Latest openings: the Coconut Tree, Il Sud, the East London hotel, and more

The Coconut Tree

 

The Coconut Tree has opened its third restaurant, in Gloucester Road, Bristol, following openings in Cheltenham and Oxford. The brand focuses on affordable Sri Lankan street food, with all recipes from Ceylon, where the founders are from.

 

The menu offers a selection of small to medium dishes to share, including hoppers; devilled meat and fish cooked in spices, stir-fried with sweet peppers and finished with crushed chillies; and kotthu, a Sri Lankan street food snack made from chopped flatbread fried with meat and vegetables.

 

The group has also secured a second site in Bristol’s Triangle, planned to open in November.

 

Opened 5 October

 

Covers 80

 

General manager Tipu Miah

 

Typical dishes Battered spicy cuttlefish; cheesy Colombo; Jaffna goat curry with potato; hoppers with sambal and Sri Lankan salsa

 

Website www.thecoconut-tree.com

 

 

Il Sud

 

Luca Danisi and Vittorio Vicidomini have launched Il Sud in London’s Fitzrovia, serving dishes from their home regions in the south of Italy. The two worked together previously at Cacio & Pepe in Pimlico. The wine list features wines from Tuscany, Sicily and Puglia**.**

 

Head chef Vittorio Vicidomini

 

Typical dishes Paccheri with langoustines and tomato sauce; pan-fried calves’ liver with butter, crispy sage and sautéed spinach

 

Website www.ilsud.co.uk

 

 

Chick’n’Sours

 

The third Chick’n’Sours site has opened in London’s Islington with its own bar and an open kitchen. The venue offers a new menu of dishes trialled at the Haggerston branch earlier this summer.

 

Covers 60

 

Founders Carl Clarke and David Wolanski

 

Typical dishes Chilli fish sauce caramel wings; chicken toast; hot chicken and kimchi cornbread waffles

 

Website www.chicknsours.co.uk

 

East London hotel

 

The East London hotel, an urban hotel for business and leisure travellers, has opened in Bethnal Green. Rooms feature Millbrook mattresses, 43” smart TVs and Nespresso coffee machines. The hotel also offers an all-day bar and restaurant, Due East.

 

Bedrooms 161

 

Starting room rate £85

 

Typical dishes Lime chicken and pineapple nachos; sourdough fish finger sandwiches

 

Website www.theeastlondonhotel.comÂ

 

 

Lorne

 

Lorne in London’s Victoria has reopened after a forced closure and refurbishment due to flash flooding earlier this year. The first venture from sommelier Katie Exton and chef Peter Hall from the Square offers a modern British menu with classical ingredients.

 

Covers 48

 

Owners Katie Exton and Peter Hall

 

Typical dishes Burrata, figs, rosemary focaccia; monkfish, espelette pepper, Hispi cabbage, mussels

 

Website www.lornerestaurant.co.uk

 

 Mercure Edinburgh City

 

The Mercure Edinburgh City Princes Street Hotel has undergone a refurbishment of its public spaces. The new look features artwork of Edinburgh-born inventor of the telephone Alexander Graham Bell alongside a retro telephone display.

 

Bedrooms 169

 

Operator Jupiter Hotels

 

Design HH Interiors

 

General manager James Fraser

 

Website www.mercureedinburgh.co.uk

 

 

Turquoise Grill x Bar

 

Turquoise Grill x Bar has opened in Loughton, Essex, offering a modern take on Anatolian cuisine. The restaurant features an outdoor area which can be used for functions and events. It is a family-run business led by restaurateur Burhan Ates.

 

Covers 180

 

Typical dishes Chicken in white wine sauce with mushrooms and cream; knuckle of lamb with vegetables; moussaka; ‘tavuk guvec’ casserole

 

Website www.turquoisegrill.co.uk

 

 

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