As we embark on a new year, we look to the future and share some of the latest restaurant openings happening in 2022.
Gaga Kitchen and Bar
Gaga Kitchen and Bar has started serving Malaysian street food on Glasgow’s Dumbarton Road. The food menus are created by former MasterChef contestant Julie Lin Macleod and they are just the thing to add some spice to a dreary January. It may be cold and wet outside but a dish of ground pork, basil, and peppercorns should lift the spirits. Ditto with the Taiwanese fried chicken, the watermelon noodle salad or the pork belly with curry sauce and pickles. The cocktail list is just as reviving. Who would not want to kick start their evening with a Hey Ya! – a mix of Hendrick’s gin, durello, lemon, and flamed absinthe mist.
The Doughnut Whisperer
Having started life as a doughnut delivery service (what a time to be alive!), the Doughnut Whisperer opened their first bricks and mortar shop in Chester’s Rufus Court in the run-up to Christmas. Their all plant-based creations have proved a massive hit with concoctions such as the White Chocolate Biscoff, Cornflake Tart, and Oreo and Peanut Butter doughnut flying off the shelves.
Vinoteca Borough Yards
Vinoteca is to launch a two storey, 95 cover wine bar on Stoney Street in Borough Yards, the new development in London Bridge. Scheduled to open later this month, the venture brings the Vinoteca stable to six with branches already operating at Farringdon, Chiswick, Marylebone, King’s Cross, and City. With a focus on sustainable wines from independent winemakers, the 200-strong wine list will be updated regularly while the food menu will make good use of the fresh produce on sale in the neighbouring Borough Market. As well as folding doors that open out onto the street, the new venture will have outstanding views of Southwark Cathedral.
Chapter
Edgbaston Village in Birmingham has a new restaurant: Chapter on Greenfield Crescent. Run by veteran Brum restaurateurs Ann Tonks, Irene Allan, and Ben Ternent, the kitchen, bar, and terrace welcomed its first guests last month. Chef director Ben Ternent’s describes his food as “rooted in seasonality, authenticity and honesty with a decidedly Birmingham spirit”. The menus change regularly but typical dishes from the dinner menu might be the cauliflower risotto with capers and crispy cavolo nero or the venison with celeriac. A separate bar menu runs from a pastrami sandwich with brisket prepped in-house to miso and soy-glazed wings, charcuterie platters, and loaded fries.
Temperance Inn
The Temperance Inn at Ambleside in the Lake District has just re-opened after an extensive refurbishment. Dating back to the 1800s, the premises were bought by The Inn Collection Group last year and given a multi-million-pound facelift. Among the changes is the introduction of a new street food menu. Fell walkers and hikers will still be able to prepare for a day in the hills with a full English breakfast but the new menu also includes prawn bao buns, Korean popcorn chicken, mozzarella fries, and even a vegan hot dog.
Cora
Chef Lee Skeet is to open Cora, his first permanent restaurant above Café Milkwood on Cardiff’s Pontcanna Street. Previously Skeet has been a sous chef for Gordon Ramsay and Tom Aikens as well as working for Marcus Wareing. He was also head chef at the now-closed Michelin-starred Hedone. His new venture, named after his daughter, aims to “create a relaxed and ambitious restaurant where you can enjoy the best quality produce available in the capital, in a laid-back and inviting atmosphere, all set to a hip hop soundtrack”.
Each service will be for just twelve guests eating a set taster menu at £75. The restaurant is scheduled to open in mid-January. Interestingly, Cora’s website states that “Due to the nature of the restaurant and the tasting menu we do not cater to vegan or vegetarian dietary choices”. We predict that the narrowing of options and choices on restaurant menus will be a growing trend as chefs try to cope with rising prices and staff shortages.
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