LONDON'S CULINARY HOTSPOTS
This month's go-tos, from a classical music extravaganza to the opening of Cafe Kowloon
Notting Hill's new cafe-wine bar Little Julie's is set to open next month. Illustration by Juliet Benini
Little Julie’s
Holland Park favourite Julie’s created a buzz when it reopened in Spring 2024 (having closed in 2022), under the new ownership of Tara MacBain – a Holland Park resident who trained at Le Cordon Bleu and was a long-time patron of the original restaurant. It is now a vibrant, all-day neighbourhood spot encapsulating its famed bohemian spirit within the contemporary surroundings of a French brasserie. Things have been going so well that a cafe and wine bar spin-off, Little Julie’s, popped up for two months in September and October last year. It too was adopted by the neighbourhood, and will open as a permanent venue this month.
Like the pop-up, the new space, located opposite Julie’s, will be a relaxed all-day affair transforming into an evening wine bar – with the addition of small plates. Chef Patron, Owen Kenworthy (formerly of The Pelican and Brawn), known for terroir and ingredient-led cuisine, will offer daily changing specials that will include breakfast dishes such as eggs with focaccia soldiers. At lunch, expect brioche rolls, sourdough sandwiches (such as salt beef) and homemade pastries served with coffee – which can also be ordered as a take away.
By evening, the lights will be dimmed, creating a cosy corner serving globally sourced wine “spanning a broad mix of regions with an extensive choice by the glass”. Kenworthy’s small plates have not yet been revealed but Julie’s lighter bites include Spider Crab Toast with lemon fennel (£6) or Nduja Scotch Egg (£7), alongside plates of Beef Tartare with fermented beer relish, yolk, and crispy shallots (£18/£36). Little Julie’s Restaurant, 102 Portland Rd, W11 4LW; @littlejuliesw11
The kitchen at Soho's Sucre, which specialises in open-fire cooking and is hosting a one-off dinner experience with The London Chamber Orchestra. Image courtesy of Sucre
Sucre London
Soho’s buzzy contemporary Latin American restaurant and bar – a go-to for open-fire cooking overseen by executive chef Jack Godik (formerly head chef for Jason Atherton at Little Social and the Social Eating House, and a gourmand who has worked across South America) – is housed in a former 310-year-old concert hall in London's Great Marlborough Street. Last month, Godik and the team hosted Origins, a cultural and culinary evening, attended by celebrities such as Simon Le Bon and Dame Kelly Holmes. Following the success of this one-off event, Sucre will be launching a 2026 program under the umbrella of “Origins at Sucre”.
Sucre was originally founded in Buenos Aires in 2001 by Argentinian chef Fernando Trocca, and has repeatedly featured on Latin American's 50 Best Restaurants list. The restaurant opened in London’s Soho in 2021, and added a third outpost in Dubai in 2022. Sucre London, 47b Great Marlborough St, W1F 7JP
The interior of Martino's: Sloane Square's new all-day Italian restaurant from the team behind The Dover. Image courtesy of Martino's
Martino’s
The Dover restaurateur Martin Kuczmarski’s new Sloane Street restaurant opened in December and is already a bustling contemporary spot with an ambience that's 1950’s Italian trattoria-meets-art deco chic. On arrival, the all-white reception area feels VIP, the capable staff are dressed in smart black and white tuxedos, and the restaurant’s decor marries clean-lines with dark, delicious accents of burr maple and chrome lighting, around a circular bar. Service begins at breakfast with dishes such as ricotta pancakes (£18), baked eggs arabbiata (£16), and handmade cornettos (£6). The rustic lunchtime soups (from £11) and the salads (from £15) are delicious and there’s crowd-pleasing Italian fare such as On the Bone Veal Milanese (£39) as well as an array of antipasti, pastas and pizza. Kuczmarski is busy expanding his culinary empire. He also opened Dover Street Counter just a few doors down from Mayfair’s The Dover: the experience, inspired by the counter-style dining of late 50’s Los Angeles, is set to a vibey soundtrack of 90’s R&B and soul played day to evening. Martino’s 37 Sloane Square, SW18 8AN
Pavyllon London is serving the capital's first ever Michelin-starred breakfast tasting menu at Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane. Image courtesy of Pavyllon
Pavyllon at Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane
Breakfast is the fastest-growing dining occasion in the UK, surging by almost 14% year-on-year, according to a report by market research company Kantar – the trend driven by changing work patterns (more morning meetings), demand for convenience, health trends, and social media, with restaurants becoming ever more inventive in how they present the first meal of the day. Pavyllon London has thrown down the gauntlet: offering the capital’s first-ever Michelin-starred breakfast tasting menu.
