taking The Northall in a new direction, with a new menu that is inspired by the Mediterranean.
Tom Sellers of Michelin-starred Story has consulted on the menu, which will be implemented by The Court's team of chefs. Ryan Chetiyawardana, known as one of the world’s most influential bartenders, has sorted out the drinks, and Richard Haddon, who used to be the general manager at Mahiki is managing the front of house.
The man behind this is best known for his appearances on social media as ‘Salt Bae’ is opening up a steakhouse in London. For those not in the know Nusret Gökçe was filmed cutting and seasoning a piece of steak. While this sounds particularly ordinary, the panache with which he seasoned the steak transformed him into an internet sensation. Subsequently he has begun to open up restaurants around the world serving mainly steak.
Adam Handling has had a swift rise to the top. The first ever trainee chef at Gleneagles, Fairmont’s youngest ever head chef, Scottish Young Chef of the Year 2011 and Scottish Chef of the Year 2015 he is embracing a new challenge at the Belmond.
Opening in early 2019, Handling hopes to handle the pressure by updating the afternoon tea by making it into a profusion of cake and chocolates; he also has plans for the breakfast, where he intends to master the art of the perfect croissant.
It is worth noting that it has been said that while it is Handlings restaurant, Adam Simmons is reported to be in charge of the kitchen.
Based in the converted old Savoy Cinema foyer, Chris Gillard has been recruited to jazz up the food scene in EartH Kitchen. Situated in the first flor it is a large space with room for up to 150 guests.
Previously the executive chef at St. John, Gillard will be making a seasonal, pared-back dishes. He has also explained a commitment to the community and will taking in apprentices from Hackney City College.
Three Michelin-starred Quique Dacosta who has a eponymous restaurant named 68th in the world is coming to London.
The restaurant will focus on rice, which is not overly common in high end cuisine, and will be based in Fitzrovia. Showcasing his unique cooking style and the best in Spanish ingredients it is due to open in early 2019.
The follow up to Bob Bob Ricard, Bob Bob Cite will be based in the Cheesegrater and open in March 2019. Keeping the famous ‘Press for Champagne’ buttons that were so loved in Bob Bob Ricard.
Eric Chavot will be taking charge in the kitchens, changing the menu from being Anglo-Russian to French and he will also become executive chef across the two Bob Bob restaurants.
Lee Westcott is heading out of the big city to open a restaurant with rooms in the Netherwood Estate next year. This is following the closure of his respected restaurant Typing Room back in June. Westcott hopes to use produce grown and foraged on the farm and its grounds.
Westcott has a wealth of experience behind him having staged at Noma in Denmark and Per Se in New York.
Michelin starred Adam Stokes is opening his second restaurant in Birmingham. An oyster bar and seafood restaurant guests will be able to sit at a separate oyster bar area where the chefs can be seen shucking oysters.
Unnamed project
Jeremie Cometto-Lingenhein and David Gingell, known for Primeur and Westerns Laundry, Newington Green Bakery, and wine bar Jolene will open a fourth restaurant in Cornwall in summer 2019.
Announced on Instagram it is going to be a more relaxed affair than in their London restaurants, representative of the slower pace of life in Cornwall.
By Cameron Huck
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