London's best new restaurant openings since the end of lockdown

Wildflower
Wildflower

The restaurants and bars of London have been free from the shackles of lockdown since July 4, and those forced to – shudder – fend for themselves in the kitchen since March have wasted no time in flocking back to their favourite haunts. What's more, the city has a host of new places to try (many of which had their openings delayed due to the pandemic). This is our round-up of the best restaurants and bars that emerged on the food scene in July and August.

Instead of simply previewing every one of the capital's newest openings spots, each has been tried and tested by Telegraph experts to make sure they're up to scratch, including Punjabi classics from a MasterChef semi-finalist, heaven for pasta-lovers with stellar river views, and modern fine dining in a shipping container.

L'Artigiano

You wouldn’t guess it, but this is actually the second incarnation of L’Artigiano. Leandro Longo’s first iteration was a casual pasta bar on Old Street, geared towards the lunchtime rush, which closed when he moved to Mexico in 2017. The new home in Chelsea shifts emphasis to what is described as “contemporary fine dining”, with a menu of regional Italian flavours served in unexpected ways. Executive chef Ignacio Ruggiero’s all’Amatriciana, the gorgeous Roman pasta sauce, retains its rich, smoked pork flavour but is thickened and served with delicate gnocchi; frisella bread, a staple in Longo’s native Puglia, shakes its peasant traditions and is served as a dainty salad with tuna, physalis cream and oyster mushrooms.

The space is unassuming, a blend of mirrored walls and exposed brick painted charcoal grey, and some fake white petunias draped around the sky light in the back room (by far the best place to sit), but far more impressive is the wine list, with more than 150 Italian varieties available (at least 30 by the glass). Deconstructed tiramisu packs a coffee punch but will offend the purists, while the chocolate-pistachio dessert shows a deft touch to bring brownie, ice cream and a warm sauce together; seemingly simple but an impressive balance of different cocoa percentages.

Highlight: During lockdown I was forced to kick my habit of spontaneous restaurant visits when hankering for homemade pasta. L’Artigiano’s tagliolini verdi primavera was the showstopper that knocked me off the wagon, so much so that I returned a week later for more of the same. A bundle of silky pasta to pull apart, draped with buttery green vegetables.

Details: 343 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London SW10 9TW (020 3972 9848; lartigianorestaurant.co.uk)

Reviewed by Benjamin Parker

Green is good at L'Artigiano
Green is good at L'Artigiano

Wildflower

Camden’s eco-friendly Buck Street Market, created from recycled shipping containers painted vibrant shades and home to a jamboree of casual food stalls, is where chef-patron Adrian Martin (previously of MacNean House and Michelin-starred Bon Appetite in his native Ireland) has made his UK debut, a restaurant where sustainability and foraging loom large. There’s impressive soundproofing on the glass front, not letting in a hint of the lively music that jars with the more formal mood of Wildflower.

Lunch is a short menu of two choices per course, but it’s the evening tasting menu that deserves attention. The first dish, an ice cream made with oyster leaf served with raw turnip and apple, was challenging, better suited to a later course. I feared the meal would be quirk over composition, but was beyond happy to be wrong. A bull’s heart tomato salad zinged with fermented yarrow and cultured cream, brightening up the most miserable of summer days. The ranch dressing adds a tangy wallop to the tender meat of a barbecued lobster. Caramel tart for dessert is a triumph, the thinnest of buttery cases holding a sweet filling that seems to dissipate as soon as it reaches your tongue. Everything is served on gorgeous stoneware by Sally George, based at The Kiln Rooms in Peckham, which I now want in my home. I’d hoped to visit Wildflower in March but coronavirus delayed the opening; it was certainly worth the wait.

Highlight: Not an easy decision, but the salt-basked celeriac just edges it (even with a £15 supplement). Its soft flesh purrs with a sweet nuttiness, a thick brown butter sauce adds opulent depth, and additional texture – plus hints of earthiness – comes from slices of late-season Australian truffles.

Details:  Unit 2.16-2.17, Camden (Buck Street) Market, Camden High Street, London NW1 8QP (07799 357396; wildflowerrestaurant.co.uk)

Reviewed by Benjamin Parker

The menus at Wildflower change at short notice depending on what is available each day - XAVIER D BUENDIA
The menus at Wildflower change at short notice depending on what is available each day - XAVIER D BUENDIA

Attawa

With their April opening thwarted by lockdown, Ravinder and Amar Madhray, the husband and wife team behind this Punjabi restaurant in Dalston (named after their family’s village in northern India) decided to forge ahead in June as takeaway only – which required a hefty rewrite of the menu created by Arbinder Duggal, semi-finalist on MasterChef: The Professionals 2019 (“soft-shell crab just wouldn’t travel well,” staff told me).

