Openings this week: The Lighterman, Cafe Monico, the Master Builder's and more
A look at the latest restaurants, hotels, pubs and bars to open their doors
The Lighterman
This new pub, dining room and bar has opened on the eastern side of Granary Square, near London's King's Cross station. The venue offers three floors of all-day dining and drinking, with outside seating and a wraparound terrace. The venue is named after the Victorian workers who operated goods barges known as Lighters on the canals. It is the third venue from Open House, which also runs Percy & Founders and the Larder, both also in London. The venue was designed by architects Stanton Williams and features an industrial look, with untouched concrete walls and pale floorboards.
Opened March 2016
Executive chef Diego Cardoso
Typical dishes Cured trout, spiced mayo, cucumber and spring onion (£7.50); mushroom on brioche, wild garlic and poached Cotswold egg (£8); a variety of flatbreads, such as smoked mozzarella, spicy English sausage and red onion (£7.50); a choice of steaks from a wood-fired grill, including Aberdeen Angus rib on the bone to share (£21 per person); 28-day dry-aged rib eye (£19); Herdwick lamb chop (£15); and a choice of burgers served with fries (£9)
Covers 180
Operator Open House
Websitewww.thelighterman.co.uk
Bella Italia
Casual Dining Group's restaurant brand has launched its 100th site, at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. The group has opened other new branches in Glasgow, Liverpool, Orpington, Colliers Wood, Watford, Brighton, Darlington and the Gateshead Metro Centre.
Covers 300
Feature A centrepiece made from 300 Limoncello bottles and a full-size Fiat gelato van
Operator Casual Dining Group
Websitewww.bellaitalia.co.uk
Cafe Monico
Soho House has opened Cafe Monico, a European café on London's Shaftesbury Avenue. The café was originally established in 1877 at 15 Tichborne Street by brothers Giacomo and Battista Monico.
Head chef Jason Loy
Covers 140
Typical dishes Soupe a l'oignon; Parmesan custard with anchovy toast; steak tartare;
coq au vin; fish pie; duck confit; and calf's liver
Websitewww.cafemonico.com
The Harcourt
Established in 1826 as the Harcourt Arms, this grade II-listed, five-storey Georgian townhouse in London's Marylebone is reopening its doors as a bar and restaurant. It offers relaxed, all-day modern European dining and drinking with a nod to Nordic cuisine.
Head chef Kimmo Makkonen
General manager Thomas Haring
Covers Dining room: 65; ground floor bar: 40; private dining rooms: 30
Websitewww.theharcourt.com
The Master Builder's
The Master Builder's hotel at Buckler's Hard in Beaulieu in Hampshire has updated all nine rooms in its Henry Adams wing after a major refurbishment. The result is lighter, brighter bedrooms and new bathrooms with rainforest showers and a relaxed, coastal feel. The Yachtsman's Bar & Garden has also received a significant makeover, with a new kitchen with a pizza oven and a new menu.
Operator Hillbrooke Hotels
Websitewww.themasterbuilders.co.uk
Purecraft Bar & Kitchen
Last month saw the launch in Nottingham of Purecraft Bar and Kitchen in St Peter's Gate. This is the second site under the brand, which offers up to 18 draught ales and 70 bottled beers, many imported by Purity Brewing Co.
Operators Andreas Antona, Martin Hilton and Paul Halsey
Head chef Andrew Smith
General manager Richard Norton
Typical dish Bavette steak with beer ketchup
Websitewww.purecraftbars.com
Roba Bar and Restaurant
Roba Bar and Restaurant has opened in London's Paddington at 34 Norfolk Place. Head chef Andrea Secchi combines his Italian heritage, Michelin-starred experience and passion for British cooking to create his menu. The restaurant is named after its signature piece of equipment, the Robata grill.
General manager Bob Touray
Typical dishes Sirloin and rib-eye steaks, organic lamb chops, corn-fed chicken and grilled prawns
Websitewww.robarestaurant.co.uk
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