18/9/19 - updated with soft launch details
What: Arabica KX
In a nutshell: Borough's Levantine favourite expand to King's Cross
Summing it all up: This new all-day restaurant will open up right next to the Aga Khan Centre in King's Cross and they're promising very special hummus, the best halal steaks and more.
The low-down
Five years after opening his successful Borough restaurant, Arabica founder James Walters is gearing up to open a second place, this time in King's Cross. The new Arabica KX will open with an "almost entirely new" menu - although, rest assured, we're told that the key favourites from the original Levantine-inspired restaurant will still be available. The Arabica dirty hummus has long been a favourite of ours, but here in N1C they're launching Hummus KX which is going to be loaded up with diced sweet peppers, red chilli, crushed garlic, parsley and roasted spiced chickpeas.
Other dishes include:
- Tempura Cornish mussels with walnut sauce, spiked with Turkish red pepper paste
- Beef cheek borekas - slow-braised ox cheek in red wine, infused with dried Persian limes, eastern spices, roasted root vegetables and caramelised onions
- Beef & bone marrow Arayees - pitas stuffed with dry-aged short rib and chuck steak, bone marrow, charred over hot coals and served with whipped tahini, chopped tomatoes and preserved lemon
- Lamb koftes - charred tomatoes, blackened onions, Turkish peppers and cinnamon, sealed with bread dough.
All the meat and lamb here will be grass-fed halal and they're hoping to serve what they reckon could be London's best halal steak, using British heritage breeds such as Dexter, Belted Galloway, Longhorn, and Highland, dry-aged for up to 45 days.
If it's veggie or plant-based stuff you're after then look out for:
- House salad - Seasonal raw vegetables with orange blossom vinaigrette, crumbled Cretan barley rusks, barrel-aged feta, roasted pistachios
- Wedge salad - with creamy Galotyri cheese and buttermilk dressing with crunchy seeds, cherry tomatoes, fresh dill and mint leaves.
As with the original, the wine list here has also been curated by wine writer and sommelier Zeren Wilson. That's focused on emerging winemakers from regions such as Macedonia, South Africa and Australia along with wines like Lebanon’s Domaine de Tourelles. Eight of these will also be available on tap.
Their digs are pretty special too. They're in a ground floor corner of the Aga Khan Centre building. Interior designers Gundry & Ducker, who were responsible for The Palomar and Temper Soho, are working on the restaurant which will have an open plan kitchen and bar with counter dining seats, tables inside for 66 diners and space for 40 more on the terrace outside.
It's going to be an all-day affair - with sweet and savoury boreks and single origin filter Workshop Coffee, Postcard teas and Turkish-style coffee infused with green cardamom in the mornings plus a cracking weekend breakfast planned.
As Arabica founder James Walters explains: “King’s Cross offers a curious mix of shiny new buildings and repurposed industrial heritage which excites us. We hope the restaurant will be a common room of sorts for this diverse community, where locals, students and visitors alike can drop by for a morning coffee or an evening bite.”
More about Arabica KX
Where is it? 7 Lewis Cubitt Walk, London, N1C 4DT
When does it open? 25 September 2019 (soft launch to 29 September)
Soft launch: 25-29 September 2019, 50% off food, booking recommended.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @Arabicalondon
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