Cool Korean crosses the Atlantic
Ellia and Junghyun Park, the husband-and-wife team behind some of New York’s top new-wave Korean restaurants, have announced they will open Kiji in Mayfair, London next year. Their first overseas opening will take over the 60 Curzon site (once home to the historic Mirabelle), serving up an upscale Korean barbecue concept — something quite different from the high rolling, tasting menu style of Atomix or the cool and casual Atoboy.
Closures in Leeds and Lyme Regis
Leeds chef and restaurateur Liz Cottam has announced she’ll close her Mustard Wharf restaurant, The Owl, at the end of April with plans to relaunch the space as a more personal and pared-back ‘gastrobar’ concept called Emba. Meanwhile in Dorset, chef Harriet Mansell has called time on her restaurant, Lilac, which opened in Lyme Regis in 2021 and had pivoted from small plates to set menus earlier this year. A series of special dinners in July will see the team end on a high before a final service on 3rd August.
Veeraswamy under threat
There’s a big question mark hanging over Veeraswamy’s centenary celebrations next year. The UK’s oldest Indian restaurant (estab. 1926) is under threat of closure as co-owner Ranjit Mithrani takes the Crown Estate to court to get the lease extended. Veeraswamy has long held iconic status in Indian dining and as a central part of our British-Indian culinary history – it first appeared in The Good Food Guide in 1953 – would be a huge loss to the London dining scene. Mithrani has not ruled out moving to another location. But for those who like comfort, a bit of ‘swank’ (as one GFG inspector put it), and want to enjoy the 99-year history in its original setting – book now.
