New Kids on the Block
The Restaurant At Hambledon Wine Estate
UK wine tourism is poised to receive a major boost next month as Hambledon Vineyard prepares to open its très chic 40-seat restaurant on 5 February. The concept is beautifully simple: high-class cooking and superlative fizz will flow against the backdrop of the idyllic Hampshire countryside, with a private St James Tasting Room available for guests who crave a little privacy. Gastronomic duties, meanwhile, are being handled by Nick Edgar, former head chef at The Samling Hotel in the Lake District, which was awarded a Michelin star just nine months after his arrival. With a crack team of experts running the show, including Katherine Fromm (ex-Lime Wood alumna), The Restaurant At Hambledon Wine Estate is guaranteed to be a massive success.
East St, Hambledon, Waterlooville PO7 4RY
https://hambledonvineyard.co.uk/pages/restaurant
La Môme At The Berkeley
One of London's best-known hotels has been given a Gallic makeover, as French restaurateurs Ugo and Antoine Lecorché open a Knightsbridge incarnation of the famous La Môme restaurant in Cannes and Monte Carlo. While the outside temperature is likely to be at least 15 degrees cooler, the newest member of the club will offer the same dose of Instagrammable theatre – whole tabletops will be changed in an instant by a team of talented waiters – and exemplary Provençal cooking as its Mediterranean counterparts. Expect only the very best in service, haute cuisine and entertainment, rounded off by live music – including a DJ, chanteur and pianist – in the evenings. According to the hotel, the main restaurant will seat 220 inside and 30 outside on a newly created terrace. Still, demand is likely to outstrip supply.
La Môme is open from mid January.
The Berkeley, Wilton Pl, London SW1X 7RL
https://www.the-berkeley.co.uk/restaurants-bars/la-mome-london/
Oorja, Soho
By now you've probably heard: London is one of the best places in Europe to sample Indian cooking, with an unrivalled selection of restaurants that offer flavours and aromas from every beautiful corner of the Indian Subcontinent. And the club keeps expanding: Oorja (energy in Hindi) is the latest venture from entrepreneur Gobind Chona, founder of Gura Gura in Covent Garden. Taking inspiration from the northern Indian cookbook, Oorja will offer an all-day menu that incorporates everything from vegan dalia porridge to sawera kebab platters, railway lamb curry and tandoori-spiced roast beef on Sundays. We also hope Chona offers one or two drops from Nashik – India's premier wine region and a growing tourist destination with international clout.
Oorja will open in February. Date TBC.
117 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8AF ;
https://www.oorja.co.uk/