This week's openings: Cow Hollow hotel, Sorella, Zia Lucia and more
Cow Hollow hotel
The Cow Hollow hotel has opened on 57 Newton Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter. A short walk from Piccadilly station, the former textile warehouse has undergone extensive refurbishment to transform it into a boutique hotel, the first from husband and wife Muj and Amelia Rana, who have overseen the design of the hotel.
The hotel is named after the neighbourhood in San Francisco and the design takes inspiration from the Golden Gate city, as well as the old warehouses found in London's Shoreditch and Manhattan's Meatpacking district.
Original features have been retained, such as exposed oak beams, Carrara marble fireplaces, wrought iron machinery and the original factory doors, juxtaposed with artwork from local Mancunian artists.
Kingsize beds have been made from railway sleepers, bathrooms offer rainfall showers and Ren toiletries, and every room has a Smart TV and Netflix. Hotel staff deliver gourmet breakfast bags to rooms, complimentary prosecco and nibbles are available in the evenings from the Plantation Bar, and the hotel also has a lower-ground floor Aviary Café which offers hot drinks 24 hours a day.
Opened 25 January
Bedrooms 16
Owners Muj and Amelia Rana
Starting room rate £120
Website www.cowhollow.co.uk
Hankies Marble Arch
Indian street food concept Hankies has opened at the Montcalm London Marble Arch hotel. It serves roomali roti, a thin, wheat-based flatbread which is hand-spun, cooked on a hot tawa pan and folded into ‘hankies', which accompany or enclose the dishes on the menu.
Founder Anirudh Arora
Typical dishes Prawn skewers with chives and garlic; chilli lamb chop marinated in paprika and mustard; Cheddar, cumin and truffle-stuffed naan
Website www.montcalm.co.uk
Mrs Le's Bánh Mì and Grill
Mrs Le's Bánh Mì and Grill, from the owner of the Mien Tay restaurants in London, has opened in Battersea, offering traditional Vietnamese grill dishes, marinades, cooking styles and decoration. There is a choice of six Vietnamese baguettes, made with homemade pâté and whipped butter.
Covers 40
Owner and restaurant manager Van Le
Executive chef Su Le
Website www.vietnamesegrill.co.uk
Seasons at Rufflets
After a £100,000 investment, the Terrace at Rufflets in St Andrews has become Seasons restaurant, which uses seasonal produce from the kitchen garden and local markets. The design is influenced by the gardens.
Head chef David Kinnes
General manager Stephen Owen
Typical dishes Venison with haggis Scotch egg and wild mushroom pithivier; and cheese soufflé with roast cauliflower and confit leeks
Website www.rufflets.co.uk
Sorella
Chef Robin Gill has transformed the Manor bistro into local Italian restaurant Sorella (meaning sister) in London's Clapham. Drinks focus on twists on Italian classics, such as a seasonal bellini, a house negroni and spritz, homemade liquors like limoncello and sweet vermouth, and an Italian wine list.
Head chef Dean Parker
Typical dishes Crab linguine with fennel and chilli; wild mushrooms and cep gnocchi; truffle arancini
Website www.sorellarestaurant.co.uk
The Bay Tree hotel
The Bay Tree hotel in Broadstairs, Kent, has reopened after a £1m refurbishment to restore many of the original features of the Victorian building. Traditional wooden sash windows have been added and the original skirting and doors have been kept or copied, with up-cycled furniture providing colour.
Bedrooms 10
Owners Alistair Dixon and Robert Stone
Design Suzy Nina Interiors
Website www.baytreebroadstairs.co.uk
Zia Lucia
Independent pizzeria Zia Lucia is opening in London's Brook Green. The restaurant will offer 48-hour, slow-fermented doughs and a limited-edition ‘Brook Green' green vegetable dough for its launch. All wood-fired pizzas will be priced £7-£11 and feature toppings such as ‘nduja, Spianata salami, truffle honey, burrata and vegan butternut squash cream.
Covers 50
Founders Claudio Vescovo and Gianluca D'Angelo
Website www.zialucia.com
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