NETJETS EU VOLUME 16 2021

GOURMET GUIDE
NOTABLE NEWCOMERS
London’s restaurateurs are a resilient bunch.
Chuck anything you like at them: a pandemic,
Brexit, supply chain glitches, rising food prices,
month after month with too many staff and not
enough customers, followed by a surfeit of eager
customers and a dearth of staff, and what do they
do? Keep calm, and carry on opening.
It has been a vintage season for new London
restaurants. Investors have been happy to put
their money where our mouths are, confirming
the underlying health of the capital’s dining scene.
Locals are keen to go out and spend again, and,
with international travel back on the menu, the
city’s allure as a global destination is burgeoning
once more. From trattorias to steakhouses, from
the West End to Crouch End, featuring cuisines
from five continents, there has never been a
better time to eat out in London.
One continent showing strongly this year is
North America: take old Theatreland warhorse
Joe Allen (joeallen.co.uk), for instance, revived
by restaurateurs Tim Healy, Lawrence Hartley
and Russell Norman, with ex-Ivy chef Gary Lee
presiding over a menu of hand-chopped steak
tartare, smoked baby back ribs and New York
cheesecake, served to the sound of a tinkling piano.
And in Mayfair, The Maine (themainemayfair.com)
promises the ambience of a New England brasserie
in a converted Hanover Square townhouse.
Over in Notting Hill, and following the recent
success of two other Stateside imports, Buvette
(ilovebuvette.com) and Eggslut (eggslut.com),
Sunday in Brooklyn (sundayinbk.co.uk) has
opened a two-floor outpost of the NYC original on
Westbourne Grove. It goes big on brunch (biscuits
CAPITAL FARE
Clockwise from top left: Pizzeria Mozza
at Treehouse Hotel; José Pizarro at the
RA; Manthan chef Rohit Ghai; native
lobster at MiMi Mei Fair
and gravy, steak and eggs) but the dinner menu
is enticing, too, and cocktails – as at Joe Allen –
are a strong suit. Try the Brass Taxi – mezcal and
banana pepped up with espresso and wasabi.
Rounding off a notable year for Americans in
London, famed LA chef and sourdough pioneer
Nancy Silverton has opened the Mediterranean
garden-themed Pizzeria Mozza (treehousehotels.
com) in the Treehouse Hotel on Langham Place.
Antipasti include baked mussels with salsa
calabrese and arancini alla bolognese; sourdough
pizzas variously feature sottocenere (truffled
cheese), smoked pancetta, fennel sausage, and
Fresno chilis.
London has long been home to some of the best
Indian chefs on the planet, and they are not resting
on their laurels. Atul Kochhar, who held Michelin
stars at both Tamarind and Benares, has opened
the 200-cover Mathura (mathurarestaurant.co.uk)
in the old Westminster Fire Station, referencing
one of the capitals of the ancient Kushan Empire,
and featuring dishes inspired by the cuisines of
India’s neighbours. Expect clever spicing and an
über-smart tasting menu.
And chef Rohit Ghai, who found fame at
Jamavar, has returned to Mayfair to open
Manthan (manthanmayfair.co.uk), on Maddox
Street. Expect Ghai’s distinctly Indian take on
osso buco (made with lamb, not veal) and tacos
(made from lentils and stuffed with jackfruit), as
well as Punjabi-inspired sarson chicken and Sri
Lankan pol sambol.
Meanwhile, his former bosses at Jamavar
have drawn inspiration from Beijing’s Forbidden
Palace to open the opulent MiMi Mei Fair
(mimimeifair.com), occupying three floors of
© MOZZA
From trattorias to steakhouses,
there has never been a better
time to eat out in London
STEVEN JOYCE
66 NetJets