Sweet Mandarin, Manchester
Manchester is about to taste the culinary delights of three young Chinese sisters who, according to their PR, are "ber-funky, daring and northern". The Tse sisters are from Chadderton, Oldham, and have quit careers as a lawyer, financier and engineer to bring a stylish new Chinese restaurant to Manchester's burgeoning scene.
Opens: By end of November
Owners: Helen, Janet and Lisa Tse
Seats: 60
Food: Pan-Asian in general, but the blurb says the restaurant aims to attain harmony of taste, texture, colour and aroma by balancing the Chinese principles of fan and t'sai. Fan foods include rice, noodles, grains and dumplings, while vegetables, meat, poultry and seafood are t'sai foods.
Average spend: £20 (three courses and wine)
Address: Design House, 19 Copperas Street, Manchester M4 1HS
Tel: 0161-832 8848 (when open)
Floridita, Soho, London
The spirit, style and rhythms of Cuba inform the transformation of Conran's former Mezzo restaurant into the Floridita bar, restaurant and live music venue. The new project is a joint venture between Conran Holdings and Havana Holdings and is a separate entity from Conran's Meza restaurant in the same building. In Floridita diners can dance off their meals and cocktails, while the more passive can puff on a Cuban cigar. Floridita joins the related but separate La Casa del Habano cigar boutique and lounge, which opened on the upper floor on 11 October.
Opened: 21 October
Owners: Conran Holdings and Havana Holdings
Head chef: Andrew Rose
Seats: Restaurant 200, bar 100
Food: Floridita's "modern interpretation of cosmopolitan Cuban and Latin American cuisine" ranges from snapper ceviche with coconut and lime (£7) and roast pork belly, cheeks and morcilla sausage (£16.50) to dishes for two, such as butterflied roast leg of milk-fed lamb (£28).
Average spend: £35-£40
Address: 100 Wardour Street, London W1
Tel: 020 7314 4000
Roscoff Brasserie, Belfast
In response to popular demand, this is a more informal version of the original Roscoff that won chef Paul Rankin Northern Ireland's first Michelin star. Its more central position behind the City Hall makes it perfect for both business lunches and the theatre set. There's something for art lovers, too: the restaurant showcases work by Peter Anderson, which can be snapped up for anything between £800 and £32,000.
Opened: 27 September
Owner: Paul Rankin Group
Head chef: Andy Rea
Seats: 82
Food: Simple, French brasserie food combining the classic with the contemporary - perhaps a fish soup with rouille for starters followed by a roast duck breast with Puy lentils, autumn root vegetables and sherry vinegar. Sweet options include a lemon crŠme br–l‚e with fresh raspberries.
Average spend: £45 for three courses (excluding wine)
Address: 7-11 Linhall Street, Belfast, BT2 8AA
Tel: 028 9031 1150
Label, Manchester
This snazzy, zoned style bar, restaurant and dance venue aims to fill a perceived gap in the busy Manchester scene for "an upmarket yet unpretentious venue". Low-key music during the day's morning coffees, lunches and afternoon teas gets more vibrant as the dinner and late-night dance and party crowds move in.
Opened: 30 September
Owner: SFI Group
Head chef: Adrian Abdullah
Capacity: 700, with 80 seats for eating
Food: Freshly prepared bistro-style menu offering "simple, uncomplicated, fresh and theatrical food". It covers Mediterranean breads, sandwiches, sharing plates and desserts, with main-course dishes including sunblush tomato risotto (£7.95) and roasted salmon fillet with Champagne cream sauce (£10.95).
Average spend: About £7 at lunch, £15 in the evening
Address: 78 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2FW
Tel: 0161-833 1878