The six restaurants that you should be booking this month, from Copenhagen to Sydney
From delicious pistachio croissants to welcome late-night dining, these reports will ensure that you’re never far from top tables.
1.
Riviera
Copenhagen
Chiara Barla, the Italian chef at Apotek 57, the café by design store Frama, has recently opened a new spot, Riviera, in Nansensgade. Inside the former 1960s bakery, a Frama-designed central trestle table invites customers to sit side by side, Copenhagen-style.
On the menu are Danish fastelavnsboller buns, figs and Parma ham on homemade sourdough and spandauer pastries. “Most of our dishes are prepared in the same oven in which we bake our bread, which is at the heart of the bakery itself,” says Barla. Don’t leave without trying her pistachio croissants.
framacph.com
2.
Derrel’s
Sydney
The sign at the door reads, “Derrel’s, Nana never cooked.” Grandpa Derrel was the chief cook in chef Brendan King’s family. This Anglo-Indian restaurant is named for King’s grandfather, who inspired the diner and the menu at the inner western-Sydney suburb of Camperdown.
Known with fondness locally for its late-night bites, Derrel’s is busy from its 17.00 opening time – often with a queue out the door – and serves until midnight. For residents, staff from the nearby hospital and students from the university, it’s a bastion of hope in a city that rarely has kitchens open past 21.00. “Reserved” signs predominate but you can either call ahead or wait for space then order at the counter. Make sure you don’t miss the samosa chaat: smashed samosas on a spicy chickpea curry, minty yoghurt, coriander, chilli and a tamarind chutney.
Follow it with a half tandoori chicken plate with a side of chips (a bowl of butter chicken gravy to dip them in can be added to your order) and a bright tomato and cucumber salad laced with cumin. Or why not try a simple tray of butter chicken with roti and rice, washed down with a mango lassi? And it’s not just the food that’s refreshing at Derrel’s – the service is lively and fresh too.
89 Parramatta Rd, Camperdown
3.
Bouchon Carême
Helsinki
Drawing inspiration from Lyonnaise fare, Bouchon Carême features hearty and full-flavoured Gallic-style dishes. “Lyon is the cradle of French gastronomy,” says chef Hans Välimäki, its founder. Ample use of natural wood and soft light lend the restaurant the air of an unpretentious bouchon.
bouchoncareme.fi
4.
Pluto
Berlin
There’s no shortage of wine bars in Berlin, a city now enjoying a glass with the fervour once reserved for craft beer. In Prenzlauer Berg, Pluto draws a devoted crowd. This is partly down to the pedigree of its founders, Vadim Otto Ursus and Sören Zuppke, who made a mark on Berlin’s culinary scene with Otto in 2019. “With Pluto, we wanted to create a place where strangers might find themselves sharing a bottle at the bar,” says Ursus.
With ties to organic farmers in Brandenburg, the menu stays true to classic bar fare but with the odd adventurous twist: think fromage de tête, a veal tongue salad or a fiery mussel escabeche. The winelist reflects years of research on small biodynamic producers across Europe. Perhaps the most un-Berlin thing about Pluto? No reservations.
pluto-berlin.net
5.
Don’t Tell Dad
London
“London’s independent bakery scene is incredible but Queen’s Park has yet to see a standout – and it deserves one,” says restaurateur Daniel Land, who recently opened Don’t Tell Dad in the northwestern enclave of the UK capital.
Customers who arrive at the bakery early will find burnt-lemon tarts, brown-butter-and-hazelnut croissants and wild-garlic-and cheddar twirls. Come nightfall, a candlelit bistro-style ambience beckons, with dishes by ex-Noble Rot chef Luke Frankie.
donttelldad.co.uk
6.
Souen
Tokyo
Tea master Shinya Sakurai wanted to revive an appreciation for traditional Japanese tea shops without the fuss. “You used to be able to smell tea being roasted everywhere but these businesses have been disappearing,” he says. So he transformed a former sweet shop in Tokyo’s Setagaya ward into Souen, which opened in January.
In contrast to the Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience in the Minami-Aoyama district, Souen has a more casual setting. Original seasonal blends are the focus, while various leaf teas, matcha lattes and tea cocktails broaden the appeal. Teas are served in ceramics made by Kagoshima-based potter Shuo Iwakiri. A selection of sweets is produced in-house.
3-17-11 Wakabayashi, Setagaya, Tokyo 1540023
