The April Hit List: Lisboeta, Facing Heaven, Caravel, and More

Having made a name for himself at the small-but-mighty Mao Chow, Angeleno chef Julian Denis has relocated around the corner from his former Mare Street digs at Facing Heaven, a larger restaurant offering the same Mission Chinese-circa-2012 feel and punchy vegan Sichuanese cooking. The shots-and-Sichuan pepper formula works, as does the frenetic, neon lit-room and Celebrity Skin played loud enough to have to shout; Denis’s food doesn’t mess around, and now-familiar dishes like vegan pork dumplings in garlic and chilli oil, crispy Chongqing cauliflower, and a diabolical ice cream sundae with mala chilli oil, peanuts, and soy sauce caramel don’t pull any punches. Don’t miss the MSG tofu skin crackers.

Lisboeta, chef Nuno Mendes’ paean to his hometown, is one of spring’s most anticipated restaurants and it isn’t difficult to see why: with a Thriller-esque menu of seafood and pork-centric dishes with zero duds, Portuguese wines, and modern décor that recalls weekend jaunts to Lisbon, it’s a shoo-in for an evening of stellar cooking and hospitality. Mendes is beloved in London for pioneering molecular gastronomy at Viajante and for inspiring a generation of chefs at restaurants like Taberna do Mercado; this partnership with ascendant group MJMK (Kol, Casa do Frango) will be popular. The scarlet prawn and razor clam rice is the hero dish as far as Instagram is concerned, but don’t sleep on the bacalhau with caramelised onions and potatoes.

Call 020 3830 9888 for a reservation.

Moored on the Regents Canal by Holborn Studios, the Spiteri brothers’ new 40-cover restaurant has found a home in a converted Dutch office barge. Eschewing maritime kitsch, the dining room is both surprisingly spacious and quite romantic: expect white tablecloths, candlelight, hanging plants, and even custom stained-glass artwork. The brothers have hospitality in their blood; Fin Spiteri tends to guests like a seasoned pro (and makes a killer cocktail, to boot) while brother Lorcan prepares hearty pastas, roasts, and braises designed to warm the cockles. Perfect for a low-key celebration or a date.

The arrival of cherry blossoms in late March and April conceals a simple truth: In London, spring only truly arrives when Towpath is in full swing. Breakfast or lunch at this tiny, colourful café on the Regents Canal is an unfailing joy, always anticipated, and (in good weather) about as close to relaxing somewhere in the Mediterranean as it’s possible to get in North London. Food is simple and seasonal, service affable, and the crowd one of London’s friendliest.

Walk-ins only.

Long regarded one of London’s best fine dining establishments, Brett Graham’s two-star luminary has returned to Notting Hill after shuttering at the start of the pandemic. With a focus on fine British ingredients, modern technique, and the kind of service that makes a multi-course tasting menu feel like floating on clouds for a couple of hours, it’s understandably one of the hottest tickets in London right now – and a near-permanent fixture on most restaurant folks’ hit lists.

Call 020 7792 9090 to make a reservation.

Most of the reasons for visiting this gilded Mayfair institution involve spectacle, whether one gawps at the opulent dining room, the performers, the bill, or the trust fund babies at the next table ordering five magnums of Veuve and a side of steamed veg. Add to that list the restaurant’s dim sum, which – whisper it – might be the finest in London. Chef Kin Min How’s technique is impeccable and, paired to the restaurant’s MO, affords the existence of sublime creations like Iberico pork XLB with truffles or the crispiest beancurd cheung fun, followed by king crab with rice noodles or supreme seafood dumpling in broth.

Call 020 3327 8888 to make a reservation.

The year is still young, a fact evidenced not by a casual doomscroll on our Instagram feeds, but rather by the continued relevance of 2021 latecomers like Brutto and Sessions Arts Club. Café Cecilia, of course, opened before Max Rocha and co could showcase the best of the spring’s produce, and the season’s arrival (as evidenced by the sheer bliss of their St. Patrick’s Day pop-up) brings another side of a restaurant now in full flow, and a kitchen brimming with confidence. A simple dish of agretti, tomatoes and breadcrumbs bursts with flavour and texture; a plate of English peas with pecorino offers bliss with the shimmering canal over one’s shoulder. Evening service is now in full swing, and those who haven’t visited since opening month are missing out.

For much of the aughts, Shoreditch’s Ace Hotel was a hub and commercial symbol of the area’s credentials. Since it closed, the high street stood mostly quiet during the pandemic, but the newly opened 100 Shoreditch Hotel promises to bring the area to life again. The F&B offering is good: a new seafood-focused restaurant named Goddard & Gibbs for the crowds, and a grown-up option for the area (the fish sandwich is very good). Most promising though, is a slinky new basement bar from drinks maestro Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr Lyan) entitled Seed Library, an automatic entry into the pantheon of the city’s best bars. For elder millennials: yes, there will be a rooftop bar opening later in the year.

Call 0207-613-9800 to make a reservation.

Devotees to Vietnamese cooking have slowly shifted from the Kingsland Road towards Deptford (though Hackney occasionally still turns up gems), and it’s best not to mention central London. That is, unless one makes a beeline for this family-run restaurant in Covent Garden, which has quietly picked up steam on social media. A cherry tree dominates the interior, and there are northern Vietnamese gems dotted throughout a sizeable menu: crispy nem cua bể (crab parcels) are exceptional and bánh cuốn superbly made and generously filled, while phở xe lửa (special train-sized phở) is far too much for one — but if you ask nicely, they’ll bring you your meats of choice (rare beef, tendon, tripe, meatball) in a shimmering bowl of broth sans noodles.

Call 020 3972 1292 to make a reservation.

Amid a flurry of new openings and long-promised projects finally bearing fruit (for more of that, check back in a month), it’s worth celebrating the independents quietly carving their own niche. Equal parts stylish and cosy, The Pelican takes pub hallmarks – handsome dark woods, plush leather seats, a crackling fire – and adds a dose of minimalist chic, resulting in a pub you’ll feel hard pressed to leave. Cooking is hearty and comforting: Chef Owen Kenworthy (Sketch, Brawn) leads a kitchen turning out finessed-but-warming fare, with an emphasis on nose-to-tail cooking and sustainable producers. The luxe fish pie of lobster and monkfish is irresistible, roasts and grills are well judged, and a strong lineup of bar snacks (spider crab toast or game sausage roll, for example) can easily turn a quick drink into a protracted session.