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Good morning, happy Friday. How was everyone’s September?
I’ve just returned from a very quick four-day trip to the US to meet my new nephew and spend some time with my mom and sister. It was a bit of a whirlwind, but I’m very grateful they’re on the East Coast, as I have a feeling I’ll be making that trip a lot more often now that said nephew is here.
September was a really exciting month for Table for Two. I had the opportunity to interview a former Michelin inspector, spent a lot of time behind the scenes thinking about where I want to take the publication next, and have some very exciting interviews coming up that I can’t wait to share.
And to everyone who subscribed in September, hello and welcome. Thank you for being here!
This is Dining & Culture: London Bookmarks, where I look back at the most interesting stories in dining and culture from the month just gone, and share a highly edited list of what I’ve bookmarked for the month ahead.
In case you missed it:
Aston Martin is bringing leading chefs into the F1 paddock to create bespoke menus for select Grands Prix, with collaborations across Miami, Monaco, Silverstone and Monza, and more planned for Singapore, Austin and Abu Dhabi. Max Coen, co-founder and former head chef of Dorian, took over the kitchen at Silverstone this year.
Speaking of Max Coen, there’s been plenty of speculation about his next move following his departure from Dorian earlier this year. His Instagram bio now simply reads “Next Chapter, 2027”, with no further context.
Major’s Grill is coming to Cambridge House. Major Food Group is bringing a new restaurant to the highly anticipated Cambridge House, Auberge Collection. Inspired by the group’s New York restaurant The Grill, Major’s Grill will be a new concept created specifically for London. I wrote about the groups dilution of the Carbone brand back in August, but credit where it’s due: this is how you expand internationally while preserving the integrity of the original.
Vanity Fair goes inside The Corner Store. Clara Molot spends four days with Eugene Remm to figure out how he manufactures New York’s hardest-to-book reservation at The Corner Store. The formula: familiar food, absurdly attentive service, celebrities at the next table and just enough difficulty getting in to make the reservation feel like social currency. P.S. if anyone knows how I can get a reservation for 17 or 18 December, I’m all ears.
Professional Lunch ranks every three-Michelin-star restaurant in the UK. Marshall Manson has now eaten at all ten of the UK’s current three-star restaurants and ranked them in his latest newsletter. Marshall has become my go-to on Substack for anything fine dining, and I really value his reviews.
What to bookmark this October:
I love autumn in London.
And this October, there are more things worth doing than there are nights in the month.
The Horses, the newest pub from Public House Group, has opened in Clerkenwell. Salman Toor’s first major European exhibition is showing at the Courtald, and Frieze is back in Regent’s Park. Over at Southbank, the BFI London Film Festival premieres the films that will be everywhere by awards season, and Dua Lipa is curating the London Literature Festival.
There is so much on this month and here’s the highly edited Table for Two list of what’s actually worth your time:
Dining:
Clementine (Islington) - I really need an excuse to make it over to Islington. Anna Higham has built a cult following around neighbourhood bakery Quince, and this month she’s opening Clementine, a 20-seat café directly across the road. The menu sounds exactly like what I want to eat on an autumn morning: tattie scones and Scotch pancakes.
The Horses (Clerkenwell) - if you can’t tell I’m really excited about this one. Public House Group’s latest pub is now open, and a first with an east London post code. I have a reservation for the end of this month and will report back.
ENDO + Moga (Chelsea) - Endo Kazutoshi is opening ENDO, a 10-seat omakase in Chelsea, but I’m even more excited about Moga, the listening bar upstairs in the two-storey townhouse. Through October and November Moga is only open to ENDO diners, but will open to the public in December.
Soraya (Marylebone) - From the team behind Nina, Bottarga, Lagana and Zephyr comes Soraya. They’ve brought their audience along for the build and already had 10k+ Instagram followers before opening. My reservation isn’t until November, so let me know what you think if you make it this month.
Cinema:
BFI London Film Festival (Southbank) - For the past few years, James and I have managed to make it to the London Film Festival, which returns this year from 7–18 October. Tickets sell out very quickly, and I think it’s really only worth booking screenings at Southbank (ideally Royal Festival Hall). Booking at the Vue or Curzon can feel just like any other trip to the cinema. At the time of writing, there are still select tickets available at Southbank for The Match, Beloved, La Dérive, amongst a few others.
La Femme Infidele (Southbank) - If you don’t manage to get tickets to the London Film Festival, there’s plenty of other programming at the BFI. A few weeks ago, James and I saw the re-release of Claude Chabrol’s La Femme Infidèle, and I have to say, a sold-out theatre on a Friday night for a 1960s French film is one of the many reasons I love London. The film has been playing over the past month, with its final screening tomorrow, 3 October, introduced by Chabrol’s daughter.
Bad Apples - Playing at venues across London, this black comedy stars Saoirse Ronan as a primary school teacher pushed to breaking point by one of her pupils. We keep meaning to see this one but haven’t made it yet, so let me know what you think if you have.
Art:
Salman Toor: Someone Like You (Courtauld) - There’s been so much buzz for the Bayeux Tapestry and Renoir and Love, but the exhibition I’m most looking forward to this month is New York-based artist Salman Toor’s European show at the Courtauld. He paints intimate, slightly dreamlike scenes in a recurring acid-green palette. I’ve followed him on Instagram for a while and can’t wait to finally see his work in person.
Painting the French Riviera (Royal Academy) - If you’re already missing summer holidays, this one brings together a century of artists drawn to the Côte d’Azur, from Cézanne and Matisse to Picasso and Yves Klein. Unsurprisingly, there’s a lot of Mediterranean light, colour and very beautiful scenery.
Myrlande Constant (Frieze London) - If you’re going to make a beeline for one thing at Frieze, make it Myrlande Constant’s first European solo presentation. The Haitian artist creates extraordinary large-scale works from beads and sequins, I’m really looking forward to seeing her work in person.
Literature:
Dua Lipa & Mustafa: Nour (Southbank)- London Literature Festival returns from 20 October to 1 November, with Dua Lipa hosting three events at Royal Festival Hall. A few tickets remain for her conversation with poet and songwriter Mustafa on 24 October, or check out programming for the rest of the week.
One for your reading list - The standout book I read this month was Good People by Patmeena Sabit. It reads almost like true crime, to the point that I had to double check I was actually reading fiction. It’s heartbreaking, but I also learned so much about the Afghan immigrant experience in the US.
Let me know in the comments what you’ve booked in London this month, and if there’s anything I’ve missed.
Have a great weekend,
Danielle
Thanks so much for the mention and the kind words!