New Kids on the Block

Bonheur by Matt Abé

In a seminal moment for London's restaurant industry, Australian-born chef Matt Abé has taken over the hallowed site of Le Gavroche in Brook Street, the Mayfair institution run by the Roux family for over 50 years. However, regulars of this erstwhile dining institution may leave nostalgic rather than satisfied – the space has been radically revamped by Russell Sage Studio, with a lighter, nature-inspired aesthetic very much in evidence. Yet the same high culinary standards and showstopping technique are likely to prevail under Abé, formerly chef patron at the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. Billed as offering “seasonally driven tasting menus alongside à la carte options”, highlights will include Cornish turbot with celeriac, quail blanquette with Jerusalem artichoke and 125-day-aged Cumbrian Blue Grey sirloin served with potato terrine. The wine list, meanwhile, is unashamedly stuffed full of luxury labels, running the gamut from Krug to the best Bordeaux and Burgundy money can buy. Those with deep pockets have entered Valhalla.

43 Upper Brook St, London W1K 7QR
https://www.bonheurbymattabe.com/
Bonheur by Matt Abe opened 4 November

Poon's at Somerset House

Chef and restaurateur Amy Poon is following in her father's footsteps – the legendary Bill Poon, who opened the original Poon's in 1973 – by launching her first permanent site after running successful pop-ups over the past eight years. Occupying a suitably grandiose wing of Somerset House, Poon's vision is to bring Chinese home cooking into a refined London setting. Signature dishes will include her father's clay-pot rice, the so-called Magic Soup, and wind-dried meats, “crafted to the recipe of her grandfather.” On the wine front, Poon's head sommelier has curated an exceptional list of cool-climate styles, with organic and biodynamic producers given top billing.  Yet it is the dining room itself that is likely to draw the crowds: ornate and supremely elegant, the interior by James McGlennon reveals a library-style communal room rich in family heirlooms. Offering a seductive mix of cultural heritage, modern hospitality and beautiful aesthetic, this is a destination to watch.

Somerset House, Lancaster Pl, London WC2R 1LA
https://www.poonslondon.com/restaurant
Poon's at Somerset House opened 5 November

Hawksmoor St Pancras

Stepping into the glorious architecture of the former Midland Grand dining room at the St Pancras Hotel, restaurant group Hawksmoor is opening its eighth branch of the venerable steak house.  The room is, of course, beyond decadent: soaring ceilings, marble pillars, sumptuous leather banquettes; “A place where London and the world pass through every day,” to quote investor Huw Gott.  But this would all be for nothing without the signature Hawksmoor staples: 35-day dry-aged British beef, Old Spot belly ribs, and beef-dripping chips. The new venue will also house a dedicated Chef's Table, private dining room and adjoining bar, aptly relaunched as The Martini Bar. A plethora of exceptional Malbec and cassis-laden Cabernet Sauvignon fills the Hawksmoor list, in addition to some creative cocktails and obligatory Champagne. Forget any notions you have of a stripped-back industrial steakhouse – this is a grand, polished destination with gravitas.

St Pancras london, Euston Road, London NW1 2AR
https://thehawksmoor.com/locations/st-pancras/
Hawksmoor St Pancras will open 22 November