Monday Bulletin: St. John Marylebone and Forza Win’s new home

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

Forza

A big welcome back to Peckham’s kings of custardo, Forza Win, as they finally confirm their new home in Camberwell. The cult South London Italian closed two years ago but will reopen at 31 Camberwell Church Street in September, having taken on the former Angels & Gypsies site, dormant since 2016. Bash Redford, who owns Forza with Michael Lavery, told CODE the returning menu will be similar to the first, with an ever-changing five courses of Italian classics, as well as a few extras ‘here and there’. Old-time customers will be pleased to learn that the ‘awesome sauce’ special is making a comeback, where between 5-7pm a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine costs just £10. And then the custardo, a blend of creme anglaise and espresso, which started as a joke but worked, and then soon made headlines. Read more, including words from Bash. 

St. John 

St. John is opening a new location in Marylebone this September, the group’s first in seven years. The newest iteration of Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver’s legendary nose-to-tail restaurant will be an ‘all-day, wine-led space’, with a menu overseen by Fergus and chef-director Jonathan Woolway. Doughnuts from their Bermondsey bakery will be served with champagne in the morning, while a changing blackboard of small plates and bar snacks will arrive during the day. Trevor said: ‘Inspired by the bars of Paris and Florence, which are all things to all people at all moments through every day – coffee and wine, tartines and three-course meals, babies and bankers. Each St. John sings with its own voice, dictated by the environment and community in which it finds itself. This new addition to the family will provide a rolling feast of many parts, with ample good wine as you would expect’.

The Baring

A new upmarket pub called The Baring will open its doors in Islington on July 12. Born from a partnership between ex-Dabbous head chef Rob Tecwyn and general manager Adam Symonds, formerly of Orasay and Six Portland Road, the opening is the latest to bring refined cooking into a neighbourhood local. The pair met while working at The Bull & Last in Highgate and are taking over a site off Regent’s Canal. Their mission? To ‘stay respectful to the traditions of the great British pub whilst not being bound by them’.

The Maddox

A new British brasserie will open in the former Browns site in Mayfair on Thursday. The Maddox Tavern, from Roger Payne’s Enhanced Hospitality Group (Shaka Zulu, Blacks Club, 26 Leake Street, among others), will serve dishes such as Bosworth Ash goat’s cheese with grilled artichokes, venison carpaccio with pineapple chutney, and fish pie alongside an extensive shellfish section and grill. In charge is head chef Jon Grimes, formerly of Kobe Jones in Bromley and Aqua Kyoto. Breakfasts such as lobster Benedict and soufflé omelettes sound promising. 

De Nadas

Dubbed ‘London’s first empanadería’, De Nadas is opening on Goldbourne Road in Portobello this month. The restaurant is the work of chef Nico Buyo and former Kerrang magazine editor Ñako Martinez. Empanadas available will include combinations such as chorizo, ham and cheese, and ‘MDQ’, an Argentinian take on the ever-debated classic ham and pineapple. Also on the way is a bar serving London’s ‘largest selection of Malbecs and vermouths’. We’re excited to see a part of Buenos Aires in the city.

Tax rates

According to The Times, Steve Barclay, the prime minister’s chief of staff, has suggested temporarily cutting the headline VAT rate from 20 to 17.5 per cent. UKHospitality CEO Kate Nicholls said ‘a temporary VAT cut has been used successfully in the past to reduce [the] tax bill for millions and ease cost of living squeeze as well as supporting businesses’, and Emma McClarkin, the CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), said a tax reduction could help relieve the ‘immense pressures’ of rising costs facing the industry. She added: ‘The VAT increase to 20 per cent in April added further burden to businesses that were already struggling to make ends meet and now only one in three hospitality businesses is currently making a profit, and almost half are operating reduced hours. A reduction would be extremely welcome, and we hope the government will seriously consider introducing it sooner rather than later.’ Let’s hope the pressure pays off. 

Robin & Sarah Gill

Robin and Sarah Gill are opening new wine bar and bistro Bottle & Rye in Brixton this July. The couple, who are also behind the critically acclaimed Bermondsey Larder, Clapham Italian Sorella, and Darby’s in Vauxhall, are this time looking to Paris for inspiration. Their new 28-cover bistro, led by Robin and head chef Ben Hughes-Gage, formerly of Lino, will serve a menu that pays homage to the all-day bistros of Paris, ‘with dishes that play on French classics.’ Gill said: ‘Bottle & Rye is inspired by the Parisian café culture that Sarah and I are so fond of. These bistros are filled from morning through to night and we love how these little gems are embraced by the city.’ 

Yurii Kovryzhenko & Olga Tsybytovska

The Ukrainian chef Yurii Kovryzhenko and his partner Olga Tsybytovska will open their debut London restaurant later this month after taking on a site in Brompton Road, Chelsea. Mriya, which translates as ‘dream’, will serve classic and contemporary Ukrainian food and will be staffed by refugees who have been forced to leave home due to the war with Russia. Yurii and Olga have funded the restaurant themselves with the help of several investors from the UK and Ukraine. Yurii told CODE: ‘Mriya means dream in Ukrainian, and we as a nation are dreaming of victory, and the opportunity to host people again. We want to share our culture.’ More.

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