Created by executive chef Benjamin Ferra Y Castell, under the guidance of Yannick Alléno, the world's most decorated Michelin-starred chef (his restaurants hold 17 stars), the five-course experience (£70 per person) is served every weekend at the restaurant’s counter, where guests also get a taste of kitchen theatre. The experience begins with a bespoke amuse-juice and a seasonal bakery creation from executive pastry chef Francesco Mannino. Guests can then choose options such as chai pudding with mango or seasonal granola with berries before the main dish, which is either the Weekly Chef's Special – a changing breakfast which has previously including the Heart of Italy (pan-fried pizza with tomato and burrata), and Tiramisu Pancakes – or classic Eggs Royale (Caviar Oscietra is available as an extra at £5/g). A sweet treat of French Toast is then served, before guests depart with a gift of “Les Chocolats de Yannick Alléno”. Vegetarian and vegan options are also available as is a drinks menu (for an additional £20). Pavyllon at Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane Hamilton Place, W1J 7DR
The studio Bolt Design interior at Mayfair's Mazarine, a new go-to for French coastal cuisine by chef Thierry Laborde. Image courtesy of Mazarine
Mazarine Restaurant
Khaled Dandachi and Fred Srouchi, the duo behind Mayfair’s Sparrow Italia, opened this French seafood restaurant in Hanover Square with chef Thierry Laborde at the helm. Laborde trained under Alain Ducasse at Monaco’s three-Michelin-starred Le Louis XV and was also mentored by Albert Roux, under whom he became head chef at Le Gavroche at the age of 27. He earned his own Michelin star at St James's L’Oranger in 2003. In his new kitchen, he is flexing his culinary skills with his take on French coastal cuisine and a menu focussed on fish and seafood: Smoked Eel Croquettes (or “Croque Mazarine”), Salade Niçoise, Octopus Béarnaise, Raviole of Cornish Crab with lobster broth and citronelle and Le Grand Aïoli Marseillais (salt cod, sea urchin, langoustines, seasonal vegetables). Prices range from £9 for grilled savoy cabbage in an anchovy sauce, to £125 for the Dover Sole. It’s all enjoyed within a contemporary interior by American design studio Bolt Design, elevated by details such as a carved-stone bar and pearlescent ceiling.
Mazarine Restaurant, 22 Hanover Square, W1S 1JA
A taste of Hong Kong will be served at Cafe Kowloon, which opens in London Fields next month. Image courtesy of Cafe Kowloon
Cafe Kowloon
Mr Bao founders Frank Yeung and Abhinav Malde opened their new culinary concept with the mission of bringing a taste of Hong Kong’s dai pai dongs, street food stalls, cha chaan tengs, dim sum houses, cocktail bars, and single-dish restaurants to London Fields. The menu will include Grilled Curry Fish Ball Skewers (£3 each); Wok-fried Monkey Head Cheung Fun in Shiitake XO (the money head is of the mushroom variety, £12.20); Whole Grilled Sea Bass and Superior Soy Sauce (£29.30); and a Hong Kong French Toast (£9.50). There’s also an inventive cocktail menu and wine list. The space is tucked behind the noodle soup bar Wonton Charlie's – guests pass through here before stepping into a family-style dining space furnished with lazy Susans. Located back-to-back, the two venues showcase different sides of Hong Kong’s exceptional culinary culture. Cafe Kowloon, 394 Mentmore Terrace, E8 3PA
Chef Ying’s, shown here at her Southern Thai cooking school Somrom Space in Koh Samui, will take over Borough Market's Kolae at a special dining event this month. Image courtesy of Somrom Space
Somrom Space at Kolae
Som Rom means "gathering" or "combining" in the Southern Thai dialect, which encapsulates the immersive experience of chef Ying’s culinary project Somrom Space, a Southern Thai cooking school in Koh Samui, which uncovers traditional recipes with the philosophy that cuisine is a form of cultural expression.
On 20th January, Ying will make an appearance in the UK, taking over Borough Market’s Kolae – the Southern Thai restaurant from som saa co-founders Andy Oliver and Mark Dobbie, which specialises in the Kolae cooking technique (where meats and sometimes vegetables are marinated in, and repeatedly basted with, a rich coconut curry sauce, cooked over an open flame, creating a sweet, spicy, smoky and sticky glaze).
Ying’s collaboration with the restaurant, her first in the UK, showcases her own Southern Thai techniques and flavours in a one-off menu using British ingredients (£65 per person). There are seven dishes, which are rooted in Thai-Melayu and Hokkien Chinese influences, including a Salad of grilled scallop and green star fruit (Yum Teh Mung-Mang); Herbal soup of Tamworth pork shoulder (Moo Dtom Paa); and Chinese dumplings filled with peanuts, black and white sesame (Mho Jee). The house cocktail menu also has Thai twists such as a pickled mango dirty martini and a pandan pennywort spritz. Reservations can be made here. Kolae, 6 Park Street, SE1 9AB
A dish by Somrom Space. Image courtesy of Somrom Space
