Hot Concepts – get out and see

If you can’t get into Pollen Street Social, which is easily the most sought after seat in London at present, there are some more casual concepts worth taking a look both in and outside the capital – including Kimchee, Riding House, Brawn and one of the many sites for the revamped Browns.

For those wanting to get on the waiting list for Pollen Street Social, top chef Jason Atherton’s new creation on Pollen St near Hanover Square, (or simply to look on from a distance), the website is www.pollenstreetsocial.com

One of the most talked about new openings in London this month is the Riding House a modern all-day brasserie - a combination of eating, drinking and meeting spaces set over two floors on Great Titchfield Street, in London’s Fitzrovia. It is the third project by the team behind Village East and The Garrison, also in London. Doors opened on Friday 15th. For more see www.ridinghousecafe.co.uk

Kimchee is a casual Korean concept, launched by the owners of Wasabi. First site has opened on High Holborn in London, with canteen seating for 275 across two floors. The menu includes a wide variety of charcoal barbeque grilled dishes, pot dishes, rice and noodles. Can Kimchee go where Wagamama, YO! and Ping Pong has led before? See www.kimchee.uk.com

Another favourite worth a detour is Brawn, to be found at 49 Columbia Rd, London E2. From the same backers as the celebrated Terroirs bistro in central London, this more laid-back East End offshoot majors, as the name suggests, on meat. It had a recent rave recommendation on Twitter from Rennaissance Pub’s Nick Fox: "mind-blowingly good. I can't recommend it too strongly". See www.brawn.co/.

Its parent, Terroirs, is famous for kick-starting London's 'small plates' revolution, pioneering a way of eating that New Yorkers and Europeans having been quietly getting on with for ages, says Time Out. See www.terroirswinebar.com

If you like meat in all its glory, there is now a West End off-shoot of Clerkenwell’s famous St John (still one of the world’s 50 bestrestaurants) at St John’s Hotel, just opened on Leicester St, by Leicester Square, see www.stjohnhotellondon.com

One of the biggest celebrity launches earlier this month was for the new Bistro du Vin at 40 St John Street, Clerkenwell, the spin-off standalone restaurant concept from Hotel du Vin. The plan is to open a second site on Dean Street in Soho this June, with two more sites under negotiation in Chiswick and Shoreditch. Ultimate plan is to reach 10 to 12 sites. See
www.bistroduvinandbar.com

Among the big groups, M&B is steadily pushing on with the expansion of its revamped Browns brasserie brand. Latest opening have been in Cardiff, Glasgow and Victoria in London, with Sheffield opening on Easter weekend. Go see www.browns-restaurants.co.uk

Big sandwich launch this month is Earl of Sandwich, described as a cross between Pret and Subway and which despite the name is a US import backed by Robert Earl of Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Cafe fame. See www.earlofsandwichusa.com

For something more exotically American, there’s the Hawaiian burger concept Kua'Aina, launching just off Carnaby Street

For more on the sandwich scene see the excellent Lost in Catering website www.lostincatering.com

Finally, if you’re passing through Euston station pop into the still new Café Rouge Express, the cut-down version of the French brasserie majoring on take-out that may well be the template for more at travel hubs around the country. See www.caferouge.co.uk/euston