Monday Bulletin: Liu Xiaomian | Hoppers | Gracey’s

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HOPPERS SHOREDITCH

Exactly ten years after opening its first restaurant in Soho, Hoppers has confirmed plans for a new Shoreditch site. It will open in early 2026 in the Tea Building taking over the space vacated by its JKS stablemate Lyle’s in May this year. This brings Hoppers’ tally of London restaurants to four including Soho, King’s Cross and Marylebone. Hoppers’ co-founder Karan Gokani calls the development “a new chapter” for Hoppers, as it expands its purview beyond Sri Lanka to South India and dishes from Chettinad, Madurai, Bangalore, Kochi and Chennai. Gokani comments: “At Shoreditch, we will celebrate many of the lesser known regions and dishes of South India while continuing to connect the dots between Sri Lanka and India in a way that feels fresh, vibrant and deeply personal.”

MASET

Melody Adams, the restaurateur behind Lurra and Donostia, has opened Maset, a neighbourhood bistro in Marylebone inspired by the cuisine of the Occitan region of southern France. Signatures include bouillabaisse croquettes.

GRACEY’S

New in at Arcade Tottenham Court Road: a 40-cover branch of Gracey’s, the family-run pizza joint from St Albans. Gracey’s specialises in East Coast-style pizza, including NY slices and Grandma square pies. Blood orange Negroni cake for pudd.

BONHEUR BY MATT ABE

Matt Abé, the former chef patron of Gordon Ramsay Restaurant, has opened the doors to his debut restaurant Bonheur in Mayfair. Here he is, speaking to CODE about partnering with Gordon, Le Gavroche, and the return of the quiche.

• Charlene and Linda Liu, the duo behind Chongqing noodle brand Liu Xiaomian, launch a winter pop-up at The Stranded in London, this Friday 14 November.
  
  
• Amy Corbin and Patrick Williams have relaunched their cocktail bar Smokey Kudu above Kudu in its new Marylebone home. Pop by for South African-style Braai Negronis and Kalahari biltong.
  
  
• Culinary creatives Nil Mutluer and Lana Matsuyama are taking over Ellie’s in Dalston for three nights from 25-27 November. The menu, still tbc, will explore their respective Turkish and Japanese heritage.
  
  
• Ivan Tisdall-Downes will be marking ‘La Fête du Beaujolais Nouveau’ with a dinner on 20 November at his Hackney restaurant Field Notes. Four courses with wine, £55. 
  
  
• Glasgow bar and bottle shop The Caravan Shop has launched Cellar, a diminutive Parisian-style basement bar. Coravin wines pair with the signature mac ‘n’ cheese waffle.
  
  
• Manchester, get 30 November in your diary. Barcelona’s Bar Brutal is popping up at Bar Shrimp for one night only. Expect wine, music, and impeccable tinned fish.
  
  

WHAT WE’RE READING

Where to eat Sunday roasts: The Good Food Guide

Why RYE was the essential ingredient to Layla Bakery’s growth

The essential guide to pub etiquette: Pellicle

Lilibets, London, W1: ‘Pure joy, high drama, camp as heck’: The Guardian

THE DUMBWAITER

When you’re best mates with Gordon Ramsay, where else would you have dinner to celebrate your knighthood? Sir David Beckham gathered family and friends at Royal Hospital Road last Tuesday night to celebrate his knighthood.

Tennis player and Burberry ambassador Jack Draper was at his pal Carlos Alcaraz’s favourite London restaurant Cambio de Tercio last week. The Dumbwaiter hears it was ace.

At Rebecca Mascarenhas’ restaurants Home SW13 in Barnes and Home SW15 in Putney, staff and guests alike are said to be Traitors-obsessed. So much so that regulars who stray across postcodes are served desserts emblazoned with ‘Traitor’ in chocolate, while returning to their usual branch earns a reassuring ‘Faithful’.

Spotted: Olivia Rodrigo having a toastie at De Beauvoir Goodbye Horses; Saoirse Ronan and Jack Lowden tucking into a Sunday roast at The Clarence Tavern in Stoke Newington; and Sir Rod Stewart heading into the Ritz.