If you’re tired of the same old Christmas dishes already and are looking for some new festive flavours to try this year then look no further!
With yuletide offerings from the Levant to Peru and dishes as diverse as Japanese fried chicken, man’ousheh, ceviches, beignets and burgers, our restaurants will take you on a culinary journey around the world this Christmas. Please see below.
Happy festive feasting!
Happy Holidays!
For a taste of the USA, Shake Shack will be serving up a variety of seasonal items at Covent Garden and Westfield Stratford Shacks. Check out the Alpine Bacon Burger (£7.25) – a 100% Aberdeen Angus beef burger topped with melted Appenzeller cheese sauce and British free range Wiltshire cure smoked bacon or the Gingerbread Apple Caramel concrete (£5.50/£8) – vanilla frozen custard blended with Bread Ahead Ginger cake and almond cider caramel sauce. Also available in the Shacks from December 10th, will be their custom blend Mulled Red Wine (£5.50) – winter ShackRed served warm and spiced for the season as well as Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate (£4.25) featuring a blend of bittersweet dark chocolates, caramel sauce, sea salt and fresh milk. Available from 10th December to 16th January 2016. www.shakeshack.co.uk
This Christmas, modern American restaurant, Avenue, will be putting on a festive feast with a set menu for groups from new Head Chef James Hulme. Diners will be able to choose from four starters including and smoked salmon, Yukon gold potatoes, beetroot and rapeseed oil mayonnaise, four delicious mains including traditional roast bronze turkey with all the trimmings and a selection of four tempting desserts including a valrhona chocolate tart with clementine crème fraiche. Available now and priced at £49.50 per person for three courses, head to Avenue for a slice of Manhattan in the heart of Mayfair. http://www.avenue-restaurant.co.uk/
It’s time to give Christmas a snow globe shake up, Dirty Bones style. Whether planning an exclusive party for 200, an intimate get together in their private retro lounge (with its own private party bar), or a friends and family pre-Christmas blow-out, Dirty Bones provides guests with a range of options across both the Kensington and Carnaby sites. The Dirty Bones chefs will be cooking up festive specials such as the Mac Baubles (Dirty Bones Mac & Cheese Balls with a sweet chilli cranberry sauce); Winter Waffles (caramelised root vegetable waffles with rosemary fried chicken and maple syrup); and Mince Pie Mess (smashed mince pie with brandy butter gelato and coconut snow). A range of drinks packages have been designed to suit all occasions, including the return of the Dirty Santa Cocktail (Finlandia vodka, fresh ginger, blueberries, Velvet Falernum liqueur, cinnamon, apple, lime juice, vanilla, and cinnamon infused maple syrup). www.dirty-bones.com
Big Easy is perfect for anyone craving a taste of the Deep South this Christmas. Diners could opt for a boozy unlimited Bar B Q brunch at the new Canary Wharf restaurant, or go for the freshest seafood and lobster bakes at any of the three sites. Nightly live music adds to the party vibe.
Joyeux Noël!
Wonderful French food is in a class of its own, and where better to indulge for Christmas than Blanchette in Soho? At this beloved bistro, diners can enjoy cheese beignets, baked Saint-Marcellin, plum rum baba and creative small plates in a cosy ambience guaranteed to keep the cold out and the festive spirit in. www.blanchettesoho.co.uk
With fabulous lighting, cosy banquettes and exceptional views of Tower Bridge, the newly refurbished Le Pont de la Tour is surely the most glamourous new location for your festive meal. Priced at £95, the six course Christmas menu includes dishes such as Terrine of foie gras and fruit preserve, Smoked salmon and crab roll, Aquitaine caviar, avocado beignet and lemon oil and Norfolk turkey, Brussel tops with wild mushroom jalousie, pumpkin, braised leaves and chicory veloute. lepontdelatour.co.uk
¡Feliz Navidad!
Celebrate Christmas the Spanish way with Salt Yard Group! Priced at £40 and £45, the festive menus at Dehesa, Opera Tavern, Ember Yard and Salt Yard include dishes such as Lamb Leg Cooked in Milk with Harissa Yoghurt and Fennel, Roast Creedy Carver Duck Breast with Glazed Salsify, Sprouting Broccoli & Smoked Almonds, Whole Roasted Sweet Potato with Maple Syrup, Rosemary and Cayenne and Porcini Arancini with Wilted Garlic, Spinach, Parsnip Purée & Pickled Walnuts. For more information: http://www.saltyardgroup.co.uk/
¡Feliz Navidad!
Tired of Turkey already? Peruvian restaurant LIMA Floral in Covent Garden will be serving a three course Christmas lunch menu and five course Christmas dinner with fresh and unique dishes, including palm heart ceviche, Sword Fish escabeche and mushroom Huancaina, that are true to the restaurant’s Latin American roots. Priced at £28 for lunch and £45 for dinner, the menu is available now and is perfect for those looking for something a little more out of the ordinary this festive season. http://www.limalondongroup.com
Buon Natale!
Located directly on the world famous Saville Row in the heart of Central London, Italian restaurant Sartoria is set to be the go to venue this Christmas. Priced at £55 for three courses and £70 for four courses, the festive menu include dishes such as Carpaccio of baccala, puntarelle, anchovies and Amalfi lemon dressing; Capon and truffle broth, pumpkin tortellini and Roasted veal fillet, double baked potatoes and marsala sauce. http://www.sartoria-restaurant.co.uk/
Frohe Weihnachten!
