Salt Whisky Bar and Dining Room
A bar dedicated to whisky with an Italian restaurant upstairs might not sound the likeliest combination, but cocktails such as roasted honeyed fig sour (Arran whisky, roasted fig purée, lemon juice, egg white and angosturas) from mixologist Jonny Lomas, and modern delights such as poached egg in a Parmesan crust with grilled courgettes and black truffle shavings from young chef Alan Marchetti (previously head chef at Al Duca in St James's), will surely lure them in. Opens 31 October.
Chef: Alan Marchetti
Style: Whisky and Champagne cocktail bar with modern Italian food upstairs
Seats: 50 upstairs
Average spend: £30 without wine or service
Address: 72 Seymour Street, London W2
Tel: 020 7402 1155
Destino
Central London is lacking good Latin American and Mexican restaurants, especially ones that aim to pull in the style crowd. Destino, which opened on 17 October, hopes to change all that, with executive chef Franz Conde offering the likes of ceviche, stewed lamb in a banana leaf parcel or enchiladas filled with tuna loin. The traditional Spanish-style building has a 150-seat first-floor restaurant, sandwiched by club above and 200-seat lounge bar below.
Chef: Franz Conde
Style: Latin American with Mexican influence
Seats: Restaurant 150, bar 200
Average spend: £32 including wine and service
Address: 25 Seymour Street, London, W1B 4QR
Tel: 020 7437 9895
Jordan's in Ryon
Chef Douglas Jordan, Northumbrian Chef of the Year and holder of Egon Ronay's Regional award for fresh food, opens his second restaurant offering modern British food, fresh local produce and a small, simple menu. After spending two months renovating the building, he opened the 26-seater restaurant on 22 October.
Chef: Douglas Jordan
Style: Modern British
Seats: 26
Average spend: £20 without wine and service
Address: Lane Head, Tyne and Wear, NE40 3HS
Tel: 0191 413 9400
Bistro 10
Restaurateur Babak Arabastani has opened his second venture in Cardiff's bayside Mermaid Quay development. Already the home of his Italian operation, Signor Valentino, Arabastani has turned his attention to a global food mix for Bistro 10, which opened on 7 October. Dishes might include fried chilli squid with noodles or salmon and prawn ravioli.
Chef: Remo Migliorati
Style: International
Seats: 66
Average spend: £18 not including wine or service
Address: Unit 10, Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay CS10 5BZ
Tel: 02920 487070
Southwark Rooms
Geoff Ridgeon (ex-Mint Bar and Match Bar groups) along with Wills Logue (manager at Mint on Montague, Bar Latino and Caf‚ de Paris) have launched the Southwark Rooms, once a run-down boozer on the Southwark Bridge Road. Try the bar's own version of a classic, the SE1 Mai Tai.
General manager: Matt Bourgogne
Style: Chinoiserie-style after-work/pre-club cocktail bar
Capacity: About 150
Average spend: Main courses £8 to £12/cocktails between £5 and £8
Address: 60 Southwark Street, London SE1 1UN
Tel: 020 7357 9301