18 | squaremeal.co.uk

BLOGGER BANTER AT BUMPKINSquare Meal held a special

dinner for nine food bloggers

at Bumpkin restaurant in

Chelsea this June, celebrating

the launch of its summer

menu in the restaurant's

fairy light- lled secret

garden. If you're a restaurant

blogger and would like to get

involved ieleanor@squaremeal.co.ukeep an eye on our social

media channels or email

eleanor@squaremeal.co.uk.

restaurant news

WHAT'S HOT

and fi nally...

Marcus Wareing will replace

Michel Roux Jnr as judge on the

next series of MasterChef: The

Professionals

St John has grown its empire

with the launch of the Bakery

Rooms at Maltby Street market

Anna Hansen, chef proprietor

of The Modern Pantry, has signed

the lease on a second site in the

City, due to open next spring

Spanish restaurant Barra na

has launched a second site, in

Covent Garden

Churchill's Port House in Soho

has launched a menu matching

port with chocolates from Paul

A Young

Proving that the only way is

Essex, Albert Roux will open a

restaurant on Brentwood High

Street in spring next year

Wahaca founders Thomasina

Miers and Mark Selby launch a

new Mexican pop-up on Brick

Lane on 24 July, called DF/Mexico

WHAT'S NOT

Coming soon…

THIS MONTH

Lima Floral comes to Covent

Garden, including a piqueos

bar for Peruvian 'tapas'.

The second branch of Flat

Iron opens near CentrePoint

on Denmark Street.

NEXT MONTH

Mark Hix heads south of the

river for the ‹ rst time with the

launch of Hixter Bankside.

The restaurant in the

Mondrian London hotel

launches, with New York chef

Seamus Mullen at the helm.

New bar Dandelyan launches

in the same hotel, headed

up by Ryan Chetiyawardana,

who also runs White Lyan on

Hoxton Street.

LATER

Skye Gyngell launches

Spring in Somerset House

in September.

Marcus Wareing will open

Tredwell's in Covent

Garden in September.

WHAT'S

DF/Mexico

CRABS

King crab is served whole at Beast,

you can smash your own at Bonnie

Gull Seafood Café, and US chain

Fatty Crab is due to launch in

London later this year

HIP HOTELS

Ham Yard Hotel has just arrived

in Soho, Mondrian London is

launching by the river next month,

Corbin & King open The Beaumont

in October, and André Balazs's

Standard is coming to the capital

JUICE

Move over Tequila, juice is the new

shot of choice. The Juice Well and

Press have both squeezed into

Soho, while Roots & Bulbs is going

down a treat in Marylebone

PORTUGUESE

It's the cuisine to watch, having

inspired piri-piri restaurant Fire

& Feathers in Fulham, Covent

Garden wine bar Canela, and

Hide & Seed in Putney

TABLECLOTHS

They're a seriously dying breed

in London, with bare-tabled

casual being the new cool. Even

Claridge's has gone without at

Simon Rogan's Fera

USDA BEEF

This top grade of American beef

is de rigueur in restaurants at the

moment, from Burger & Lobster

to Chiltern Firehouse. Good as it is,

we have our own very fine British

beef thank you very much

HIDDEN BARS

It was a bit of fun, but we're fed

up of needing to channel our

inner Sherlock just to get a drink.

Who wants to be tucked away in

a basement or back room over

summer, anyway?

RESTAURANT SELFIES

Pictures of your food are one

thing, but pictures of yourself

eating it? Seriously?