The Best London Restaurant Openings This January
By Something CuratedHighlighting this month’s most promising restaurant launches, Something Curated takes a closer look at what to try, as well as the founders and proprietors behind the openings.
Moio || João Ferreira Pinto & Carolina W Seibel
Moio takes its name from an antiquated Portuguese unit of measurement used in the salt trade between Portugal and Sweden, which is where chef João Ferreira Pinto and sommelier Carolina W Seibel are respectively from. After spending time at Merlin Labron-Johnson’s Portland, the pair are going out on their own with Moio, which will serve up a modern European sharing plates menu with plenty of Portuguese influences.
188 Stoke Newington High Street, N16 7JD
Yeni || Civan Er
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsJQ_cTnRXz/
The restaurateur and chef behind Istanbul’s lauded Yeni Lokanta will be opening a restaurant on Beak Street in Soho this month. The menu, designed by Er, features a unique selection of plates that mingle authentic flavours with contemporary aesthetics. Among the signature dishes on offer are the over-roasted ribs, which come served on sourdough with cracked wheat, sour cherries and sumac molasses, or the kadajifi custard fritters with smoked buffalo milk ice cream.
55 Beak St, W1F 9SH
EartH Kitchen || Auro Foxcroft & Chris Gillard
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOAWbcnawv/
Housed in a repurposed art deco cinema in Dalston, EartH Kitchen is a neighbourhood-style restaurant located on the building’s first floor. The eatery comes from Auro Foxcroft, founder of Village Underground, and Chris Gillard, previously executive chef at St. John. Food is seasonal with small plates of griddled mackerel and pork and duck rillettes or slow roast lamb breast and vegan dishes like crispy polenta for something larger on offer.
11-17 Stoke Newington Road, N16 8BH
Stem + Glory || Louise Palmer-Masterton & Francois Winberg
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrICHJLBYyT/
Stem + Glory, which operates two vegan restaurants in Cambridge, is planning to open a first site in London. Typically for an all-vegan restaurant, the menu ranges globally rather than focussing on a particular cuisine. Vegetables replace fish in nori rolls, tempeh replaces bacon, and there is naturally a profusion of super-foods and diverse greens, with fresh customisable salads available.
60 Bartholomew’s Close, EC1A 7BN
Shola Karachi Kitchen || Aida Khan
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXi4wKogbug/
Shola Karachi Kitchen, is the first permanent London site for founder Aida Khan, who grew up in Abu Dhabi and Karachi. Chef Khan’s passion for cooking led to her hosting two seasons of the Pakistani TV show ‘For The Love of Food’. She went on to study at Leith’s School of Food and Wine and is delighted to bring the food she grew up with to London.
201 Wood Lane, W12 7TU
Peg || Phil Bracey, Will Gleave & Byron Fini
Technically an early February opening, Peg will be a counter seating restaurant led by P. Franco and Bright’s Phil Bracey. Decidedly relaxed with a distinctive edit of wines, simple food, and a small team, Byron Fini will be taking on the head chef role. Although partly inspired by a trip to Japan, with grilled skewer dishes featuring on the menu, the kitchen will not be focussed on one regional style of cuisine, embracing a breadth of international influences.
120 Morning Lane, E9 6LH
Feature image: Urad daal (via Pinterest)