Now able to operate as a dine-in restaurant, the low-key interior offers minimal frills, which are instead saved for the food. From the tandoor a spatchcock quail, marinated in a Punjabi masala, is a winner, and ‘small plates’ include khatte ladoo (fried lentil dumplings served cold in what was described as their take on pho) and gol guppas, a crisp sphere of thin puri bread filled with diced potatoes, quinoa and coriander; you spoon in sweet and sour pani liquid and eat the ball whole for a sensation mouthful. Patiyala lamb gosht promised to “pack a punch” but could have done with a little more fire. That said, the meat was beautifully soft, and waves of flavour and spice rolled on the more you ate. If you can keep within the Covid rule, the best plan is to go as a large group and try as much as you can.

Highlight: I’d been caught in a downpour, my companion was 30 minutes late and I was on the cusp of a nasty cold when I visited Attawa. No wonder I rejoiced in the Amritsari kulche. The flatbread is crisp on the outside but doughy soft inside, and stuffed with spiced potato. You’ll order to share – but you won’t want to.

Details: 6 Kingsland High Street, Dalston, London E8 2JP (020 7254 1236; attawa.co.uk)

Reviewed by Benjamin Parker

Attawa's dining room has finally opened after only being able to operate as a takeaway
Attawa's dining room has finally opened after only being able to operate as a takeaway

Tavolino

This Italian restaurant can be found hiding in plain sight on the Thames, by London Bridge. I visited on a heatwave Friday night and it seemed too good to be true: a large terrace ideal for spritz-sipping next to fountains with children running in and out of them; just like being on the Continent (handy given current circumstances), and inside, neutral if not hugely memorable interiors (marble tables; leather banquettes) and the cool relief of air conditioning, all against the stellar backdrop of Tower Bridge. The civilisation that is pandemic dining at its finest.

Louis Korovilas has brought his signature dish from Bancone, where he made his name as head chef: 'silk handkerchief' pasta sheets with walnut butter and confit Burford Brown yolk, a delicate and divine treat for pasta-lovers. On the heartier side – but not too heavy – is the springy bucatini with Sicilian red prawns, which uses datterini tomatoes for a heavenly rich sauce bursting with oceanside-esque flavour. An antipasto of Devon crab, warm potato and ricotta salad is fresh and subtle, the cheese whipped in so as not overwhelm.

Zucchini fritti are perfectly light and crispy but would benefit from being served alongside something to cut through their saltiness. Secondi include pan-seared hake, prime rib tagliata and saddle of lamb, and there's a selection of sourdough pizzas.

Highlight: If you've no room for dessert (classic such as tiramisu and Amalfi lemon meringue along with a polenta skillet cake to share with cherries and caramelised white chocolate ice cream, which I will be back to try) then instead thank Mother Eve for the frozen espresso martinis, a genius invention, heatwave or not. As my sister, dining with me, said: "It's like they know exactly what I want before I've even thought of it myself."

Details: 2 More London Riverside, London SE1 2DB (020 8194 1037; tavolino.co.uk)

Reviewed by Rachel Cranshaw

Tavolino
Tavolino

Larry's

Larry’s is the latest restaurant from the team behind Levan and Salon, and feels the most relaxed of the three, combining coffee shop, bar and restaurant. It opened just days before lockdown proper started in March, but is now finally up and running. And what a joy it is.

I have to admit a sense of nostalgia, thanks to my Californian background, stepping through the doors: laminated crayola orange tables, bright green hard chairs, a small open kitchen and lightbox menus give off a strong American diner vibe. But the food and wine has much more in common with the new wave of North American cuisine. Potato latkes are crispier than the norm and topped with fermented chilli mayo, a gem lettuce salad is griddled and piled high with parmesan and anchovies, and focaccia gets a ‘nduja upgrade. Look out for creative specials such as the seared cuttlefish in a broth of sweetcorn, brown butter, coriander and lemon juice, and note that the house wines are all on tap.

Highlight: Hands down, the ‘nduja focaccia. Four pillowy blocks of the Italian-American staple of the bread basket come doused in a fiery and fabulous ‘nduja sauce. The barn red flecks of meat swimming in golden olive oil are so bold in hue they look as if they are about to jump off the white diner-style plate. A mighty fine example of letting excellent ingredients do all the hard work.

