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Here are the biggest restaurant openings for spring 2020 in London: a follow-up restaurant and wine bar from Meghan and Harry’s chosen cake-maker Claire Ptak, in Hackney, a bigger version of London’s coolest bakery — in Finsbury Park, a very exciting Mexican fine dining debut, a revival of an institution, a Soho debut for one of the city’s most creative chefs, and a vast new seafood restaurant from London’s cleverest brasserie barons.
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Big Jo
Address: 318 — 326 Hornsey Road, N7
Key people: Jeremie Cometto and David Gingell
What to expect: A huge new production bakery for the design-focused and ingredient-obsessed owners of Primeur, Westerns Laundry, and Jolene in north London. They say it will have the capacity to serve ten new satellites, which will open over the next two years. A 60-cover restaurant will sit at heart of the day-to-day operation.
Projected opening: May 2020
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Violet Corner
Address: 121-123 Mare Street, London Fields E8
Key people: Violet’s Claire Ptak
What to expect: Cakes and pastries piled high on the counter, quiches, toasties and salads for lunch, and aperitivo hour from 5 p.m. onwards. Inspired by Paris and brought to London Fields by one of the city’s favourite baker-pâtissières.
Projected opening: May
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Kol
Address: 9 Seymour Street, W1
Key people: Santiago Lastra of Noma Mexico and Mugaritz
What to expect: All signs point to a thrilling new central American fine dining operation with “Mexican soul, British ingredients”: Expect high-end tacos and tostadas, chilpachole crab broth with pistachio guacamole tostadas; and turbot cooked in corn husks — all from an open kitchen in the centre of the dining room. The wine programme will be plural with a list which incorporates selections from Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Oaxaca.
Projected opening: May 2020
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Noble Rot Soho
Address: 2 Greek Street, Soho W1
Key people: Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew and head chef Paul Weaver of Noble Rot
What to expect: The only apparent difference at the forthcoming Noble Rot on the former site of the Gay Hussar is that there will be no bar and customers will have to both eat and drink, which shouldn’t be a problem so long as the blueprint from the deceptively simple and wildly successful Bloomsbury original is replicated.
Projected opening: May/June
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Claro
Address: 22 Bateman Street, Soho, W1
Key people: Leandro Carreira of The Sea, The Sea and Alex Hunter of Bonnie Gull Fitzrovia
What to expect: Peerless seafood cooking and modern riffs on Portuguese classics in Soho from one of London’s best and most creative young chefs. Expect dishes like pork with almonds and chilli, mackerel with seaweed butter, grilled shellfish, raw seafood, the Prego steak sandwich, and outstanding ice creams.
Projected opening: April
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Manzi’s
Address: 1 – 8 Bateman’s Buildings, W1, incorporating 55 Greek Street, W1
Key people: Chris Corbin and Jeremy King
What to expect: Distinguished from Corbin and King’s most famous restaurants, The Wolseley, Brasserie Zedel, and The Delaunay, Manzi’s will be a fully pescatarian restaurant, occupying a large two-floor space on the edge of Soho Square. About it, King said last week: “[It is] blessed with windows on both sides of the dining room for great light and this very brightness and airiness was very influential in determining it to be a pescatarian restaurant.”
Projected opening: May