Each month we track the latest openings across food and beverage around the world, reporting back to you those that have caught our eye - here are some of the highlights from September.
L'Epicerie at Claridge's, London
A new, intimate 14-seater restaurant has recently opened in the heart of Claridge's, situated down in the kitchens, offering a dining experience like no other based around, as you may have guessed, French cuisine. All diners will sit around the 14-person table that sits int he middle of the room, offering front row seats to the culinary theatre of the kitchen, as dishes are prepared and presented on the striking marble pass.
From breakfast gatherings to immersive dinners, canard à la presse to freshly-baked soufflés, each menu at L'Epicerie is curated bespoke for your occasion. Find out more
here.
Criss Cross, London
A cafe dedicated to serving croissants, of all flavours, opened in London's popular Soho district this September and the food looks amazing. Creating Instagram worthy plates of both sweet and savoury pastry filled delights, the Criss Cross cafe menu features classic flavours including the Croque Monsieur and Double Chocolate, to the more interesting Truffle Cheese or Whiskey Salmon savoury flavours and sweet treats to match including Blue Matcha and Black Yuzu Meringue amongst others.
Find out more here.
Society, Melbourne
Possibly one of the most anticipated restaurant openings for the past three years, Chris Lucas, Martin Benn and Vicki Wild have finally opened the doors to Society in Melbourne, Australia. The luxury modern dining restaurant consists of four sections: the lounge, a private dining area, the Society Dining Room and Lillian Terrace with the areas featuring crystal chandeliers and a bar made from a single section of marble. As for the food, Martin Benn has created a range of European and Japanese-influenced dishes with some nods to Sepia though with new twists.
Find out more here.
Awa Awa, Hong Kong
Hong Kong has its fair share of sushi bars, ramen joints and yakitori grills but ask about Okinawan cuisine and you may get a blank look. However, that's all about to change with Awa Awa, brought to you by Elliot Faber and the Sake Central team. Okinawan is Japan's southernmost prefecture and has its own unique food culture. Here, Faber is mixing up flavours from "island cultures from the Caribbean to Cuba, Taiwan to Japan's mainland with a little bit of American influence."
Dishes include grilled tiger prawns and Kakiage, a tempura type that deep-fry together mozuku seaweed, shrimp, squid, onion and carrot. Find out more here.
Bar Blondeau, New York
Williamsburg's Wythe Hotel has welcomed Bar Blondeau situated on its sixth floor with sweeping views of the Manhatten skyline and East River. The bar leans more towards a casual atmosphere rather than a fussy restaurant, inviting diners to linger over lunch or for the evening.
As for the menu, chefs Aidan O'Neal and Jake Leiber have opted for bistro-style dishes like mussel toast, tuna tartare and raclette potatoes and Spanish ham. Find out more here.
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We showcase a more comprehensive list of the most noticeable openings from around the world over on the trendhub. Subscribers can see this list for September in full here.