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Amuse-bouches: The latest restaurant news bites

We round up the latest restaurant news this week, including the return of Mei Mei Lates’ Singaporean BBQ to Borough Market, the reopening of 100 Wardour Street and a new tasting menu from Hibiscus, inspired by its 900-year-old Abbey surrounds

Elizabeth Haigh Mei Mei

Elizabeth Haigh’s Mei Mei Lates returns to Borough Market every Thursday through to Saturday from 17 May. Focusing on Elizabeth’s passion for wood-fire cooking, expect aromatic BBQ food that transports you to the smoky streets of a Singaporean night market.

Dishes such as crispy chicken skin with ginger and garlic mayo and Hainanese chicken rice are served chef’s table-style underneath a heated awning. Look out for the Singapore chilli crab – a whole brown crab served with coconut rice and mantou buns (for four people).

100 Wardour Street reopens on 20 May with new head chef Tim Tolley (previously of The Pearson Room and The Hoxton) at the helm, who brings a refreshed Mediterranean-inspired menu boasting offerings like sashimi seabass, smoked mussels and grilled lobster pil pil.

Guests will dine amidst a stunning floral installation created as part of the venue’s new collaboration with Ketel One Botanicals, and thirsty city dwellers can sip on flower-inspired concoctions such as About Thyme: Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit & Rose, Pineapple, Grapefruit, Lemon, Passionfruit, Campari, Angostura.

Hibiscus launches tasting menu inspired by its 900-year-old surroundings. The award-winning restaurant, tucked away inside Delapré Abbey in Northamptonshire, reopens this month with a seven-course tasting menu (£60)and wine pairing that pays homage to its historical heritage.

Head chef Samuel Squires said: “Every element has been selected to represent a different flower and smell in the Abbey’s 550-acre park. I plan to grow and cultivate even more produce in the Abbey grounds, as well as using honey made by our Abbey beekeepers.” As a charity, the profits made at the historic house, including from Hibiscus, are funnelled back in to supporting the Abbey’s conservation.

Reimagined Artist Cabanas at The Mandrake offer private dining parties of up to six the chance to tuck into South-American inspired dishes amidst a symphony of rich colours and textures. Each of the four cabanas has been designed by a different artist tasked with bringing the ‘outside in’, resulting in a vibrant tapestry of hues. Diners can tuck into delicious fare from Yopo, The Mandrake’s restaurant, inside these bold living art galleries, as well as enjoying cocktails and wines from the Waeska bar.

Quo Vadis announces a stellar line-up for this year’s Quo Vadis & Friends series, in association with Journey’s End wine. Now in its fifth year, the series sees chef proprietor Jeremy Lee invite some of the most talented chefs in the country to cook for Quo Vadis’ members and guests.

This year’s run includes Max Rocha, British Sri-Lankan chef Cynthia Shanmugalingam, Whyte Rushen, Erchen Chang of BAO fame, Michelin-decorated Phil Howard and Stephen Harris of lauded gastropub The Sportsman. The action kicks off on 23 June at its Soho location and tickets for each supper will be released one month ahead of each date, with priority given to Quo Vadis members.

New openings

28°-50° Wine Workshop & Kitchen Chelsea – The indie wine specialists have launched their third London site on the Kings Road. The 80-cover wine bar and kitchen serves charcuterie and cheese boards, platters of oysters and tiger prawns and a small grill section, but it’s the impressive wine list featuring a vast range of high-end wine by the glass, carafe and bottle that makes it really special. The exceptional wine list also features a ‘Collectors’ List’ of fine wines from private collectors, meaning guests can try drops rarely seen in restaurants.

LSQ Rooftop – The wrap-around terrace and floor to ceiling windows at this new rooftop spot in Leicester Square, open all day for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 1 June, makes it the perfect place to take in the London skyline. Signature cocktails are named after London landmarks, and small plates including crunchy pork crackling with chilli jam, and maple glazed chantenay carrots, accompany evening drinks. To reach the rooftop, enter Hotel Indigo via its Soho side street and take the lift to the 9th floor.

TT Liqor Garden Roof Terrace – The Shoreditch favourite launches its new roof terrace on 10 June, debuting wood-fired Neopolitan pizzas from Knead and a seasonal spritz menu curated by TT Liquors own Cellar Bar team, inspired by the foliage used throughout the terrace. Diners can kick back in one of the covered, heated booths and enjoy panoramic views of east London and beyond.

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