RESTAURANTS
A big year lies ahead for restaurateurs Russell Norman and Richard Beatty as firstly, they re-open Polpetto after their 2-year residency above the legendary French House ended. We can now once more enjoy the romantic, characterful restaurant from January when Chef Florence Knight and her team move to their new home at 11 Berwick Street. The restaurant will seat a hungry 70 (opposed to only 23 like before!) and it will feature an aperitivo bar and open kitchen serving Venetian tapas. The group will also be opening a second Polpo restaurant in Notting Hill early in the year, with the 100-cover restaurant set to be the largest of their portfolio. All Norman and Beaty’s restaurants operate a strict no-booking policy but they are certainly worth the wait!
After her shock departure from Michelin starred Petersham Nursaries Café last year, chef Skye Gyngell is set to open her own London restaurant early in 2014, in partnership withHeckfield Place in Hampshire. Excitingly for South Londoners, Gordon Ramsey’s London House opens in a former coal warehouse in Battersea Square this February.
With Head Chef Anna Kelly promising a modern European menu using local British and artisan ingredients, there will be separate bar serving bespoke cocktails, London brewed beers and a lengthy wine list. No Kitchen Nightmares expected here!
If this all sounds a little too fancy pants, and you’re looking for more of a quick fix, the first UK branch of the American shrimp chain Bubba Gump opens in Piccadilly Circus this year. The restaurant is based on the characters in the epic film Forrest Gump and you can expect (in the words of Bubba…) “pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. with garlic… shrimps with mayonnaise… shrimps with…”
