Salt Bae, Champagne at the press of a button and a Spanish chef with 3 Michelin stars

By RICHARD VINES

The year ahead looks promising for London diners as high-profile chefs and restaurateurs from the UK and around the world prepare to open new restaurants, even in the face of Brexit concerns.

Here’s the ones we are most awaiting.

Bob Bob Cité

This long-awaited establishment in the city’s financial district is the baby brother of Bob Bob Ricard, one of London’s most glamorous restaurants. At the original in Soho, each table is a booth equipped with a button to press for emergency supplies of Champagne.

The new dining room in the Leadenhall Building (aka the Cheesegrater) will serve an accessible menu created by Chef Eric Chavot, who previously held two Michelin stars at the Capital.

The Russian owner, Leonid Shutov, says there have already been thousands of reservation requests.

It’s been a long wait. The opening was earlier scheduled for January 2018. Bob Bob Ricard is known for posh comfort food such as lobster macaroni. (122 Leadenhall St, EC3V 4AB. Opening: March 25.)

Adam Handling Chelsea

Adam Handling is a Scottish chef who first made his name in East London, serving modern British cuisine at the Frog.

He’s edgy and creative and in some ways was a surprise choice to head the whole food operation at the luxury Belmond Cadogan Hotel. As chef-proprietor, he’ll be responsible for everything from breakfast, through afternoon tea to room service.

But attention is focused on the flagship restaurant. “There will be six starters, six mains and six desserts, plus a tasting menu,” he says.

“And we’ll be serving lots of old-school Burgundy and lots of Champagne by the glass. It is going to be very elegant.” (Chef Adam Simmonds will head the kitchen.)

Handling is known for fun snacks such as cheese doughnuts and dishes such as mackerel with oyster, apple and cucumber. (75 Sloane St, SW1X 9SG. Opening: March 1.)

Darby’s

Irish Chef Robin Gill is best known for the Dairy, a quietly ambitious neighbourhood restaurant in Clapham. The ambition is on an entirely different scale at Darby’s, opposite the new US embassy in Nine Elms.

This 5,000 sq ft (464 sq m) establishment in a new development will feature a bakery, a 360-degree bar and an oyster bar, as well as an all-day dining room with an open kitchen. (Darby’s will also serve a dramatic sky pool that traverses to the next building.)

There will be live music, too. “I took a lot of inspiration from big establishments like Balthazar and other places in New York,” Gill says. “There will be a big menu with dishes that people want to eat. It’s going to be old school, not current and fashionable.”

Darby was his father’s nickname. It sounds like a labour of love. Dishes are likely to include burgers, steaks and lobster rolls. (3 Viaduct Gardens Road, Embassy Gardens, SW11 7AY. Opening: Late March.)

Soutine

This St John’s Wood establishment is the latest from the owners of the Wolseley, Chris Corbin and Jeremy King. It’s named after the Russian-French painter Chaim Soutine, and the menu will be largely French.

“In terms of its role in the community, it will be similar to Fischer’s (Marylebone) and Colbert (Sloane Square),” King says, referencing two of the group’s other neighbourhood restaurants.

“But it will be individual and has been created for this location and this community. St John’s Wood has fantastic heritage in terms of artists and that was the catalyst for the idea.”

The group is best known for central European dishes such as schnitzel. (60 St John’s Wood High St, NW8 7SH. Opening: April.)

Others to Watch

Chef Nathan Outlaw will open a seafood restaurant at the Goring hotel in Victoria in the “late spring”. Outlaw holds a total of three Michelin stars at his two fish restaurants in Cornwall. The Goring traces its history to 1910 and is a favourite of the royal family.

Cronut king Dominique Ansel plans a second bakery in Covent Garden. Details are under wraps, and the New York-based chef won’t even disclose the exact location. The opening is scheduled for “late spring”.

Claridge’s has plans for a new restaurant to replace Fera, which closed on Dec 31. There is widespread speculation it will be a New York import, but the hotel won’t confirm and has no immediate plans for an announcement.

Chef André Garrett has taken over as executive chef at the Corinthia hotel and plans a new direction for the Northall restaurant, with a menu incorporating a broad fish and seafood selection influenced by the Mediterranean.

Chef James Lowe of Lyle’s and his GM and business partner John Ogier plan to open a wine bar and bakery in Borough in the “spring/ summer”, Eater London reported. Lyle’s places at 38 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants rankings. Lowe is known for seasonal dishes with just a few ingredients, such as beetroot, cured Gloucester Old Spot and horseradish.

Chef Jason Atherton told Square Meal he plans to open a 16-seat restaurant called HOME next to his flagship Pollen Street Social. Guests will buy tickets to dine on a set menu. (No details yet on the likely opening date.) Atherton holds a Michelin star at Pollen Street Social for dishes such as saddle of rabbit, pancetta, salt-baked turnips and tarragon.

Spanish Chef Quique Dacosta, who holds three Michelin stars at his flagship in Alicante, plans to open a restaurant in Fitzrovia in the coming months. Details may be released this month, but it’s already known the focus will be on rice dishes and Spanish ingredients. Dacosta is known for his modern cooking using local produce.

D&D London, whose establishments include Sartoria, plans to open a 9,257 sq ft restaurant in the “spring” on the 14th floor of a new development, 120 Fenchurch St, adjacent to Leadenhall.

Instagram favourite Chef Salt Bae plans to open a UK outpost of his Nusr-Et steakhouse in the Park Tower Knightsbridge, later this year. No details have been announced. The Turkish chef is best known for the theatrical flourish with which he seasons steaks at the table. Nusr-Et has 18.6 million Instagram followers.

The Allegra restaurant will open at the Stratford hotel, Queen Elizabeth Park, in April. Chef Patrick Powell, formerly of Chiltern Firehouse, will serve a modern European menu in the seventh-floor restaurant, opening out onto sky gardens.

Chef-patron Jackson Boxer of St Leonards will open Orasay in Notting Hill early this year with Chef Andrew Clarke. The 50-seater restaurant on Kensington Park Road will focus on seafood. Boxer and Clarke are known for their cooking over an open fire.

The SpiceBox vegan curry restaurant will open in Walthamstow on Jan 29 after a soft opening (with 50% off food) from Jan 23-27. The former street-food operator will serve dishes such as jackfruit jalfrezi and a three-grain pilau. — Bloomberg

• Richard Vines is chief food critic at Bloomberg.