The July Hit List: The Tamil Prince, Honey & Co, Mambow, Café Leon Dore, and More

The arrival of this modern Iranian restaurant in Borough Market (on the former Flor site, no less) speaks of owner JKS’s confidence in the brand’s popularity. The building’s dramatic architecture (cosy bar downstairs, double-height ceilings above, with a spiral staircase connecting them) in many ways is an improvement over the excellent Soho original. As well as some of the best mazeh, breads, and charcoal grilled meats in London, the site also affords a wealth of new sharing options created for sharing with friends: a whole Norfolk chicken with shiraz salad, barberries and saffron sauce, for example, or a roasted lamb shoulder with seasonal vegetables and broad bean tahdig are well worth gathering a group for.

For reservations, contact borough@berenjaklondon.com 

South Asian food in a pub isn’t a new concept – it is, if anything, a very old one – but the duo responsible for Tamila are giving it a novel twist at the former Cuckoo pub in Barnsbury. Chef Prince Durairaj and GM Glen Leeson (both ex-Roti King) head up a very personal project, with a menu showcasing superb South Asian cooking that runs from grills (Robata lamb chops, 24-hour masala marinaded king prawns) and curries (butter chicken masala, king prawn moilee) to playful starters and cocktails from a former Bar Termini bartender. Roti will, of course, are likely to be excellent, with both British and Indian beers represented on tap.

Having worked at some of the world’s most famous kitchens – most notably El Bulli and Pujol – Mexican-born chef Adriana Cavita’s debut in London bolsters a scene growing in confidence. Her first solo restaurant arrives fully formed within a smart Marylebone townhouse, with a dining room adorned with textured clay and brick tones, plus a chef’s table where guests are looked after by Cavita herself. Dishes including a whole grilled octopus served with warm tortillas and rice, pig’s head tamal and mussels Esquites are just a few standouts on an impressive menu. There’s also a subterranean mezcaleria for those seeking a pre-dinner cocktail or nightcap.

To make a reservation, call 020 3928 1000. 

Rishim Sachdeva’s generous approach to vegetable cookery and flavour made an initial residency in Soho a runaway success. He’s returning to the Regents Street area for a residency ahead of a permanent move, with plush new surroundings – restaurant fans will remember it as the former Stem site – a fitting foil to his refined cookery. The menu trots around the globe, with the common denominator being flavour: expect small plates like a blue corn tostada with muhamarra, squash and kimchi, or a hit baked brie with truffle mascarpone and honey. There’s also a bargain prix fixe menu for £36, and most of the menu happens to be vegan.

The sadness surrounding Honey & Co’s closure in Fitzrovia was swiftly tempered by the announcement that the husband-and-wife duo of Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich would be moving to a new site off Lambs Conduit Street, one of the city’s most beloved dining streets (not to mention one of London’s most picturesque). A beautiful new space and vast windows catching the light breathe new life into what remains some of London’s most joyful cooking, with familiar Middle Eastern-inspired plates at lunch and dinner, and an excellent breakfast. For summer, the peach salad and za’atar potatoes are unmissable; and a honey blossom old-fashioned should be compulsory to start or end an evening here.

To make a reservation, call 0207 388 6175.

Originally slated to open in Shoreditch, chef Abby Lee’s labour of love was curtailed by the pandemic and recently arrived at SE15’s Market Peckham complex with a decidedly more Modern Malaysian focus, with a mixture of regional favourites like a tamarind-tart ikan assam pedas (fish) curry or a black pepper chicken curry from Perak; as well as playful riffs on time-honoured classics like a Hainanese chicken rice sandwich drizzled with a chicken fat chilli vinegar and spruced up with crispy fried onions. Drinks-wise, natural wines (via importer Caves des Pyrenes) are a perfect match for punchy flavours. If you want to see one of London’s most exciting young chefs doing her thing, come here.

Walk-ins only.

Cult NYC menswear brand Aimé Leon Dore cemented its global status by opening a London flagship, quickly following it up with a chic Soho café on Broadwick Street boasting immaculate design credentials and a sunny terrace perfect for late afternoon lazing. Aesthetes will admire the sleek marble counter, walnut panelling, intricate tiling and louche retro furniture throughout the space, while for everyone else, there’s a Greek-inspired coffee and pastry offering everything from Greek cookies to mountain tea and cold brew.

Walk-ins only.

Chef Cynthia Shanmugalingam’s presence in London has been an unequivocal blessing, and she’s blessing the city with a trifecta of good things this summer. As well as a cookbook and forthcoming restaurant in Borough Market that focuses on the dynamic cuisine of the Sri Lankan diaspora around the world, she’s joined forces with soft serve specialists Soft and Swirly for an eight-week pop-up that arrives just in time for summer. Expect flavour bombs like mango, jaggery, watermelon and hibiscus, and buffalo curd, whipped to textural perfection. Grab dinner at your favourite Borough Market establishment and grab a cone to stroll around the stalls with afterwards.

Takeaway only.

Gabriel Waterhouse set up The Water House Project, his eponymous fine dining supperclub years ago, and it’s gone from strength to strength, finally arriving as a permanent restaurant at a beautiful light-filled space by the Regents Canal in Hackney. Right now, it’s arguably one of the very best tasting menu experiences in London, equal parts fun and refined, punchy and delicate, with Waterhouse and his team’s personality shining through. For those able to, a six-course lunch menu with wine pairing is an ideal way to experience it.

There are few places in London during the summer like the canal. While the Spiteri brothers have won all the plaudits of late for Caravel, it was Studio Kitchen — their first, improvised bar and restaurant — that first gained a cult following for its capacious waterside deck, killer cocktails, and a if-you-know-you-know cheeseburger loaded with melty cheese and grilled onions. Gather a crew, head to Holborn studios, and make the most of the sunshine here.