P.F Chang’s Is Launching in London and More Restaurant News

The latest U.S. chain to come to London

• The U.S. chain P.F Chang’s is coming to London, reports Big Hospitality. The Asian restaurant chain has over 280 sites across the U.S., South America, Middle East and Asia. The 138-cover, street food-focused restaurant, which will open on Great Newport Street in Covent Garden — under the direction of ex-Nobu chef, Deepak Kotian — will be their first in the UK. It is scheduled to open this August. The group have also collaborated with London-based cocktail consultants, Fluid Movement, on the drinks list.

som saa and Smoking Goat come together for Thai Weekender

• This weekend, nu-Thai torchbearers, Smoking Goat and som saa, are collaborating at Climspon’s Arch in Hackney. On Saturday, som saa will be returning to grills on the site where they started; on Sunday they’ll be joined by Smoking Goat who will be showcasing some of the dishes that will appear on the menu at Smoking Goat 2.0 in Shoreditch later this year: principally, Tom Yum naam sai and Moo Yang — Thai ‘char siu’ from a custom charcoal smoking barrel. The ‘Thai Weekender’ will take places across the weekend of 22 —23 July at Arch 374, Helmsley Place, Hackney, E8 3SB.

Gelupo Summer Series

• Since it’s summer, it is relevant to announce that Gelupo, Jacob Kenedy’s gelato shop in Soho, has created a global gelato series, having collaborated with a number of other Soho restaurants. The series launches on 1 August and will run throughout the summer. These are the restaurants (and their flavours): Temper (lime, habanero salt, mescal); Island Poke (pineapple and chilli); Blanchette (strawberries and Beaujolais); JinJuu (green tea, red bean swirl and white chocolate covered crispies); The Palomar (tahini ice cream with date honey, toasted pistachios and rose petal kataifi); Quo Vadis (Campari and grapefruit); and Ceviche (cancha and salted dulce de leche).

From pit BBQ to Michelin-starred Italian in Mayfair

• CODE reports that Oscar Holgado has been appointed the new head chef at Murano — Angela Hartnett’s Mayfair restaurant. He moves from Pitt Cue in the City; he had previously worked at Simon Rogan’s Fera at Claridge’s, which is now closed. Holgado replaces Pip Lacey who is leaving to set up on her own.

All-day red king crab restaurant to open in Marylebone

• Fancy Crab is reported to be opening on Marylebone’s Wigmore Street in August. The 150-cover all-day restaurant will specialise in wild red king crabs from the North Pacific. Fancy Crab are also expected to be serving wine from London Cru — the so-called ‘first urban winery’ in the city.