London Food and Drink Round-up, Week 9, 2012

Bruno's Bread

Bruno Loubet is to open a café cum bakery on the canal as part of the new King’s Cross development, in time for summer.

Parsnip soup on Greek Street

Meanwhile former Wapping Project chef Cameron Emirali with Luke Wilson have opened at 10 Greek Street in Soho with another no booking operation with a modern British menu – when was the last time a restaurant dared serve parsnip soup? 

Emmanuel Renaut - French star

Michelin's Revolting Stars

It has already picked up notable endorsements, as has Emmanuel Renaut – Michelin’s latest three star elevation at the Flocon de Sel, in Megeve. He was in London a few years ago as head chef at Claridges before Gordon Ramsay took the project on, plus he has also done spells notably for seven years with the legendary Marc Veyrat, another one who gave up his Michelin stars three years ago citing “bad health” unfortunately.

Skye to Momo man

On the subject of giving up Michelin stars The Independent columnist Skye Gyngell’s much publicized standing down from her gig at the leafy Petersham Nurseries also complaining about the demands of getting a Michelin star will be replaced by Melbourne mezze star Greg Malouf of Momo.

Retro and rock'n'roll

With hamburgers being 2012’s retro vogue Ed’s Easy Diner is opening a ninth outlet in Brent Cross shopping centre…the web site plays a rock'n'roll jukebox too.

Posh nosh street food

Harrods - which definitely does not have a jukebox on its web site - has announced two more restaurant operations under the direction of Gilgamesh head chef Ian Pengelly, both Asian street food, one will be a smaller Mango Tree – and you can see him preparing their red curry on Confidential video here.

Hare today, suckling pig tomorrow

The Jugged Hare gastropub is to open in the former King’s Head, part of the Whitbread Brewery in the Barbican, another step on from Ed and Tom Martin who started with the Chiswelll Street Dining Rooms but have come to specialise in reclaiming old bits of historic London. See them all here. Head chef Richard O’Connell is promising whole legs of lamb, haunches of venison and suckling pigs cooked on the charcoal grill and state-of-the art eight-spit rotisserie, backed by fine wines from the enomatic.

Peruvian invasion gathers momentum

Virgilio MartinezPeruvian restaurants are like buses, you get one come along with Ceviche in Frith Street Soho, a £1 million punt from former media whizz – he worked for iTunes and Walt Disney – Martin Morales. Now we have another one coming soon from Virgilio Martinez, a former chef at Lima’s well regarded Astrid y Gaston. Lima London will be in Fityzrovia with a design from March&White who are responsible for Jamie’s Italian, so we are promised “high impact” visuals.

Mexican bridgehead reinforces

From further north, the Mexican expansion continues with Wahaca to open site number seven on the old Bertorellis in Charlotte Street while a fourth Benito’s Hat is slated to open in Kings Cross station.