London Restaurant Openings Surge as Fera Is Top Newcomer on List

By Richard Vines  

Photographer: Richard Vines/Bloomberg

Chef Simon Rogan.

London added restaurants in the past year at the fastest net rate since at least 1991 and Chef Simon Rogan’s Fera is the best newcomer, according to Harden’s London Restaurants.
Fera at Claridge’s hotel in Mayfair focuses on extracting maximum flavor from the best ingredients, many of which come from Rogan’s own farm. Harden’s also singled out notable newcomers in East London, including Typing Room in Bethnal Green, backed by Jason Atherton, and Merchant’s Tavern in Shoreditch, a casual establishment selling unfussy modern European food.
“Anyone who dines out in London knows there has been an explosion of restaurants in recent years, but our results quantify just how rapid the growth has been in the past 12 months,” Peter Harden, the guide’s co-founder, said in a phone interview before publication of a new edition tomorrow.
The net addition of 101 restaurants in the year was more than a
third higher than the previous record in the 2006 edition, according to the guide, which has tracked openings since 1991.
Chef Brett Graham’s The Ledbury wins the title of Top Gastronomic Experience for the first time in the 2015 guide, displacing Le Gavroche, which falls to second. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal is third. The Ledbury is also top for food. All three are established restaurants, in Le Gavroche’s case dating to 1967.
The Wolseley retains top place for business and for breakfast/brunch; Chez Bruce remains favorite restaurant and the Anchor & Hope best bar/pub food. Clos Maggiore is the most romantic.

Price Increase

Michelin-starred Fera is highest newcomer, placing fourth in the overall ranking for food, service and ambiance, behind The Ledbury, Kitchen Table and Le Gavroche. Pied a Terre is fifth. Ratings and reviews are based on the contributions of more than 6,250 diners.
The average price of dinner at venues in the guide is 49.46 pounds ($77.35), up from 47.68 pounds last year.
Here are London’s Top 10 for gastronomic experience with last year’s places in brackets: 1. The Ledbury (2); 2. Le Gavroche (1); 3. Dinner (3); 4. Chez Bruce (4); 5. Pollen Street Social (5); 6. Pied à Terre (10); 7. Gordon Ramsay (-); 8. The Square (8); 9. Marcus (6); 10. Medlar (9).
In the year, 47 restaurants closed, the smallest number this millennium.
“Harden’s London Restaurants 2015” costs 12.99 pounds and is available in bookshops, online and via http://www.hardens.com/.