Monday Bulletin: The Magpie | Pam | Los Primos
Published 5 October 2026
Catch up on the latest industry news stories of the week from the CODE Bulletin.
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PAM
Karla Knowles, former head chef at Kiln, will open her debut restaurant, Pam, on Charterhouse Street in Farringdon next month, in partnership with brothers Edouard and Romain Bourrillon of Maisons Vivantes (Cocotte, Casa Felicia, Jusu Brothers). As you might expect, her focus will be on live-fire Thai cooking and British seasonal produce: the opening menu will include miang kham (betel leaf wraps), khao soi noi (a Shan rice-flour pancake), and roast duck with frites and curry sauce. Pam will also host a cultural programme of art exhibitions, collaborations and events with chefs, artists, winemakers and DJs throughout the year. It will soft launch from 22 to 31 October before officially opening on 3 November. Knowles’ second restaurant, Aree in Notting Hill, follows in March 2027.
Image credit: Zac Gates + Cody Bambord
THE MAGPIE
Ardent Pub Group, one of CODE’s Happiest Places to Work 2026, has signed a landmark London pub on Cambridge Circus (previously, BrewDog Seven Dials and, before that, The Ape & Bird) for its fourth site. It will open as The Magpie in early 2027.
RESTAURANT MONTH 2027
Good Food Guide’s Restaurant Month is back. Now in its second year, the campaign – free to join – is designed to drive business in the tough post-Christmas period by shouting about great value set menus at top restaurants across the UK. Here’s how to get involved.
A.WONG
Andrew Wong’s Pimlico two-star reopens on 10 October after a full refurbishment. New attractions include a show kitchen, two site-specific art works and a ‘Collections of A.Wong’ menu featuring sea cucumber with prawns and crispy pork skin and century egg with pickled ginger and chilli chutney.
Image credit: Jutta Klee
Adam Byatt’s Bistro Union in Clapham has shut after 15 years.
Gopal’s Corner hits The Bullring in Birmingham on 12 October, its first site outside the capital.
Chef Imad Alarnab is opening a second site for Imad’s Syrian Kitchen at Norton Folgate in Shoreditch on 18 November.
SMOKESTAK and manteca are throwing a joint birthday party (10 years and 5 years, respectively) on 7 November at Protein Studios, Shoreditch. Tickets, from £10, available from 6 October.
Coombeshead Farm’s Tom Adams will be at The Waterman’s Arms in Barnes on 9 November cooking produce from the farm in Devon.
Dukes London will reopen in spring 2027 – with a new restaurant in partnership with Wolseley Hospitality Group – under a management agreement with Minor Hotels. Dukes’ famous bar remains open for business.
Josh Hughes, formerly head chef at Hide and Fox in Hythe, has joined Updown Farmhouse as executive chef.
Harts Group will replace Parrillan in Borough Yards with Los Primos, a new Spanish-style cervecería. Opening in November, it will be walk-in only for £2.50 cañas, fried pig’s ears, tuna empanadas, churros etc.
A café dedicated to crumpets, you say? We’re in. Jones’ Crumpets arrives on Golborne Road this month.
A sad blow for Chinatown: Café TPT will close its doors on 27 October.
WHAT WE’RE READING
THE DUMBWAITER
The River Cafe’s Ruthie Rogers is a fashion darling. Last year, she modelled for Stone Island; this London Fashion Week, she cut a dash in Burberry.
Media wars! Tired of being copied, London On The Inside planted a bogus detail in a story about Chinese noodle brand, Cai Lin Ji, coming to London – which Time Out repeated. The Dumbwaiter’s only disappointed that Cai Lin Ji won’t actually be serving fish and chip noodles.
Live tennis returned to The O2 last weekend for the Laver Cup. While regular fans ate sad pizza slices, celebs including Anna Wintour, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Romeo Beckham had a Spanish feast at Cambio de Tercio’s restaurant in the VIP area.
Fergus Henderson, Fay Maschler and Hugh Corcoran were among the industry names given a sneak peek of Cloth Cornhill last week. The festivities began in the bar over pints and pig’s head brioche.
Phil Howard and Rebecca Mascarenhas co-hosted a dinner at Elystan Street for the 70th anniversary of the Royal Court Theatre with some notable thesps in attendance, including Sir Ian McKellen, Andrew Scott and Ben Whishaw.