Celebrate the festive season at German Gymnasium with Christmas menus and stunning interiors, creating the perfect venue for intimate dinners, drink receptions and lavish parties – all with a German twist. German Gymnasium is open throughout December, with special celebrations on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and over the New Year. Executive Chef, Bjoern Wassmuth’s December menus will include Roasted chestnut crème with truffle foam; Tafelspitz of slow cooked beef rump with Austrian hash, creamed spinach, chive sauce and grated horseradish and apple; and Hazelnut praline pot with soured cream and celeriac puree. Meanwhile in the Grand Café, a clock will chime at 4pm daily, signalling the beginning of the German tradition of Kaffee und Kuchen, with guests able to enjoy Apple strudel with vanilla sauce, Sachertorte with Chantilly cream, and to drink, Black Forest Coffee with Kirsch and whipped cream. www.germangymnasium.com
メリークリスマス
Kensington favourite, Yashin Ocean House, is serving an exquisite Japanese sharing menu of some of their most popular and delicious dishes. From char grilled Chilean seabass and sukiyaki rolls to miso cappuccino and paradise prawn tempura, the menu offers a taste of Japan together with the most contemporary cooking techniques. A must for fans for Japanese food.
Following its success last year, Flesh & Buns will be bringing ‘finger lickin’ holiday cheer back to London with the Japanese Fried Chicken (JFC) Feasting Basket. Until 23rd December, diners at the Covent Garden restaurant will be able to tuck into a steamer basket of Buttermilk and shichimi fried half-chicken with BBQ mayonnaise, served with a salad and signature steamed buns, followed by a rich and chocolatey Yamazaki cake and all washed down with a Spiced rum and grenadine hard shake. Designed to share, the Japanese Fried Chicken Feasting Basket is priced at £37.00 for two. http://www.bonedaddies.com/flesh-and-buns/
Situated in the heart of Mayfair, the newly opened Japanese restaurant Tokimeitē is the perfect place for an unusual but very glamorous festive feast. Highlights from the menu include Wagyu Rei Shabu – thinly sliced Wagyu shabu shabu garnished with ponzu jelly and edible flowers; a table simmered Wagyu Sukiyaki served with onion and watercress in miso dashi with a side of creamy truffle sauce and a variety of sashimi sets and sushi rolls. To book a table, please visit: www.tokimeite.com
圣诞快乐
This winter, Northern Chinese restaurant Hutong will be offering a whole goose served with butterfly buns and three special sauces: roast goose gravy, black pepper sauce and home-made plum sauce. The goose will be carved table side and beautifully presented for guests to enjoy. This limited edition dish is available from 30th November – 30th December and priced at £95; it serves a minimum of 5 people and must be pre-ordered when a restaurant reservation is made for dinner. To book a table, please call 020 3011 1257, or alternatively please email hutongreservations@aqua-london.com
With an eight course tasting menu of luxurious dishes including crystal Sea Bass with Tiger Prawn truffle dumplings, Szechuan style clap pot Chilean Sea Bass and Lobster and warm chocolate, mandarin ice cream mini sphere and popping candy, Chinese restaurant Chai Wu, located in Harrods, will provide a festive taste of China in the opulent surroundings of London’s most famous department store. For a minimum of two people and priced at £88 per person. chaiwu.co.uk
Mutlu Noeller!
Celebrate Christmas at Arabica Bar & Kitchen with alternative festive flavours from the Levant. This year, Arabica have crafted six Christmas menus: guests will have the option to choose from three set meze menus suitable for groups of any size, or three seasonal feasting menus for parties of five guests or more, consisting of six meze to share, follow by a main course and a dessert. Examples include spiced venison boregi, woodland mushroom and truffle manousheh, and double cooked duck with cinnamon, honey, cardamom and mastica. Arabica also offer seasonal cocktails with Middle Eastern spices and liquors such as quince 75, bramble spritz and Levantine sour, and authentic delicacies such as sweet mincemeat baklava can be enjoyed for dessert. arabicabarandkitchen.com
Gleðileg jól!
This year, Icelandic Burger Joint Tommi’s is bringing the festive cheer with their limited edition venison burger. The venison patty is topped with creamy brie, rocket, pickled red cabbage, green pepper mayo and cranberry sauce. Like all of Tommi’s burgers, only carefully sourced British produce is used, with meat from HG Walters butcher in Barons Court, and bread from Millers bakery. Available now until the end of December, so come all ye faithful burger fans, and get one whilst you can! Priced at £9.90, for every venison burger bought £1.00 will be donated to Scope charity, supporting disabled people and their families.
Suk sarn warn Christmas!
Thai institution Mango Tree Belgravia will be celebrating Christmas this year with a Thai inspired festive menu. Beginning with a sharing platter including grilled king scallop with Thai spicy garlic sauce, grilled lamb marinated in honey and crispy soft shell crab with salt and chill seasoning, the menu goes on to include main courses of beef massaman, baked seabass marinated in Thai herbs and smoked turkey breast in black bean sauce and culminates in a delicious mango cheesecake for a Thai alternative to Christmas pudding. The menu will be priced at £49.95 and is available for parties of four or more. http://www.mangotree.org.uk/
For the first time in its 15 year legacy, Thai restaurant group Busaba Eathai has specially created celebration menus and seasonal beverages for the festive season. Three menus are available, the Christmas specials menu is suitable for individual and small group dining. For £16.90 per head guests will enjoy a snack, small plate and a main. Two group dining menus are suitable for eight guests or more, offering snacks, small plates, mains and desserts for the table to share. New seasonal specials include seared scallop pomelo with Thai coriander; black pepper venison stir fry, oyster sauce, with rice; and chilli red snapper, three chilli sauce, tamarind, white ginger with rice. For a celebratory toast Busaba have given their Mulled Wine a Thai twist and created the Christmas Spritz (white wine, elderflower cordial, grapefruit liqueur, Kamm & Sons Ginseng, ginger beer). Drinks bundles are available for group dining to help the festivities flow.
