CODE Bulletin Catch Up

Catch up on the latest industry news stories of the week from the CODE Bulletin

Three Uncles

After three years of takeaway kiosks and delivery, the Cantonese food concept Three Uncles will open its first restaurant in Brixton Village early next month. The Hong Kong-style siu mei specialists have established a considerable fanbase over the years, and at the new 25-cover site will be the brand’s well-loved char siu barbecue pork, Hainan chicken, and roast duck – all served with steamed jasmine rice – as well as curry fishballs and wonton char siu lo mein. There will also be new dine-in options served “family style”, with Typhoon shelter prawns, lotus leaf rice with Chinese sausage, and shiitake mushrooms with minced pork to come. Co-founder Mo Kwok said Three Uncles is about bringing Hong Kong street food to a broader audience in London: “Siu mei remains one of the most popular types of food for everyday Hong Kongers, but in London you can only really find it in restaurants in Chinatown. We’ve always wanted to make it available to all in local neighbourhoods as you would find across the Far East.” Pui Sing Tsang, aka ‘Uncle Sidney’, added: “We want our restaurant to entice people out of their homes, bring them the joy of eating out, encourage family-style dining and recreate our memories of roast meat cafes typical of the Wan Chai area”.

The Princess Royal

The Cubitt House team will launch its next pub in March. The Princess Royal, in Notting Hill, dates back to the Victorian era, and will be “home to a large dining room and bar, a walled garden, private feasting rooms, and four individually designed bedrooms.” Group chef director Ben Tish is behind the food, with pub-style dishes managed alongside his Mediterranean cooking style. Suppliers include Wright Brothers seafood and Txuleta beef, and on the menu will be red prawn crudo with rosemary and orange; English burrata with blood orange, radicchio, coriander seeds and fennel; and Old Spot pork chop with salt-roast beets, new season carrots, and walnut picada. On the central bar, oysters, wild bream crudo, and aged beef tartare will be served as snacks. 

Caravel

Evidently, March will be busy. Also next month, brothers Fin and Lorcan Spiteri will open Caravel, a restaurant and bar in a converted barge moored on the banks of the Regent’s Canal, not far from Holborn Studios. An announcement said the food will draw on Lorcan’s experiences cooking at Quo Vadis, Oldroyd, and Rochelle Canteen, as well as his Guinea Fowlers pop-up and his time at Studio Kitchen. Expect a “simple, regularly changing a la carte menu”, with starters such as sesame prawn toast with spiced tartare, and confit duck rissoles. Main courses might be white crab tagliatelle with fennel and garlic, and crispy pork belly alongside green beans and anchoïde. Fin will take charge of the floor and has also created the drinks list, having spent time behind the bar at 69 Colebrooke Row, Untitled, and Ladies & Gents. There’ll be blood orange margaritas, a “classic” negroni with a rhubarb twist, and a rum and coke old fashioned. He said: “Lorcan and I are so excited to finally open Caravel. We have actively transformed this barge from a rusty old thing to this incredible space, and can’t wait to have people on board.”

Small plates

A well-loved seafood restaurant with sites in Boston, US, has announced it will open in Mayfair later this year. Saltie Girl specialises in lobsters, oysters, caviar, and premium tinned seafood, Eater reported, and will replace a branch of Prezzo on North Audley Street. The restaurant said on social media: “We are so beyond excited to be swimming across the pond and making another home in one of our favorite cities in the world. London. The journey is underway. Stay tuned. We will keep you posted. Right here.”

MEATliquor is celebrating the release of Foo Fighters’ new movie, Studio 666, “with the launch of their most debauched burger to date”. The collaboration started on February 18 with a burger featuring three beef patties, house hot sauce, American cheese, “666 mayonnaise”, pickles, diced white onions, and lettuce. “MEATliquor is stoked to have been asked to collaborate on this – one of our top dogs has Dave Grohl’s towel from a gig 10 years ago so it’s been a lot of fun for us to work on”, said an announcement.

Jikoni (in Bristol)

A new contemporary restaurant combining cuisines from Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya will open in Bristol in the coming weeks. Jikoni, founded by Iman Salat and James Hillier, will launch in the courtyard of the Coach House workspace in the St Paul’s area after a series of successful pop-ups of the same name in Bristol and Bath. “I’ve always been obsessed with food as long as I could remember,” Iman told Bristol24/7. “I was born in Somalia and grew up in Kenya and I was lucky enough to be around East African food.” 

Gary Usher

Gary Usher has teased a new tapas restaurant called Joya, and has also posted a video on social media in which he talks about plans to raise £2 million by selling shares in Elite Bistros. The idea behind doing so is to strengthen the business, create a new brand within it, and open three more sites. Even less is known about Joya currently. More to come, no doubt. 

Kim Ratcharoen

Kim Ratcharoen has returned to Gordon Ramsay’s three-star flagship restaurant in Chelsea as head chef. Ratcharoen joined the restaurant as an apprentice in 2015 and worked her way up to senior sous. The group said she left to take a sabbatical, first competing in the Great British Menu last year before spending time with friends and family, travelling, and working as a private chef. Ratcharoen said: “I’m delighted to return to Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. I feel honoured and humbled that Gordon and Matt have shown so much trust in me and I’m truly excited to take on the role as head chef.” Ramsay aded: “I’m so happy to have Kim back at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, she is an incredible chef who is ambitious and hugely talented. She brings a wonderful focus and energy into the kitchen, and we are lucky to have her leading the brigade under the powerful guidance of chef patron, Matt Abé, at our beautiful Chelsea restaurant.”

Natalie Coleman

MasterChef 2013 winner Natalie Coleman has been named head chef at The Oyster Shed, the riverside pub and seafood restaurant between Cannon Street station and London Bridge. The pub group Young’s said Coleman will bring an “elevated menu with a focus firmly on sustainable seafood and fish and seasonal British produce.” Dishes will include Colchester oysters served raw with gin and cucumber granita, pickled cucumber and dill; halibut fillet with langoustines and bisque sauce; and Cornish sole (megrim) with cockles, sorrel velouté, samphire and burnt leeks. Coleman said: “I am excited to have joined the team at The Oyster Shed. We are committed to  sourcing sustainably and to delivering dishes that showcase the wonderful produce from our suppliers. As an avid fisher myself, I’m very passionate about bringing the best fish and seafood from our shores to the forefront and developing the menus to reflect the seasonal catch.”

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