New opening

• The Ugly Dumplings take over the Little Pitt site on Newburgh Street

  

  What: The Ugly Dumplings

  In a nutshell: Anglo-Chinese dumpling and noodle joint

  Summing it all up: Street traders The Ugly Dumplings are opening their first permanent site, taking over the old Little Pitt site off Carnaby Street

• Arthur Hooper's has European cuisine served up to share

  

  What: Arthur Hooper's

  In a nutshell: European plates and sharing platters near the Market

  Summing it all up: Victoriana meets pan-European sharing plates at Arthur Hooper's, a new restaurant overlooking Borough Market, with a very flash interior. 

• Quirky and romantic - we Test Drive LASSCO Bar & Dining

  We take a look at the latest addition to Maltby Street Market

• Blacklock are bringing their chops and cocktails to the City

  

  14/3/17 - updated with soft launch details

  What: Blacklock City

  In a nutshell: Chops in the City

  Summing it all up: Blacklock, famed for their chops, are coming to the City for their second restaurant. Expect an extended menu with new cuts, starters, and their all-important cocktails in a 100-cover restaurant with reservations available too.

• Butterscotch Bakery is Bea Vo's new Shepherd's Bush bakery

  

  What: Butterscotch Bakery

  In a nutshell: American-style bakery and tea room

  Summing it all up: Restaurateur Bea Vo is back in the bakery game with this new American-influenced bakery and tea room opening in Shepherd's Bush

• Sparrow’s coming to Lewisham, with chefs from BAO, Pollen St Social and St. John

  

  What: Sparrow

  In a nutshell: From Italian to Sri Lankan, Malay and beyond, and all cooked with seasonal ingredients.

  Summing it all up: A husband-and-wife duo who met in the kitchens of St. John’s are bringing their extremely ample experience to a new restaurant in Lewisham. There'll be a changing menu, brunch and the whole thing looks like an absolute corker.

• Curveball in Balham is bringing all the balls to the table

  

  What: Curve Ball

  In a nutshell: All the ball shaped food you want in Balham

  Summing it all up: This balls-centric restaurant in Balham will be serving up all manner of ball shaped food - and cocktails too. 

• Lupins in Flat Iron Square gives British ingredients the global treatment

  

  What: Lupins

  In a nutshell: Traditional British goes international under Bermondsey railway arches

  Summing it all up: Keen to break the traditional British restaurant mould, Lupin will aim to serve up all the usual hearty British ingredients but with a global twist - think sumac on your lamb, roast pigeon with chipotle or spiced beef short rib.

• Comptoir Cafe and Wine comes to Mayfair from Xavier Rousset

  

  What: Comptoir Cafe and Wine

  In a nutshell: Xavier Rousset follows up Blandford Comptoir with this Mayfair wine bar.

  Summing it all up: Coming from the same person behind Blandford Comptoir, this pairs and all day cafe with a huge downstairs wine shop (all of which you can drink on the premises). 

• Brighton's The Coal Shed comes to London at One Tower Bridge

  

  What: The Coal Shed

  In a nutshell: Fresh seafood, dry-aged steak and specials, plus sharing plates and Sunday roasts, all served Thameside.

  Summing it all up: After enjoying considerable success in its seaside home of Brighton, The Coal Shed is making its first foray to the capital where it'll be setting up shop in the new One Tower Bridge development with

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• What The Pitta are serving vegan doner kebabs at Boxpark Croydon

  

  If you're a vegetarian and have been left out of the late night tradition of dining on a doner while three sheets to the wind, then we have good news for you.

  What The Pitta is a new kebab store at Boxpark Croydon which serves up vegan doner kebabs. Instead of lamb or chicken, the main protein is a meat alternative of GMO free soya chunks seasoned with a secret recipe of spices. They make their pitta dough fresh daily and you can team up the doner in a meal deal together

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• Scout is the new British bar being opened by Matt Whiley in Shoreditch

  

  A Hot Dinners exclusive

  Hot Dinners can exclusively reveal details of Scout, a new bar from cocktail guru Matt Whiley, which is set to open in Shoreditch next month. Located on Great Eastern Street, Scout aims to shift the way we think about cocktails and drinks, by championing seasonal British ingredients. The drinks list will change regularly as produce from farmers and growers comes in and out of season – adopting an approach more commonly used by

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• Food Store brings healthy deli fare to go in Leicester Square

  

  What: Food Store

  In a nutshell: Healthy, international food, just off Leicester Square

  Summing it all up: There are salads, pastas, mains and smoothies at Food Store's new central London venue, where offerings are big on international flavours, from Brazil to Morocco - and it should provide a viable alternative to the takeaway options dotting the

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• Tibits vegetarian restaurant is coming to Bankside

  

  What: Tibits Bankside

  In a nutshell: Swiss vegetarian south of the river.

  Summing it all up: The original Tibits in Heddon Street has many a fan. This sees the Swiss restaurant open its second London restaurant in Bankside. Expect many salads as well as all vegan and vegetarian food. 

• Nanashi Japanese kitchen opens on Rivington Street

  

  Slipping almost under the radar (and frankly, only spotted because we went past it last night) is new Shoreditch sushi spot Nanashi. It's appeared on Rivington Street in a room with a pared-back modernist look.

  As for the menu, it's pretty much what you expect, split into the usual mix of sushi, sashimi, gyoza, udon and tempura. A few things caught our eye, namely:

  • sushi burger - fried rice buns with fresh veg, salmon or tuna in a spicy sauce vegetable
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