Former Chiltern Firehouse Chef Heads London’s Latest Flagship Hotel Restaurant

Popular Soho and Earl’s Court coffee shop heads for West Brompton

Over Under Coffee will open a third site, and second fully-fledged coffee shop, opposite West Brompton station on 14 January. The café will continue its relationship with Brixton roaster Assembly Coffee for the opening at 12 Lilie Road.

Antipodean doughnut conquerors also go west

Crosstown Doughnuts will open in Hammersmith Broadway, bringing its number of London sites up to 16, inclusive of markets. [Hot Dinners]

Former Chiltern Firehouse head chef will lead new Stratford hotel

Allegra will open at The Stratford Hotel at Manhattan Loft Gardens in April 2019, with Patrick Powell leading the kitchen. Late 2018 and early 2019 have seen Corinthia London, The Dixon, Claridge’s, The Standard London, The Goring, and Hotel Café Royal announce or tease flagship restaurants. A parent business not reliant on the food operation’s success, (often) readily available investment, and easy entry to the London market; hotels, bakeries, food courts, and sequels; is 2019 the year of mitigated risk?

Hoxton restaurant appoints ex-Fera chef

Fera at Claridge’s is soon to make way for a new, much-rumoured restaurant, and chef Michael Thompson will move on to become head chef at Ryan Chetiyawardana and Doug McMaster’s Hoxton restaurant, Cub.

Barcelona hotspot launches in central London

Opium has opened on Rupert Street in Covent Garden, serving a typically club-restaurant menu of Iberian meets Japanese meets generic luxury: wagyu sliders; truffle sashimi; caviar sashimi; Iberico ham.