New opening

• Whisky bar Black Rock comes to Shoreditch from the people behind Worship Street

  

  Updated 10/3/16 with a look at the menu

  It's all about the whisky at the moment - with incoming news that the same people behind the Worship Street Whistling Shop are opening Black Rock, a whisky bar in Shoreditch. 

  In that bar, we're to expect a stripped-back space with "a hip-hop, electro-funk soundtrack". But the centrepiece - in a big reference to the aging process -

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• More healthy food for the City with SHOT in St Paul's

  

  The health food trend in London is ever continuing, with a new cold pressed juice bar and healthy food restaurant on the way to St Paul’s. With an Oxford biologist and a London nutritionist (among others) behind the menu, SHOT is making sure its healthy credentials stand up. They’ve even developed a list of guidelines that they intend to really stick to – including ensuring everything is chemical free, has no refined sugars, organic, unprocessed and more besides.

  It comes

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• Walter and Monty charcoal grilled street food goes permanent in the City

  

  The latest street food to grow roots is Walter and Monty - best known for popping up at Night Tales and more markets across London. Billed as "street food with Michelin expertise", it's from founder Alex Kaye (who's looking after the menu) and with Head Chef Nick Ross who has worked with American chefs Daniel Boulud and Scott Conant (Scarpetta).

  As for the food, expect a strong focus on meat and fish

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• Humble Grape Fleet Street wine bar is opening under St Bride's

  

  London is in the grip of a wine bar revolution. And there's a huge new one on the way. Humble Grape opened its first wine bar and shop in Battersea last year and now they're planning a second one - this time on Fleet Street.

  They'll be taking over a huge space on St Bride’s Passage, just off Fleet Street which, fittingly, used to be The Press House Wine Bar, once a famous drinking den for journalists. It all sounds very convivial, being tucked away in the

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• A Sosharu thing - we Test Drive Jason Atherton's Clerkenwell restaurant

  Jason Atherton's Clerkenwell restaurant brings a slice of Tokyo to EC1

• Bjorn van der Horst is bringing izakaya Kojawan to the Edgware Road

  

  It's fair to say that the Edgware Road probably isn't the first place you'd think of dining in some sort of modernist Japanese sky high pub. But that's exactly what's opening there this Spring. KOJAWAN - the name is an amalgam of Korea, Japan and Taiwan - is the brainchild of Bjorn Van Der Horst (Greenhouse, La Noisette, Eastside Inn) and Omar Romero (Rhodes Twenty Four, Rosewood).

  They're taking over the dining room on the 23rd floor of the Hilton

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• Newington Table cafe, bakery and kitchen opens on Newington Green

  

  Stoke Newington continues to attract a host of interesting new openings, the most recent among them being Newington Table. Their all-day breakfast menu ranges from the ubiquitous avo on toast to a pretty amazing sounding full English consisting of Sourdough, egg, sausage, thick cut bacon, black pudding, bone marrow, beans, tomato, mushroom for £11.50. 

  The evening menu kicks in at 5pm. We like the sound of their Linconshire poacher puffs for £4 or maybe

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• Joe Public Pizza takes up residency in a Clapham ex loo

  

  There’s a new pizza place heading to Clapham, setting up shop on a reclaimed London Victorian lavatory space, just as WC did a year or so ago.

  This pizza joint is all about pizza by the slice, coming from 20” pizzas (which you can also have whole, if you’re REALLY hungry). They’re planning regularly changing

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• Encant tapas restaurant in Covent Garden will be Bravas Tapas chef's first solo venture

  

   

   

  Updated with confirmed opening date. 

  We (and a lot of other people) were big fans of Tower Bridge Spanish spot Bravas Tapas, so news that the restaurant's co-founder Victor Garvey was opening his first solo venture gladdens our hearts. Opening in February in

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• Hawksmoor chef opens Rockadollar Dogs off Carnaby Street

  

  Taking over the newly-vacated space on Newburgh from Pitt Cue Co is posh dog purveyors Rockadollar Dogs. It's the brainchild of chef Richard Sandiford who has the little matter of just over 25 years’ experience of cooking and is also currently head chef of Hawksmoor Knightsbridge. He set up the company with his partner Emma Jerrard who, it turns out, has an equal amount of experience in running entertainment and food events.

  "In the last few months we have had great

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• Bob Bob Ricard to open Bob Bob Cite in the Cheesegrater building

  

  Updated 12/2/18 with opening date

  It's actually pretty amazing that Bob Bob Ricard hadn't expanded to the city before now, but details have been revealed  for their plans to open Bob Bob Cité in one of the City's most recognisable new skyscrapers (albeit on a lower floor). And as to be expected from the company that brought us

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• Test Driving Patty and Bun - Soho has a new burger date spot

  Soho's newest burger spot turns out to be a rather good place to head for a date 

• Theo Randall to open new casual restaurant Theo's Simple Italian

  

  A Hot Dinners exclusive

  Theo Randall's a busy gent. Not only has he just relaunched his restaurant at the Intercontinental in London, but he's also got a new bit on the side. Theo’s Simple Italian is going to be a new casual spot, openng at the Hotel Indigo® London Kensington – Earl’s Court next month.

  Randall's brought in a top chef to run the kitchen. William Leoni worked with Theo Randall at the InterContinental and,

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• Trullo duo to open Padella pasta restaurant at Borough Market

  

  Updated 29/2 with launch details.

  Way back in the mists of time, the first restaurant story Hot Dinners ever broke was the opening of Trullo, just off Highbury Corner. Well, it's taken a little time, but we've eventually got round to bringing you another exclusive story from Tim Siadatan and Jordan Frieda, the duo behind Trullo.

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• Zayane brings modern Moroccan food to Golborne Road

  

  There's a new Moroccan restaurant in town and it's worthy of note, particularly because of who they have in the kitchen. Zayane on Golborne Road has as its Head chef Chris Bower, who was previously running the show at Michelin-starred Thackerays in Tunbridge Wells.

  It describes itself as a modern Moroccan restaurant, promising a menu that "combines the vibrant flavours of authentic Moroccan cuisine, with modern culinary techniques and European

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