New opening

It's got one of the most stunning locations in London, nestling beside Tower Bridge on the bank of the Thames and now Le Pont de la Tour is getting a makeover to match.

The restaurant, known for its French classical cooking, will be re-opening in late September after a major refurb. A new head chef, Frederick Forster, will be in charge, straight from the Boundary restaurant in Shoreditch.

Frederick comes with an impeccable pedigree: he trained with

Updated 19/9/15 with soft launch details:

From Chelsea and the City to the heart of Spitalfields - the team behind the popular Manicomio restaurants is heading east, with a third modern Italian restaurant opening this autumn.

Canto Corvino, under head chef Tom Salt, has been designed by the team behind Roka, Gymkhana and Bubbledogs - with an open plan kitchen and a 'warehouse aesthetic' to match the industrial heritage of the

It seems that London's love affair with lobster knows no bounds - and now a new venue offering everything from lobster benedict to lobster rolls is coming to Hackney.

The appropriately-named Lobster Bar will open in Richmond Road - already home to the popular Lardo and Raw Duck. The team behind the popular Ivy's and Little Ivy's, Cristine Leone and Christina Lahaniati, say their latest venture

The progression of central London trends out to the burbs continues with news that Crystal Palace is about to get a sourdough pizza and craft beer restaurant. Four Hundred Rabbits will serve up sourdough pizzas featuring Fior de Latte Mozzarella, San Marzano Tomatoes and topped with all manner of UK artisanal produce. Think British charcuterie or slow smoked rare breed brisket.

The name comes from an Aztec legend that the resulting brood of a romp

Updated 5/8/2015 with new soft launch details.

The ongoing march of the mighty Tonkostu continues. This time they're taking Tsuru Bankside (run by the same people) and relaunching it as Tonkotsu Bankside.

The renovation is well underway and they're planning to reopen in August with the brand new look (see above). While it'll be keeping tonkatsu (that's the breaded pork) on the menu for the regulars,

Updated 5/8/15 with opening date and more info

The original Donostia is a Hot Dinners fave in Seymour Place since it opened three years ago. So it's good news to hear that they're expanding - but not too far, just across the road. And the new restaurant also has a private courtyard for 20 - perfect for warm days. That'll have a Chef’s Garden which they will grow herbs

5/8 - updated with soft launch details.

The duo behind popular scotch egg company Scotchtails are opening a new all day coffee shop on Aldwych.

Dominic Hamdy and Oliver Hiam will open Lundenwic at the end of July, serving up all manner of salads, sandwiches and toasties, alongside specialty coffees, homemade nut milks and cold-pressed juices.

The concept for the cafe was inspired by the pair's trip to Copenhagen where they rather liked

Poco, a tapas restaurant that's been open in Bristol since 2011, is coming to Broadway Market. It's from Tom Hunt - better known to some as the author of The Natural Cook - who's joining up with his partners Ben Pryor and Jen Best to bring the restaurant to London. 

Expect tapas based on organic and seasonal British produce - their claim is that it's "100% seasonal, 90% British and 10% European non-air freight". To this aim,

Modern Vietnamese restaurant The House of Ho has been doing cracking business since it opened its doors two years ago. And now they've revealed plans to open a second massive flagship store - at the southern end of Charlotte Street. They'll be taking over the five floor site on Percy Street previously occupied by the Caprice Holdings restaurant Bam-Bou and will open it as The House of Ho in December.

Seems the new

A new French import to cross the channel is opening in Soho this month - and this one also has its roots in Russia. Jean-Jacques is a wine bar an brasserie that has originally had a home in Russia and St Petersburg and is now opening its latest outpost in London (taking over the spot from El Cantera).

It'll have a classic French brasserie menu. So that will start with omelette with

Chef Lee Tiernan is bringing a ‘Metal and Mangal’ restaurant to Islington. Lee's Black Axe Mangal project first started in Copenhagen as a series of popups where it quickly reached cult status amongst both locals and travelling chefs. Prior to his move Lee spent over 10 years working at St John, finishing up as head chef at Bread & Wine in Spitalfields working alongside James Lowe and John Ogier of Lyles.

Relocating

It quietly opened last week but now there's a Korean takeaway option that Marylebone locals may want to be aware of. On the Bab (also at Covent Garden and Shoreditch) have just launched On the Bab Express. It has a smaller menu than the main restaurants, including:

• Yangyum chicken (Korean fried chicken) in two flavours – sweet soy coating and sweet spicy coating – both topped with crushed peanuts
• Steamed

The people behind Forzawin, Arch McLeish and Bash Redford, have a new restaurant on the way - a noodle bar called Bosslady. They've joined up with Henry Chung - who has spent the last six months in Taipo in preparation for their speciality - beef brisket noodles.

It's all inspired by a Taipo restaurant. It's been there for 30 years and apparently "embodies a humble yet unscrupulous approach to

While it's fair to say that we're pretty pumped up about the upcoming new opening by Lockhart's Brad McDonald, Shotgun, the downstairs bar at the original restaurant in Marylebone being created by Matt Whiley (Peg + Patriot) also sounds the business.

Showdown takes Brad's approach to the food at The Lockhart, giving American classics a similar

The latest burger bar to come to town is heading into the warren of Barbican as Bonfire opens there next week. So if you're heading to a concert and have a burger craving, it could be worth checking out on the second floor of the Barbican Centre.

It'll mainly specialise in burgers which include the Bonfire (6oz burger, lettuce, red onion, tomato & mayo - £7.45), The Kenyon (6oz