New opening

Looking to escape London, but want to book somewhere where the food's every bit as good as the view? We preview the best new hotels for foodies in 2017

What: Bon Vivant

In a nutshell: French cuisine in Bloomsbury

Summing it all up: Satisfy your urge to feast on raclette, tartines and croissants without jumping on a Eurostar at this new Parisian-style bistro just around the corner from Kings Cross

This modern Italian dining room is an exercise in good taste, from design to what's on the plate

What: Grind at Exmouth Market

In a nutshell: Knock out coffee and legendary espresso martinis.

Summing it all up: Grind’s eighth branch in Exmouth Market branch will have all of the above, plus a brand new all-day menu.

What: The Baluchi at The Lalit

In a nutshell: High-end Indian comes to town

Summing it all up: The Baluchi is best known abroad as a high-end Indian restaurant that's in luxury hotels throughout India. Now it's coming to London as part of the new Lalit hotel.

What: Bel Air Farringdon

In a nutshell: Healthy food, fast.

Summing it all up: Bel Air's an LA food inspired space that opened originally in Shoreditch serving salads and more. This sees them expanding to a second spot in Farringdon

What: Bobby Fitzpatrick

In a nutshell: Rum cocktails and pizza in West Hampstead

Summing it all up: This West Hampstead spot comes from the same people behind Coil Laundry in Exmouth market. Expect rum cocktails and pizza with a distinctly 70s feel. 

We do like a Shake Shack burger here at Hot Dinners, and if you're like us you'll be pleased to learn that a shiny new Shake Shack is on the way to Canary Wharf this week. And to celebrate the occasion, they're launching a special new burger too - teaming up with Berber & Q to add a little Middle Eastern flavour. 

The ShackBerber burger (£5) is a very limited edition,

Popping over the pond, Ralph Lauren has just opened his first eatery in London. Ralph's Coffee & Bar takes the Manhattan spots of The Polo Bar and Ralph's coffee and combines them for London. The new space can be found at the Polo Ralph Lauren store on Regent Street.

So what can you expect? Well, obviously it's rather beautiful in a clubby sort of way with saddle leather banquettes, a brass-topped bar, wooden panelling and green billiard cloth on the walls. There's

What: Lorne

In a nutshell: Wine and seasonal food in Victoria

Summing it all up: This restaurant in Victoria has an ex-sommelier from River Cafe and a chef from Brawn, so expect a particularly good wine list and a seasonal menu to match with it. 

What: Urban Tea Rooms, St James's Market

In a nutshell: Tea and cake

Summing it all up: This is the latest addition to the new St James's Market development, an English tea room. It's the second Urban Tea Room and you can expect the usual baked good, hot beverages and a decent afternoon tea.

Newly open in Finsbury park is Oak N4 - an independent wine store & tasting room, tucked in just behind the station in Wells Terrace.

"Providing an informal and relaxed environment is everything," the founder and director Cameron McKeown told Hot Dinners. "Selecting wines at a bar, restaurant or even in a store can be a difficult experience. We are looking to provide the customer with just enough knowledge to make it a joy

There’s a new neighbourhood restaurant coming to Brockley, and the focus will be firmly on local life, from the digital loyalty cards to the top notch wifi and more.

The restaurant will also double as a bar, with a well-sourced drinks list that’ll be open all week long. It’s good news for Brockley, and should go down well in given the area seldom sees much in the way of new openings.

We’ve been told

The pre-Christmas period was awash with new restaurant openings, so you'll forgive us if we missed a few out. A Hot Dinners reader brought our attention to Louie Louie which opened on the Walworth Road a week before Christmas. Billed a cafe by day and bar and restaurant by night, the cafe is run by the folk behind popular neighbourhood spot Fowlds Cafe.

During the day it's a

If you've been to Patty & Bun's London Fields spot, then there's the sad news that they're closing up shop there (on 9 Jan) - changing it into a full development kitchen. 

BUT there's a new Patty & Bun opening just around the corner. It's a slightly bigger spot but it'll have the same feel to London Fields - big communal tables which can fit in around 50 people (with another 30 outside for when the weather heats