October’s Most Promising Restaurant Openings

October brings with it an intriguing selection of restaurant openings in London, spanning a breadth of world-inspired cuisines. Something Curated highlights the most promising eateries and pop-ups launching this month.

 

Kiln Soho || Ben Chapman

After the opening of Thai barbecue restaurant Smoking Goat, Ben Chapman has launched another eatery, this time on Brewer Street. The menu takes inspiration from Thailand’s border; the Burmese and Yunnanese dishes are a combination of grilled items and a daily noodle dish. The majority of the food is prepared in open kilns designed by Chapman himself. Designer Dan Preston is responsible for the long stainless steel counter and the open kitchen. Even though the menu is Asian-inspired, the products used by the kitchen are British, including aged lamb, reared by Cornwall Project farmer Dave Soper. The grill menu also features northern-style offal larbs, Yunnan-cured sausage, suckling pig and curried cockles. Larger plates include roast goose with pickled greens and grilled aged sirloin.

 

Motu || Karam, Jyotin & Sunaina Sethi

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Motu is the latest offering from the Sethis, the super siblings behind some of the most exciting restaurants in London today, including Michelin-starred Trishna and Gymkhana and the award-winning Hoppers. Motu, a name derived from the affectionate Hindi term for “Fat Man”, will be a delivery service serving unashamedly indulgent home style Indian food, paying homage to the British love of a classic Indian takeaway, as well as the “dabbawalas” of India who would traditionally deliver a packed meal for workers across Indian cities in what became known as a tiffin. Based in Battersea, Motu will initially serve the area around south west London including Fulham, Clapham, Chelsea and Battersea, and will be delivered to doors via a partnership with the popular delivery service, Deliveroo.

 

April’s Cafe || Pablo Flack & David Waddington

Bistroteque and Hoi Polloi founders, Pablo Flack and David Waddington, have made their first leap over to West London with April’s Cafe at Boutique 1, off Sloane Square. Having both studied in London, the pair met at The Bricklayers Arms in Shoreditch in 1994, while Flack managed the pub. Changing the restaurant landscape in East London forever, Bistrotheque was a new type of eatery in Bethnal Green. Offering a similar selection of all-day dining classics as their East London debut, along with cocktails, cold-pressed juices and Allpress coffee, April’s Cafe provides shoppers respite and refreshments inside the clothing store. The new dining space, designed by Halstead Leong, includes open plan booth seating, plenty of greenery, and an outdoor terrace seating twelve.

 

Rude Health Café || Camilla & Nick Barnard

With a vibrant use of colour and natural finishes, Rude Health Café brings a distinctive West Coast aesthetic to London. Camilla Barnard, who co-founded the company with her husband Nick and two friends back in 2005, are keeping the ethos of their health products and applying it to the menu of the eatery. NOW have worked with Rude Health to capture the vitality and energy of the brand, product and packaging, embracing the strong visual architecture of the 1930’s car showroom to create an eye-catching pink facade. The calm interior space is fashioned from grey washed oak timber, concrete render and calacatta marble with highlights of bright blue coated steel furniture. A seasonal menu is projected onto the wall, facilitating a regularly updating list of dishes, as well as up-to-the-minute social media.

 

Anzu || Emma Reynolds & Kensuke Yamada

The founders of the popular Tonkotsu, Emma Reynolds and Kensuke Yamada, have planned to open a Japanese Brasserie in the new St James’s development. With several locations in London including Hackney, Oxford Street, Soho and Notting Hill, the ramen noodle restaurant group is looking to create a different vibe with Anzu. The eatery will offer high quality dishes and service in a relaxed surrounding created by Blenheim Design. And running the front of house is restaurant consultant and writer Thomas Blythe. The kitchen will use fresh, seasonal and sustainably sourced ingredients to create a traditional daily Teishoku set lunch, served alongside a select range of wines, sake, Japanese beers, whiskies and cocktails.

 

Kiri || David Leroy

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Named after the principle tool of a Japanese master carpenter, Kiri is all about using quality ingredients to make modern izakaya dishes. This is the latest offering from the team behind Mayfair’s Chisou restaurant. Kiri, also located in Mayfair, offers typical Japanese dishes infused with Korean influences, from light raw fish capriccios to hearty bone-in ribeye steaks with yakiniku sauce. The drinks menu is comprised of an impressive list of sake coming from small producers. Kiri’s interior is a cosy mix of natural woods and warm lighting with many nooks and corners to enjoy a meal with friends, and the eatery will also offer outside seating in the summer months.

 

PFGT || David Darmanin

A gourmet toast pop-up is coming to Hackney. David Darmanin, owner and “toaster-in-chief” of Pretty F*cking Good Toasts, referred to as PFGT, is commencing a residency at Machine No.3 in Homerton throughout October. Darmanin started out 19 years ago cooking for the homeless in Malta. After studying culinary arts and hospitality management, he became a food writer by day and restaurant chef-owner by night. He moved to London after a stint at renowned Copenhagen restaurant Noma. PFGT’s toasts are made with sourdough bread and delivered all around London on a cargo bike. For the residency, chef Darmanin has concocted a menu blending unexpected toppings, which include harissa, marmite, and seaweed butter.