New On Resy: 10 Greek Street, Rochelle Canteen, Hello Darling

Few places are capable of eliciting the kind of happy, contented sighs that Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson’s classic restaurant regularly generate. Rochelle Canteen’s appeal is easy to understand — seasonal, fabulously restrained British cooking in an informal environment never goes out of fashion, likewise the kind of friendly, switched-on service that makes each visit a pleasure. Hidden from the street in a quiet Shoreditch square, it’s a fittingly idyllic location to escape from the city for a few hours. You’ll never want to leave.

Some of the best new restaurants in London have passed through Pop Brixton (though we’re not naming names), and as brilliantly executed restaurants go, Roe is more than up to the task. The focus here is on small plates of sustainable British seafood, often from coastal dayboats, paired to complementary ingredients that let their natural flavours shine; for example, chalk stream trout might come with nori gnocchi, samphire and wild garlic, or Dooncastle oysters with dill oil and cider-pickled cucumber. There’s serious skill in the kitchen, then, but this being Brixton, it’s still plenty laid back.

With a brace of stellar seafood restaurants under his belt, Bonnie Gull owner Alex Hunter has upped the ante with The Sea, The Sea, a fishmonger that morphs into a luxe seafood and champagne bar in the evenings. Named for the Iris Murdoch novel of the same name, chef’s chef Leo Carreira takes the reins of arguably the most interesting menu anywhere in the city right now, preparing quietly creative dishes using the best of the day’s produce. Think mussels with smoked seaweed butter or poached lobster with olive oil and butter, paired with grower champagnes and exceptional wines.

Picture everything that’s great about dining in Soho — the bustle of a packed dining room, the thrill of new flavours or the perfect execution of a classic, the sheer bonhomie of London’s most laissez-faire neighbourhood — and distill it into a single restaurant. For us, that place would be 10 Greek Street, a cosy, intimate restaurant that nails the fundamentals night after night. Chef Cameron Emirali frequently changes an unfussy menu that might pair squid with fregola, fennel and chilli, or longhorn ribeye with cavolo nero and comforting boulangere potatoes; meanwhile, the wine list is easily one of the accessible (and fairly priced) in town.

The performing arts runs in Soho’s blood, and at Martha’s, it’s a history that’s celebrated with regular jazz, drag and cabaret acts that recall the area’s heritage. It’s also that Soho rarity; a restaurant with abundant space for groups, making it a mainstay for central weekend get-togethers. Throw in plush NYC-style interiors (think vintage gold chandeliers, luxe banquettes and brushed silk wallpaper) and an accompanying menu of crowd-pleasers like truffle mac and cheese, oysters and honey truffle fried chicken, and you’ve all the makings of a memorable night.

Known for creating some of London’s most immersive set designs and supperclubs, artists Darling & Edge have teamed up with Masterchef Winner Natalie Cole for Hello Darling, a gloriously eccentric restaurant and cocktail bar in Waterloo. Set across four floors of an historic townhouse next to the Old Vic theatre, it’s a fitting destination for superb botanical cocktails and an accomplished menu of light, flavourful dishes, like heritage tomatoes with olives and whipped feta, or harissa-spiced quail with delicate pearled couscous, sumac and yoghurt.

It’s been fifteen years — fifteen years — since Bistrotheque first opened up in an industrial backwater in Bethnal Green. Since then, it’s become a cherished part of not just London restaurant culture, but the city’s arts culture too. The chic, French-leaning menu of dishes like twice-baked souffle and delicate crab with celeriac remoulade consistently draws a loyal crowd of creatives, while the weekend piano brunch is something every Londoner should strive to experience for themselves — hearing Rocket Man in the restaurant’s vast, tastefully attired dining room is well worth the trip East.

Hotly anticipated (and, since opening, booked solidly), Kebab Queen’s mixture of a beloved cuisine, the theatre of a kitchen counter and head chef Manu Canales’ fine dining pedigree have captured diners’ imaginations like few others. Discreetly hidden away beneath Maison Bab (a proverbial restaurant-within-a-restaurant), it offers a single tasting menu each night — expect dishes like a miniature foie gras kebab or chargrilled monkfish shish — paired to fine wine or cocktails. Reservations are hard to come by, but the intrepid can tap Notify for a shot at snagging a last-minute cancellation.