Mare Street MarketMare Street Market has opened in London's Hackney, including three dining spots curated by Gizzi Erskine, a Flying Horse Coffee shop, Rebel Rebel florist, and a vinyl record store and podcast studio.
The 10,000 sq ft site features a deli and off-licence; a communal ‘open kitchen', serving pizza, rotisserie chicken and Hackney gelato ice-cream; and the Dining Room, a 50-cover brasserie with a wood-fired oven serving modern British cooking. The brasserie is decorated with vintage lamps and art deco furniture from Shoreditch interior designer Pure White Lines, all of which can be purchased, and also serves East London Liquor Company cocktails.
Opened 28 March
Founder Marc Francis-Baum
Creative director Gizzi Erskine
Executive chef Tim Mawn
Head chef Phil Smith
Typical dishes Steak tartare; bone marrow Marmite and cured yolk toasts; lamb cutlets with flageolet dauphinoise
Website www.marestreetmarket.com
Tom's Kitchen Chef Tom Aikens has relaunched his flagship restaurant in London's Chelsea following an extensive refurbishment, with a new menu offering seasonal small plates and the comfort food for which the restaurant is known.
Reopened 21 March
Design B3 Designers
Typical dishes Scallops with the Fruit Pig black pudding; and spatchcock Norfolk quail with peanut sauce and pickled sweet cucumber relish
Website www.tomskitchen.co.uk
La Ferme French restaurant La Ferme has opened a second London site in Primrose Hill, with a mezzanine lounge sponsored by Champagne Deutz. La Ferme started as a market stall in 2012, and the Farringdon site opened in 2015.
Head chef Guillaume Dunos
Covers Ground floor: 32; outside terrace: 8; Deutz Champagne bar: 14
Typical dishes Snails in garlic butter; and béchamel, mushroom and goats' cheese croque-monsieur
Website www.lafermelondon.com
Nobu Café Nobu Hotel Shoreditch in London has opened Nobu Café, serving afternoon tea, Asian-inspired pastries and sweets, and what is believed to be London's only Kinto hand-brew Japanese filter coffee. The design features timber, dark stone and heavily woven textiles in natural tones and shades of blue.
Covers 100
Typical dishes Wagyu sliders; rock shrimp nori buns; and yuzu and kumquat pound cake
Website www.nobuhotelshoreditch.com
Repton Room at the Woburn hotel The four-AA-star Woburn hotel in Bedfordshire has reopened with a new Repton Room for casual dining and afternoon tea, following a renovation. The room is inspired by the 18th-century landscape gardener Humphry Repton, who worked on the nearby Woburn Abbey.
Covers 38
Executive chef Olivier Bertho
Design Trevillion Interiors
Website www.thewoburnhotel.co.uk