Details: Unit 5, 12-16 Blenheim Grove, Peckham, London SE15 4QL (020 3795 7385; larryspeckham.co.uk)

Reviewed by Lizzie Frainier

Larry's, Peckham
Larry's, Peckham

Stanley's

Hugh Stanley had always planned to open his eponymous restaurant with MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Olivia Burt, formerly of Fera at Claridge's, this summer, but its vast flower-filled secret garden-style courtyard has come into its own for obvious reasons. Despite being so tucked away I struggled slightly to find it, it already seems to be a firm Chelsea favourite, and was buzzing on the Friday night when I visited.

The full menu here launched slightly after an initial menu of small plates; both are now available (and most enticing), but there's not a huge amount of difference between the two, and we ended up mixing and matching. Portions are on the smaller side so a gradual approach is beneficial. Crab, for instance, appears as both a starter (with horseradish and green apple) and small plate (with potted shrimp on sourdough crumpet); we opted for the more intriguing-sounding latter, which looked as delightful as it tasted, strewn with samphire and edible flowers; sweet and creamy, though the base that had lured us in was a tad chewy. Westcombe cheddar doughnuts with burnt leek were warm and velvety; also noteworthy were the pillowy buttermilk flatbreads served alongside smooth whipped smoked cod roe.

Among heavier dishes are the Hen-of the-woods mushrooms with smoked mustard cream, deep fried in a crispy, salty batter. This is a more filling dish than the cute, colourful main of barbecued beetroots with hazelnuts and goat's curd, so order carefully.

The drinks menu is just as considered; we barely got round to vino, so busy were we sampling much more fun rose cider, spicy margaritas and the house English sparkling wine. If I went again I would probably choose to eat in the light orangery-style area at the front with gorgeous green colour scheme including plenty of plants; the area at the back has a darker, more clubby vibe, with exposed brick and fun animal prints, great for groups of friends but quite hard to hear at peak times if it's just two of you.

Highlight: Dessert is far from an after-thought here; for those with a sweet tooth perhaps the main event. The star is Burt's MasterChef signature 'plums and custard', a joyful concoction surrounded with a crumbly sable biscuit (her instructions: break, then dig deep); the fig leaf, gooseberry and almond is a similar triumph of complementary elements: sweet, sour, moussey and crunchy.

Details: 151 Sydney Street, Chelsea, London SW3 6TN (020 7352 9556; stanleyschelsea.co.uk)

Reviewed by Rachel Cranshaw

Stanley's
Stanley's

Six by Nico

Nico Simone’s eponymous dining concept finally makes its London debut, three years after the original opened in Glasgow (they’ve now expanded to six cities across the UK). It’s a straightforward idea: a new six-course tasting menu every six weeks, with a promise of never serving the same menu twice. The first for Charlotte Street is titled ‘The Chippie’, an ode to the British fish and chip shop. ‘Smoked sausage’ was reimagined as a trio of pork, the tartness of choucroute garnie and soft salt-baked celeriac delightful accompaniments, and the ‘fish supper’ centred on excellent Shetland cod that flaked at the gentlest of nudges, subtle anise from confit fennel and added depth from pickled mussels. You can’t help but wish the deep-fried Mars Bar played a bigger role in dessert; a battered droplet of the caramel-nougat-chocolate is all you get.

Six by Nico is proving popular, and when full the dining room feels quite hectic – descriptions of food and wine from behind masks are incomprehensible. The long open kitchen is great, sure, but it buzzes like a canteen, albeit with very pretty plating (a fellow dinner told me it wouldn’t work as a relaxed first date spot). But at six courses for £35 and wine pairing only another £33, it’s definitely worth a visit – at the very least it’s fun, something we could all use a little more of. Coming on September 3 is a menu labelled ‘Childhood’.

Highlight: In the interests of full disclosure, I am not a fan of scampi. Nico’s adaptation is one I can get on board with. Monkfish cheek is wonderfully light inside a crisp breadcrumb shell, cut through by gribiche and fresh peas, and all brought together by a velvety beurre blanc.

Details: 41 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1RR (020 7580 8143; sixbynico.co.uk)

Reviewed by Benjamin Parker

Six by Nico: Six-course menus that change every six weeks
Six by Nico: Six-course menus that change every six weeks