Each month we publish a round-up of the most exciting new openings across food and drink around the world over on the tfp trendhub. Here are a selection of highlights from across the month of December 2023, as featured in our foodwatching and drinkswatching round-ups on tfp trendhub. The highlights list, in no particular order, features venues from New York, Edinburgh, London and more.
Dram Bar, London
Dram is the latest venture from three industry experts who have been involved in some of London's best-loved bars including Milroy's and Silverleaf. Chris Tanner, Martyn Simpson and Jack Wallis have created a venue that they hope will make people want to have fun with no pretension. Set over three floors, it features two bars, a whisky shop, outdoor terrace, and pool room with a ready-to-drink cocktail vending machine. The ground floor plays host to coffee and food in the day before transforming into a bar in the evening which hosts a range of world whiskies, spritzes and cocktails. Meanwhile, the basement cocktail bar's menu is centred around "seasonality and exploration".
Find out more here.
Lyla, Edinburgh
Edinburgh chef Stuart Ralston has opened the doors to fine dining restaurant Lyla which takes over the space that was once home to the late Paul Kitching's Michelin-starred 21212. Whilst not a fish restaurant per se, the ten-course menu is very much seafood focused. The experience begins in the upstairs bar that features a Krug-branded Champagne trolley before descending to the calm, elegant dining room with soft grey velvet chairs and crisp white tablecloths. Highlights from the menu include a crostard of raw lobster topped with sake-soaked salmon eggs and wild halibut with Jerusalem artichoke and N25 caviar. Given the space caters for just 10 tables, we expect them to be hard to come by if the start is anything to go by.
Find out more here.
Permit Room, Brighton
The latest venue from Dishoom has opened its doors in Brighton's The Lanes. Called The Permit Room, it is described as a drinks-led spot that is spread across various different rooms and levels. At the front is a cafe area that leads to the main bar which offers a large and ambitious cocktail menu split into sections including Highballs, Twisted Classics, On The Rocks, Short & Boozy, Teetotal and Morning Glories. Options include Blushing Dawn Paloma with kumquat juice, chilli-infused tequila, spiced, pink salt, lime-oil, sugar and mezcal. Naturally there is food too with a menu that is geared towards dishes that go well with drinks like masala whitebait and crispy spinach chaat.
Find out more here.
Café Carmellini, New York
Chef Andrew Carmellini, who has been part of the New York restaurant scene for 30 years, has finally opened the doors to his own spot. Found in The Fish Avenue Hotel in a spacious double-height dining room, Café Carmellini's interior is sumptuous with white linen, navy velvet banquettes and giant trees that align the centre of the room. As for the food, Carmellini has created a personal menu that nods to the family roots in Tuscany as well as restaurants that have shaped the chef's career and dishes that have brought him fame.
Find out more here.
Busby's, Sydney
Sydney's Oxford House has unveiled Busby's Wine & Record Bar and with it comes quite the crew - Maybe Sammy are in charge of the cocktails, Clayton Wells is heading up the food whilst the wine list is curated by P&V. Maybe Sammy's Paolo Maffietti has designed five signature drinks to compliment the minimal-intervention wine, such as Abbey Road which is a combination of citrus gin, vermouth blanco, Davidson plum and and champagne. Meanwhile, P&V's Mike Bennie has helped create an expensive wine list spanning bottles from Australia, France and Italy. Meanwhile highlights from Clayton's snack menu include Sydney rocky oysters topped with blackberry vinegar.
Find out more here.
Cristal Room, Hong Kong
French luxury house Baccarat, Anne-Sophie Pic, the female chef with the most Michelin stars and Leading Nation Hospitality have joined together to open Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic. Right at the entrance guests will know they are entering something special thanks to the chandelier, designed by Baccarat, that symbolises the four elements that work together in harmony. Pic is providing a range of impeccable gastronomic delights, interpreting local ingredients with French cuisine techniques.
Find out more here.
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Every month we compile more comprehensive lists of the most noticeable openings in both food and drink from around the world over on the tfp trendhub. Subscribers can see these lists for December in full over on our foodwatching and drinkswatching reports. If you're not yet subscribed but are interested in receiving our regular reporting service then get in touch using the form below.