2020 may not have been the start to the new decade that many of us would have wanted. However, it has not been all doom and gloom, as the start of the 20s ushered in a new exciting, innovative crop of English restaurants, which are setting about establishing themselves as competitors to the elites in the industry. The five eateries that we have included in this list are stimulating, adventurous and authentic. With their locations being spread across England, it proves that you do not have to venture to London to discover the new talent in the restaurant industry. From Kent to Liverpool, here are the crème de la crème of the new English cooking elite.
Dishoom-Birmingham
Located in Chamberlain’s Square, the new Dishoom restaurant will be fronted with Executive Chef Naved Nasir’s menu. You can expect to find Bombay inspired dishes, with plates infused with Muslim, Hindu, Irani and Parsi influences. The premise of the restaurant is paying homage to the many Irani cafes that can be found in Bombay. The food is bursting with flavour from the various spice bases that are found in each dish and the menu includes mouth-watering plates such as ‘Mutton Pepper Fry marinated in red chilli, ginger and garlic’.
The Curlew-Kent/Sussex
In February, the owner of The Small Holding at Kilndown, Will Devlin opened his second establishment at The Curlew pub on the Kent/Sussex border. The Michelin Starred eatery is housed in an idyllic 17th century coaching inn, which helps give the exceptional restaurant the character that it deserves. With a focus on small, sharing plates, the dishes are changed constantly, in accordance with seasonal ingredients. Choices on the menu have included ‘Salt-baked carrots with dill seed mayonnaise’ and ‘Whole Roast Turbot with ea purslane and sea vegetable butter’. More impressively, all of the dishes are created through all in-houses process including butchering, curing, baking and pickling.
Lerpwl-Liverpool
Coming from the owners of the famous Marram Grass in Anglesey, Liam and Ellis Barrie have returned to the home city of Liverpool in spectacular fashion. Their restaurant aptly named Lerpwl (Welsh for Liverpool) offers visitors a stylishly decorated interior, which sets the tone for the pioneering food. With their goal of being ‘reformed but informal’, Lerpwl offers diners a different approach to their dishes. With an open kitchen and a constantly changing and evolving menu, Liam and Ellis have created a premium dining experience. The menu includes a range of the finest fish and meat, with the ‘Aged Red Poll Beef’ and ‘Native Lobster’ being intriguing options.
The Ethicurean, Trevibban Mill Vineyard-Padstow
It is no secret that Cornwall now plays host to a wealth of excellent restaurants, especially around the area of the picturesque Rock and Padstow. After celebrating its 10th anniversary of Somerset-based ‘The Ethicurean’, owners Matthew and Iain Pennington, launched their second restaurant at the celebrated Trevibban Mill Vineyard. Located on the upper deck of the winery, with breath-taking views looking out over the St. Issey Valley, the eatery is led by a focus on vegetable-led dishes, whilst maintaining strong links to local farmers and fishermen. Each menu is expertly paired with Trevibban Mill wines and the restaurant has two refined menus, one daytime and one evening.
Akoko-Fitzrovia, London
No restaurant list would be complete without mentioning one of the culinary capitals of the world, London. One of the most sensational openings in London this year has been Akoko, a west African inspired establishment that is the first venture of young chef William JM Chilila. After working at ‘Galvin at Windows’ the talented chef has brought his skill set to Berners Street, Fitzrovia. With the concept of the restaurant based on West African cooking, utilising the immense flavour base of coal and wood fires to cook the dishes with, Chilila uses creativity and imagination to build the outstanding plates of food. Dishes can include ‘Barbecued Quail, onions, lemon, mustard seeds, Kani sauce’ and, ‘Nigerian Pumpkin soup, calabash nutmeg, grilled Lobster, crispy shallots and moringa oil’‘.