French

• Test Driving Marceline - a floating French brasserie in Canary Wharf

  

  A huge French brasserie has arrived in Canary Wharf's Wood Wharf, floating in the water beside Hawksmoor. We went in to try some classic French fare. 

• Mignonette is a new affordable French bistro for Richmond

  

  Updated 20/8/24 with opening date

  Two decades after winning a Michelin star for his eponymous restaurant in Twickenham, chef John McClements has come out of retirement to launch a new French bistro in Richmond. Mignonette is the latest venture for the chef and restaurateur who is also behind the South West London group Ma Cuisine.

  It's taken over the old Restaurant 109 site and there'll be

  ...
• Marceline French grand brasserie is the next floating Canary Wharf restaurant

  

  21/7/24 - updated with interior pictures 

  If you've been to Wood Wharf any time over the past couple of years, you'll be familiar with the huge floating restaurant that is Hawksmoor. However, you'll also have noted that there's another similar floating

  ...
• Test Driving Henri - Jackson Boxer recreates Paris in Covent Garden

  

  Jackson Boxer has taken over the restaurant at a Covent Garden hotel to create Henri, his own take on a Parisian Bistro. We went down to get a slice of France in the heart of London.

• Test Driving Julie's - a much-loved restaurant gets the reboot it deserves

  

  Having opened back in the sixties but fallen out of favour in recent years, the Holland Park institution that is Julie's now has a new owner, chef and lease of life.

• 64 Goodge Street

  French bistro in Fitzrovia from the people behind Clipstone and Portland

• La Maison Ani brings French dining from the people behind Gaia to Knightsbridge

  

  The group behind Gaia in Mayfair are opening something new in London, bringing  La Maison Ani to The Carlton Tower Jumeirah in Knightsbridge.

  Taking over the space that was the Italian restaurant Al Mare, this time they've gone French (with some Med flavours thrown in too). It's actually the second La Maison Ani, as they launched one in Dubai last

  ...
• Bistrot at Wild Honey takes the bistronomy movement to Pall Mall

  

  It might be situated in the heart of the British establishment, opposite the Institute of Directors and across the road from The Athenaeum but chef Anthony Demetre's new bistrot on Pall Mall is a going to be a lovely slice of Paris in London. Called Bistrot at Wild Honey, it's taking over the lower level entrance space to the restaurant.

  Dubbed a 'little sister' to Demetre's Michelin-starred restaurant the new space is a

  ...
• Test Driving 65a - a classic French brasserie in Spitalfields

  

  There's a classic French brasserie right on the edge of Spitalfields Market. We went down to see what they're cooking up at 65a. 

• Test Driving Josephine Bouchon - Claude Bosi brings Lyon to London

  

  Claude Bosi's third new opening in the space of a year is a more personal affair as he teams up with his wife Lucy for a neighbourhood Lyonnaise bouchon. We headed west to Chelsea to take a look for ourselves.

• L'Escargot

  Classic French restaurant in Soho

• Mimosa is the new Mediterranean restaurant at The Langham

  

  8/3/24 - Updated with opening details

  After closing Roux at The Landau, previously run by Michel Roux Jr, the new restaurant at The Langham is about to open. Mimosa will be their main restaurant, run by the same people behind Cafe Laperouse in The OWO, The Momo Group.

  Momo have many restaurants in Paris and the one they're bringing to The Langham is Mimosa (which

  ...
• Mistress is a Parisian-inspired restaurant and late-night bar in Mayfair

  

  Updated 22/2/24 with menu details and photos

  The Mayfair restaurant scene - particularly the high-end side of things - sees no sign of slowing down with Mistress opening in the area. 

  It's a lower-ground affair in James Street, taking over the space that used to be Aura. Instead of the R&B club it was before, it's going to be

  ...
• Test of Time: Revisiting Galvin La Chapelle on its 15th birthday

  

  The Galvin brothers are celebrating 15 years of Galvin La Chapelle in its amazing Grade II listed surroundings. We went down to see how the 15 years have treated the Michelin-starred restaurant. 

• The Ducksoup team are opening Camille in Borough

  

  2/2/24 - Updated with opening details

  The SE1 dining scene is totally on fire right now. Hard on the heels of Kolae and Akara opening comes another upcoming restaurant that'll cement Borough's reputation for hot new openings. Camille is the place in question and the team behind it are Clare Lattin and Tom Hill, founders of Ducksoup and Little Duck and, most recently, Emilia down in

  ...