Ten top restaurants for autumn – and they are not all in London
New dishes, new openings and lots of flavour are all on the menu this season
Reubens is back in Baker Street. The much-loved institution has reopened its doors to showcase the results of a beautiful refurbishment following two fires earlier this year. Salt beef and latkes are on the menu of course, plus all the favourites long-time diners have missed.
The dream team behind Mazal in Camden are opening a second kosher restaurant this autumn in Golders Green (in the old Sami’s unit). Bracha will offer Israeli street food menu with griddled meats, marinated chicken and sabich as signature dishes.
Co-owner Neta Segev says that the restaurant is going to be bright and colourful, young and modern but with a retro feel and communal tables. Meanwhile, back in the building Mazal has launched a blooming onion – one look at the photo will have you running there to try it.
Pukush from Or Golan (who started Soyo) is also new to Golders Green. With a deliciously lush interior with funky lighting, a peachy colour palette and even pretty curtains at the windows, this is a whole new vibe for the area with an mouthwatering meaty menu featuring refined, elevated dishes like brûlée liver pate.
The most talked-about north London opening this summer was Von Crumb schnitzel restaurant in Belsize Park. The simple menu offers four starters, four schnitzels, two schnitzel sandwiches, so the moral of the story is, if you don’t like schnitzel don’t go! There is also a kids’ menu. You can choose between chicken, veal, beef and aubergine schnitzel, all in breadcrumbs and they come with mash, parmesan fries or tenderstem broccoli. Now that bikini bodies have gone undercover (literally) for autumn I suspect it will be even more popular.
Anyone who remembers Ananas in Mill Hill will be interested to hear that the same owner has opened Ariele in Radlett (in the former Daisy’s unit by the station). It’s a similar menu to Ananas with breakfast dishes, salads and sandwiches with an Israeli twist but it is not kosher. My go-to here is the halloumi salad.
If you’re heading to or live in Brighton, Masterchef: The Professionals winner Steven Edwards’ restaurant etch in Hove is ideal for a relaxed weekend lunch or evening out. It has an open kitchen, private dining room, cosy booths and a really cool bar and sustainability is at the heart of the menu, with menus changing weekly to avoid overusing ingredients and to use the best of local produce when it’s at its peak. Local and high-end wines are key to the guest experience. This autumn a four-course tasting menu will be launched (£55). The restaurant has become famous for the marmite bread, served with seaweed butter.
Freak Scene, SohoFor inventive pan-Asian cuisine, lethally good cocktails and a great vibe with banging music, try Scott Hallsworth’s Freak Scene in Soho. Previously head chef at Nobu and the founder of Kurobata, Hallsworth brings his cult dining concept to 100 Wardour Street for an exclusive pop-up residency until November (he has permanent sites in Fulham and Balham). Most dishes are designed to be shared and everything features a creative spin. Think Padron peppers in a yuzu-miso gravy and crunchy chips with furikake and a jalapeno dip. Standout mains include tuna sashimi pizza with wasabi tobiko and truffle ponzu; fried chicken with peanut soy, pineapple sambal sauce and house pickles; and grilled hispi cabbage with ponzu beurre noisette, truffle and dried miso. For sushi lovers, there is sashimi and nigiri omakase as well as imaginative ways with rolls. Finish with the Valrhona chocolate harumaki with passionfruit dip. For cocktails try the Green Bastard and the Sakatini. Alex Galbinski
The launch of Cinnamon Kitchen Leeds in May marked the Northern debut of Vivek Singh’s brand, following the success of several celebrated London venues. Located in the central hub of City Square, the restaurant blends heritage interiors, bold flavours and a lively atmosphere. Renowned for pioneering modern Indian cuisine in the UK, Singh’s signature blend of innovation and expertly spiced dishes has made the restaurant an instant hit in the heart of the city.
Bringing style and flavour to St Peter’s Square, The Anthologist Manchester, part of the Drake & Morgan group, is an all-day destination for all occasions – from morning coffees and power lunches to late-night cocktails and weekend celebrations. Fresh, seasonal dishes, expertly crafted cocktails, and a vibrant atmosphere are all set within sleek interiors and sociable spaces. This is a go-to spot for dining, drinking and socialising in the city this autumn.
The Cock in Hitchin is a 500-year-old pub in the middle of this lovely cobbled-street town which is so pretty and just half an hour’s drive from north London. Everything we ate was exceptional, starting with the homemade wholemeal with whipped beer and marmite butter. There’s a fascinating cocktail list and it’s nothing like anything I’ve seen before. Maitre d’ Adam explained the concept and it’s all rather involved but with phenomenal results – mine was essentially a liquid form of a rhubarb and custard sweet. From the snacks list we took melt-in-the-mouth beef rib brioche buns and salt fish croquettes, both of which were really generous portions and could easily be starters in themselves.
We shared a heritage carrot, goat’s cheese and macadamia salad and a Lincolnshire poacher tart – every mouthful packed a flavour punch and this is a chef who really understands texture – the carrot salad in particular was testament to this, some soft, some al denté, and the creamy centered goats cheese with a satisfyingly chewy crust. We then had beef with a stunning beef fat hash brown, and a really beautiful cod dish with leeks, samphire and a chive butter sauce. The largest, chunkiest crispiest triple-cooked chips and a zesty heritage tomato salad completed the course. Husband eschewed dessert (spoilsport) leaving me to devour fig leaf frozen custard with fresh figs and crunchy cinnamon buckwheat myself – no hardship! I love this little place and the enthusiasm and passion of the staff shine through at every turn. Main courses are around the £28 mark but everything else is well below London prices and the service charge is only 10 percent.
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