Monday Bulletin: Burgerism | Teal by Sally Abé | Uncle Roger

Catch up on the latest industry news stories of the week from the CODE Bulletin

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TEAL BY SALLY ABÉ

Sally Abé, one of CODE’s Women of the Year 2025, will open her first standalone restaurant in East London next month. Teal by Sally Abé, on Wilton Way in Hackney, will see the Nottingham-born chef cook the nostalgic British classics for which she is so well known. The opening menu reveals such vintage dishes as Lockets savoury and ‘penny lick’ ice creams, alongside Abé’s own creations including Dorset crab royale, English peas, lovage and baked bone marrow; haunch of deer with pickled walnuts and cavolo nero; and a marmalade ice cream sandwich. All proceeds from the £1 penny licks will go to Hackney Food Bank. Abé says: “Opening Teal by Sally Abé feels incredibly personal. It’s the first restaurant I’ve built entirely on my own, on my own two feet, and I’m hugely proud of that. After years of working in other peoples’ businesses and kitchens, this is me putting my name, my values and my voice into a space that’s truly mine.” Joining Abé at Teal are co-owner Abe Drewry, who worked with her at The Bull, Charlbury, and head chef Abbie Hendren. Teal by Sally Abé opens 26 March 2026.

KAWAN BY UNCLE ROGER

Malaysian influencer turned restaurateur Uncle Roger (AKA Nigel Ng) will debut a new pan-Asian concept, Kawan by Uncle Roger, in Chinatown London this April. His partners are Keng Yew (co-founder of YiQi, The Eight etc) and chef Daren Liew.

ST MARTINS LANE HOTEL

Sertaç Dirik and Marcelo Rodrigues have been named as the first resident chefs at Spotlight, the new culinary programme at St Martins Lane Hotel in London. They’ll be cooking a Turkish and Portuguese fusion menu from 25 February to 7 March.

MEET CODE’s 30 UNDER 30

Zehra Camilleri, one of CODE’s 30 under 30, Class of 2026, must have one of the most coveted jobs in hospitality – that of social media manager at Fallow (2m YouTube subscribers and counting). Get to know Zehra and other young industry talents on CODE’s YouTube channel.

• This year’s Michelin star announcement was the story of the week. No three stars but two apiece for Row on 5 and Bonheur by Matt Abé, and a cluster of one stars including for JÖRO in Sheffield and Brighton’s first star since the ’70s at Maré by Rafael Cagali. Congratulations to all the winners.
  
  
• The French Connection is a new series of Sunday lunches at Levan in Peckham, involving some of France’s coolest restaurants. The first is on 8 March with Auberge de Chassignolles.
  
  
• There’s still time to snap up a ticket to sAME sAME’s Lunar New Year dinner at Noisy Oyster in London. It’s a rare London appearance for one of Australia’s most popular Thai restaurants. Tickets, £85 (with 20% off for CODE members).
  
  
• Couch in Birmingham was named the UK’s best cocktail bar in his year’s Top 50 Cocktail Bars. Bar Glue in Liverpool came in second.
  
  
• The North West’s most ordered burger finally has a full, eat-in, bricks-and-mortar site to call home. Burgerism Piccadilly Gardens opened in central Manchester last week.
  
  
• Cavita in Marylebone is hosting a collaborative lunch this International Women’s Day, 8 March, with a crack team of chefs: Adriana Cavita, Sabrina Gidda, Ayesha Kalaji, Maria Bradford, and Keshia Sakarah.
  
  
• Another IWD date for the diary: Kelly’s Cause is running a Menopause in Hospitality workshop on 9 March. It’s free to attend and all genders are welcome. Tickets here.

WHAT WE’RE READING

Hand-pulled noodles, daytime dim sum and aromatic ground pot chicken: Where to eat in Scotland’s unofficial Chinatown: The Good Food Guide

Noodle soup so good, it should come on prescription – Jay Rayner reviews Song Que Pho Bar in Shoreditch: FT Weekend

Inside Los Angeles’ British food invasion: Eater

Meet the L.A. restaurateur who designed Bad Bunny’s Superbowl casita: Los Angeles Times

THE DUMBWAITER

All the chefs scrubbed up for Michelin star reveal in Dublin last week but The Dumbwaiter’s gongs for the best dressed go this year to Brat’s Tomos Parry in a Dior quarter-zip, Vraic’s Nathan Davies repping Guernsey in an actual guernsey, and Maria Bradford of Shwen Shwen, who outshone everybody with an insouciantly shoulder-robed sequinned jacket.

CODE’s Woman of the Year 2025, Natalia Ribbe of Sète in Margate (above, second from right) is going to be on the telly. Tune in to The Heat on ITV2 on 24 February which Ribbe describes as somewhere between Love Island, Below Deck, Top Chef, MasterChef, and Kitchen Nightmares with an element of First Dates.

Goodbye Horses retains its status as one of London’s top places for starspotting: Paul Mescal and Gracie Abrams were spied at the De Beauvoir wine bar and restaurant last week.