London's Culinary Calendar Heats Up with Major Restaurant Openings
The Square Mile and its surrounding areas are experiencing a significant surge in culinary activity this season, with several notable establishments capturing attention. This week's focus includes two restaurants in the City of London and the highly anticipated reopening of Simpson's on the Strand under the stewardship of legendary restaurateur Jeremy King.
Kolamba East: A Spicy Oasis in Spitalfields Market
My initial encounter with Kolamba occurred during the pandemic, when their reasonably priced 'finish at home' boxes provided a welcome culinary diversion. Following lockdown, a visit to their Soho flagship left me somewhat disappointed, but the new Liverpool Street offshoot has completely transformed my perception.
Located in the northwest corner of Spitalfields Market, Kolamba East occupies a district that strikingly resembles New York's Meatpacking District and Chicago's Fulton Market. Despite this potentially sanitized environment, the restaurant exudes remarkable soul and character. The space serves as a comforting, stylish hangout featuring generous booths and oversized pillows, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a teddy bear's picnic or an intimate supper club before such concepts became commercialized.
The menu consistently emphasizes spiciness, and this descriptor proves entirely accurate. Outstanding aperitifs include spicy blood orange margaritas, while the Jaffna-spiced lamb chops with smoked aubergine stand out as the premier starter. The showpiece main course is the Caylon spiced king prawn string hopper biriani, an exceptional one-pot dish featuring king prawns concealed within shredded noodles, cashew nuts, fresh leaves, citrus elements, and abundant spices. This establishment is undoubtedly worth visiting for those seeking vibrant flavors in a welcoming atmosphere.
Coopers Cut at Four Seasons London Bridge: Mixed Impressions
I visited this venue alongside the co-founders of Quarter Proof spirits, who are currently offering a three-martini lunch experience. While this concept might evoke images of Mad Men-era excess, Quarter Proof spirits contain only 14% ABV compared to the standard 40% found in traditional martinis, potentially representing the future of sociable, 'almost sober' lunching.
The room itself, which previously housed the magnificent two-Michelin-starred La Dame de Pic, now feels somewhat lost and unfortunately empty. This sentiment extends to the menu, where radish snacks proved watery and desperately lacking in flavor. While core ingredients in dishes like hamachi carpaccio and A5 Japanese wagyu were outstanding, they were spoiled by over-exuberant sprinklings of espelette pepper. Similarly, a beautiful Shropshire pork chop did not benefit from being smothered in confit garlic.
On a positive note, the wine list and service remain excellent, clear legacies of the venue's former resident. I particularly recommend the Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac 2009 priced at £265, and suggest ordering beef dishes without any unrequested, unnecessary seasoning to appreciate the quality ingredients.
Simpson's on the Strand: A Grand Reimagining
Jeremy King's latest restaurant represents my final culinary destination this week, and it stands as an awesome venue that I personally considered nearly a decade ago when founding M Restaurants. Even with my entrepreneurial spirit and unshakable optimism, I ultimately walked away terrified by the sheer enormity of the undertaking. Mr. King, as his name suggests, has proven himself the better man—bona fide restaurant royalty responsible for legendary establishments including the original Ivy, the Wolseley, Delaunay, The Park, and Arlington.
As master of the 'grand café' concept, the Grand Divan restaurant exemplifies King's signature style. The beautiful room now features refurbished plaster work on the gilded 'wedding cake' ceiling and restored marquetry on the oak wall panels. During my visit, the space was filled with the warm, happy hubbub characteristic of the greatest hospitality venues. This dining room offers some of London's finest people-watching opportunities today, populated by mature silver foxes and their companions who resemble ladies' maids from a former monarch's court—decidedly not a haunt of the nouveau riche.
Notable sightings included Laura Harper-Hinton, chief executive of Caravan, and the dapperly dressed Charlie Carroll, co-founder of The Devonshire. The latter made it clear he still remembers my previous column describing his establishment as "filled with badly dressed, overweight tourists who have arrived a year too late to an already over-hyped party."
Simpson's sommeliers—legends in their own right—were omnipresent throughout the experience, lending wisdom and impeccable table manners. The 'La Petite Cote' Yves Cuilleron Condrieu is particularly well priced at £105.
The food quality matches the exceptional surroundings. Scampi as a starter transported me directly back to childhood visits to Whitby—an evocative, perfectly prepared dish accompanied by divine tartar sauce. The venison tartare achieves an excellent balance of mustard, tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce. Equally well balanced is a retro prawn cocktail featuring three jumbo prawns peaking above a fan of avocado, though they could have been shelled for easier consumption.
Main courses similarly excel, sharing inspirations with my Liverpool Street Chophouse: pies, steaks, puddings, and chops all prove excellent. The bacon chop was faultlessly smoked and perfectly tender. The colonial 'railway curry' proved slightly underwhelming compared to its original home at Bluebird, but this minor note does not detract from the overall experience. Simpson's on the Strand represents a classic restaurant reimagined as a timeless classic for a new era, successfully bridging historical grandeur with contemporary relevance.
