Spring has sprung, and so have lots of new restaurants, pubs, refurbs and cafés. Sophie Farrah surveys the latest arrivals...
Chiswick
1. Maryam's Cafe
Two new Persian eateries have recently arrived in Chiswick; firstly, Maryam’s Café, owned by Persian food blogger and chef Maryam Sinaiee, who is dishing up fresh, healthy salads, soups and homestyle Persian dishes, as well as tea, coffee, cake and Persian sweets.
2. Rendezvous
Nearby and due to open this month is new restaurant Rendezvous, which promises a ‘modern twist’ on Persian cuisine.
3. Chiswick’s new Crown
The Crown has recently opened in the former Carvosso’s site on Chiswick High Road and I had an extremely good meal there recently. Award-winning chef Henry Harris is at the helm of the kitchen, together with Daniele Zaffora (Claude’s Kitchen, Racine, The Arts Club). Menus feature the signature classics for which Henry is renowned, alongside Mediterranean touches injected by Sicilian-born Daniele.
4. Say hello to Shams
This new Lebanese restaurant on Chiswick High Road serves up traditional mezze, salads, casseroles and charcoal-grilled meats, alongside tasty sambousek (traditional fried and filled puff pastry) and freshly baked pitta.
5. New menu at Crucial
The Crucial Café can be found at the Hogarth Health Club, but you don’t have to be a member to enjoy its fresh, healthy and inventive breakfasts, lunches, daily specials, smoothies and more. The new menu features shakshuka, sweet potato cakes with pico de gallo, and the Crucial Plant Club sandwich, filled with falafels, avocado pea smash, hummus and tomato.
6. Café culture
The Post Room Café is Chiswick’s new speciality coffee and loose leaf tea haven. This pet-friendly spot has plenty of outside seating and serves freshly baked pastries and very good cake too – don’t miss the bite-sized canelé or the raspberry croissants…
7. Eat al fresco at Kew Gardens
After an ambitious two-year redevelopment, The Pavilion Bar and Grill at Kew Gardens opens its doors this month with a ‘fast-casual’ dining offer. Watch as seasonal dishes, such as BBQ and orange pork belly ribs, whole bream, and a fire-roasted halloumi and vegetable stack, are grilled in an open kitchen. The restaurant also boasts a large outdoor terrace where the original ornamental vines have been incorporated into a newly planted landscape, created by Kew’s horticulturists.
8. Who’s a Good Boy?
Small but perfectly formed, Good Boy Coffee dishes up breakfast pots, sandwiches, cakes and good coffee in a ‘grab and go’ style. The name comes from owner Olivia Parker’s love of dogs (who are most welcome in the café). Expect simple food made with good quality ingredients, many sourced locally in Chiswick.
9. The Oak opens
From the team behind The Oak in Notting Hill and Goldhawk Road, and The Bird in Hand in Brook Green, The Oak SW11 is a stylish new all-day restaurant and bar in Battersea. The emphasis is on Mediterranean dishes for sharing and good pizza – the Contadina, with tomato, mozzarella, goat’s cheese, wild rocket, porcini mushrooms, caramelised onion and truffle oil, is delicious.
10. Ginema returns
After last year’s screenings, local ginmakers Hayman’s of London transforms its Balham distillery into a gin-themed pop-up cinema. Expect plenty of gin cocktails, gin and tonic sorbet and popcorn and a movie line up featuring Dirty Dancing, Cool Runnings, The Italian Job, The Goonies and Goldfinger.
Wandsworth
11. Move over Markle
There’s a new Megan in town. This popular Fulham neighbourhood eaterie has recently opened a new restaurant in Clapham Old Town, and another shiny new spot is due to open this month at Battersea Power Station. Go for all-day brunch, healthy salads and home cooked food influenced by the Mediterranean, along with Instagrammable interiors.
12. New neighbourhood pub
Clapham’s newest lively neighbourhood pub is The Perky Nel. This new drinking and dining spot is from the Livelyhood group (The Clapham North, The Regent and The Old Frizzle); inside there are comfy banquettes and casual high tables alongside a dedicated sports area with giant screens. Outside boasts a large terrace with festoon lights, plants and views out over the Common. Expect pub classics done well.
13. First site for Well Kneaded
Exactly seven years after first opening the hatch of its sourdough pizza van, the Well Kneaded team has opened its first permanent pizzeria in Earlsfield. As well as creating some of London’s most mouth-watering sourdough pizza, Well Kneaded was founded to offer employment opportunities to young people from SW London’s marginalised communities. Try the Fugazzetta, with white onion, Old Winchester cheese, Kalamata tapenade, oregano and mozzarella.
