Victoria

• Tableside drama at The English Grill at Rubens at The Palace

  

  We head for a dinner at The English Grill at Rubens at the Palace of British dishes with a modern twist - and a lot of tableside theatre.

• The Palm House takes on the old Aster site in Victoria

  

  Updated 3/10/22 with images and menu details

  If you've been wondering what was going to take over the huge space left by Aster's departure from Victoria, then we now have the answer. Come this autumn it'll be reopening as The Palm House.

  The idea is to take inspiration from Cuba and Miami’s 1930s clubhouses, so it's Miami-style on the ground floor and Cuban upstairs with a daiquiri

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• Happy Face pizza expands to Victoria and Brent Cross

  

  8/4/22 - updated with Brent Cross opening details

  They've proven to be a hit in King's Cross (of which Grace Dent was a fan) and now Happy Face pizza is expanding with two new restaurants - one that has already quietly

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• Bicester's Shan Shui restaurant to open in London

  

  Up until now, Shan Shui has had just one location in Bicester Village and it must be doing quite nicely there as they're making the jump to London.

• M Restaurants brings in Champagne robots for Christmas

  

  Is this the ultimate in Social distancing? Over the Christmas period, M Restaurants are introducing Champagne robots - yes those

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• The Goring gets ready to reopen with a new Secret Garden but no Nathan Outlaw

  

  We've talked a lot about restaurants and bars being closed during lockdown, hotels - not so much. But an email received over the weekend reminded us that London's hotels have been busy behind the scenes, getting themselves ready for the time when they can receive guests again.

  The Goring, just around the corner from Buckingham Palace, and a favourite dining spot of Her Majesty, has been using the time to make

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• Morena at Eccleston Yards looks to Colombia and South America for its coffee and inspiration

  Two Columbian sisters are hoping to serve up a top cup of coffee to Belgravia residents

• Pizza Pilgrims Victoria will be an immersive journey through Italy

  Brothers James and Thom are drawing on the Italian journey they made before opening their first pizzeria to inspire the design of their 12th restaurant.

• The Ivy Victoria takes over the old Jamie's Italian space in Victoria

  The Ivy Collection's latest addition to its 36-strong restaurant emporium will be a 292-seater restaurant and bar called The Ivy Victoria,

• Cutter and Squidge are coming to Victoria with a pop-up bakery

   

  Fans of Cutter and Squidge - best known for their biskies (a cake/cookie sandwich concoction) - can rejoice as they're about to get another location - this time as a pop-up in Victoria. Already set up in The City and Soho, they're now heading to

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• Test Driving Siren at The Goring - Nathan Outlaw opens the hotel's first new restaurant in 100 years

  Siren is The Goring's first new restaurant in 100 years. We head down to see what Nathan Outlaw's done with the place. 

• Jason Atherton has gone into the theatre bar business with Pavlova's at The Palace Theatre in Victoria

  

  Back in the day, you'd be lucky to get a warm glass of Pinot Grigio waiting for you in a theatre bar during the interval. Now it's quite a different story. Over in Westminster, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Other Palace has a restaurant by the Naughty Piglets crowd alongside a gin bar, and now the Victoria Palace is following suit.

  The Cameron Mackintosh theatre, where Hamilton is currently playing, has just opened Pavlova's - a new bar

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• Nathan Outlaw is opening Siren restaurant at The Goring

  Nathan Outlaw is changing his London base of operations. He's opening a new restaurant at The Goring in Belgravia - a more casual seafood-led affair that's the hotel's first new restaurant in over 100 years. 

• Test Driving Lorne: a calm oasis in the streets around Victoria station

  

  If you're looking for a lovely place near Victoria for lunch or dinner, that's slightly away from the madding crowds, you couldn't do better than this neighbourhood spot.

• The Soak in Victoria is a bar and restaurant that likes a bit of fermenting

  The Soak is a new bar and restaurant in Victoria that is all about fermenting, soaking, steeping and brining - whether it's for cocktails or food.