Pic: REX GAINST the odds perhaps, but 2010 has been a cracking year for restaurant openings in London. From the old-fashioned cool of Soho's Dean Street Townhouse to Pierre Koffmann's return to glory, the cosy joy that is Polpo to Daniel Boulud's Knightsbridge bistro, there's been plenty to love. And if anything, the openings are accelerating. The close of this year and the start of 2011 sees a slew of big-name launches, of which the most important is the arrival in London of Heston Blumenthal, his restaurant opening alongside Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, while Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver also have launches. Here's the rundown of the soon-to-open restaurants that have London's gastronauts licking their lips.
WEST LONDON Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Opens 31 January After a bit of a delay, the superchef will finally be planting his flag in the capital at the end of January. With the kitchen overseen by his long-standing associate Ashley Palmer-Watts, it's going to be a different affair to Blumenthal's famous Bray HQ, with his take on a modern British menu. That means dishes like scallops with cucumber ketchup and peas and bergamot-cured mackerel salad. You'll find it in Knightsbridge's Mandarin Oriental Hotel [left], and don't worry – it may be called Dinner (oh Heston, you tease), but it'll be open for lunch too. 66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LA.
Cassis Opens 25 November Getting in on the trend for bistro dining, the fourth London venue from restaura- teur Marlon Abela – he's also behind Michelin starred places Umu and The Greenhouse. Eighty-Six Opens mid November Bang in the heart of Chelsea, Eighty-Six is a new bar and restaurant occupying a grand Georgian townhouse, founded by entrepreneurs George Adams and Charlie Kearns, whose other openings include a club in Verbier. Expect a particu- larly good cellar – Kearns comes from a family back- ground in the wine trade. 68 Fulham Road, SW3 6HR. www.86restaurant.co.uk
Now open East London's Hawksmoor has a justifiable claim to be London's premiere place to head if you're a steak or burger connoisseur, so the opening of its second site, in Covent Garden, is reason to be excited. The thought of a juicy porterhouse with beef dripping chips has us drooling. 11 Langley Street, WC2H 9JG.
The Savoy Grill
Opens 29 November Gordon Ramsay re-opens the Savoy Hotel's legendary restaurant later this month. In charge are chef director Stuart Gillies and head chef Andy Cook, with a menu – like the hotel and its restaurant – ooz- ing tradition: King Crab cocktail, lob- ster thermidor and Beef Wellington are present and correct.
Savoy Hotel, Strand, WC2R 0ET.
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