14. Filipino bakery opens in Battersea
The owners of one of London’s hottest new bakeries, Kapé and Pan, are due to open their third site – a coffee house and roastery in Battersea Park - this spring. Kapihan, which means ‘coffee house’ in Tagalog, will serve rotating single origin coffee alongside freshly baked treats, such as its famous kimchi croissants and other traditional Filipino classics.
15. Paris Meets Pondicherry
Putney riverside restaurant Bistro Vadouvan has teamed up with Michelin-starred Éric Chavot to create a new menu called ‘Paris Meets Pondicherry’. Inspired by two cities that encapsulate the style of Vadouvan’s head chef Durga Misra’s cooking, the set menu features dishes such as cinnamon and bay leaf flavoured beetroot croquette and gurnard cooked with fresh lime, coconut and green chilli, served to the table in a banana leaf.
Three-course set menu for £35 pp (including arrival cocktail) available Tues-Sun until the end of May.
16. Gourmet gaming
An exciting new gaming and restaurant concept Rebound arrives at the former Pizzastorm site in the Southside Shopping Centre, with shuffleboards, ‘foosball’, arcade games and pool tables, and a selection of artisan pizzas and pasta dishes, plus vegan options and brunch at the weekends.
17. Lost Society makes a comeback
Known for its house party vibes, South London hotspot Lost Society is back with an impressive 1920s style art deco makeover. Expect regular live music, ‘Disco Brunches’, huge Sunday roasts and a lovely new garden, as well as a brand new food and drinks menu.
18. New Orleans in Tooting
Tooting’s new Bayou Bar is the first permanent site from the Street Food Union and Slingin’ Po Boys, and it offers a true New Orleans feel. The focus is on authentic New Orleans cocktails and food, and a true ‘dive bar’ feel, as well as busy events, line up and live bands, playing jazz, rhythm and blues, and more.
Richmond
19. On The Hill
Due to open in April
With interiors inspired by the town’s rich heritage and the flora and fauna of Richmond Park, 144 On The Hill (opening in April) is set to be an all-day dining destination, offering ‘Turf to Table’ menus featuring a number of British classics and sharing plates made with seasonal ingredients, including meat from Surrey Farm, honey from Richmond Bee Keepers, Kew organic gin, and fruit and vegetables from local farmers.
20. Delicious deli opens in Sheen
Lovely new deli Culver + Nelson is brimming with treats, including fresh bread, artisan cheese, craft beer and wine and a refill station where you can stock up on essentials. There are tables where you can enjoy coffee, cake and homemade food, too.
21. All change at Carluccio’s Richmond
Carluccio’s turns 20 this year, and to celebrate a series of ‘next generation sites’ are being unveiled, starting with Richmond. Following a major refurb, there are modern and stylish interiors and a new menu too; try the seafood linguine with prawns, mussels and squid, topped with a whole langoustine and bottarga.
22. Home smoking arrives in Twickenham
Twickenham restaurant Salt Flakes is championing the hottest food trend of the moment by recently introducing its own smoked meats to the menu. The casual dining eatery, which recently announced a partnership with celebrity chef Damian Wawrzyniak, will make its own charcuterie on site, with smoked fish, smoked hams, bacon and sausages.
23. New pub for Barnes
With its prime location on the river, the old Strada site has finally been transformed. From the team behind The Express Tavern in Brentford, the venue has been converted back to its former pub glory and has even reverted to its original name – The Waterman’s Arms. Expect proper ales, and all day pub grub, as well as river views.
24. The Park, Teddington
Following an extensive refurbishment courtesy of new owners Young’s, The Park in Teddington has been given a new lease of life, and now boasts a stylish snug, bright bar and elegant restaurant. Original features have been restored and luxury furnishings introduced, whilst the menu in The Parlour restaurant takes inspiration from Hampton Court Palace.
25. New look (and name) for The Bingham
Richmond riverside hangout The Bingham has recently relaunched as the Bingham Riverhouse following a full refurbishment. All 15 rooms have been overhauled and the three-AA-rosette restaurant has a new marble bar and swish lounge.
26. The Angel & Crown transformed
After a period of different owners, 450-year-old Richmond pub the Angel & Crown has been refurbished and taken on by the seasoned landlord and restaurateur Nick Botting, and there’s a new head chef in the kitchen too – award-winning Georgio Bassani.
27. Tree House takeover
Barnes’ Tree House pub closed suddenly at the end of last year, but it has been revived thanks to the team behind The Telegraph in Putney. There are a large, garden, good grub and a series of special wine events, from paired dinners and tastings to vineyard excursions.
28. Italian style
Teddington’s beloved Shambles, located in a former grade-II butcher’s, may have a fresh new look, but its Italian classics are still as tasty.