Sauce Loves… New Years Eve 2017
To help you decide where to bring in 2018 we have put together a round-up of the best spots London has to offer for that all-important night…
Blanchette Soho
This year Blanchette Soho will be throwing a NYE party to remember, French-style. From 6pm until 6am, their very own DJ Malik will be spinning the decks with friend DJ Julien Shade. Forget the pressure of set menus, deposits, and minimum spends – Blanchette will be keeping things simple with their delicious a la carte menu and a selection of festive specials. For the East Londoner, Blanchette Brick Lane will be open for dinner from 6pm until 2am. www.blanchettelondon.co.uk
The Stafford London
To herald the start of 2018, The Stafford’s New Year’s Eve celebrations will begin with a Champagne and canapé reception followed by a magnificent four course dinner in the critically-acclaimed The Game Bird restaurant. Following dishes such as Brill with burnt apple, celeriac and cider velouté, and Valrhona chocolate mousse with honeycomb, honey jelly, and milk and honey ice cream, guests will count down to the New Year and dance the night away to a four-piece band in the hotel’s stunning 380-year-old Wine Cellars. www.thestaffordlondon.com
Margot
To bid farewell to 2017 and welcome in the new year, the team at Margot in Covent Garden will be celebrating in true Italian style. All guests on the night will be welcomed with a glass of Champagne and a wonderful selection of appetisers, followed by an exclusive five-course menu including dishes such as Saffron tagliolini with lobster, cherry tomatoes and basil and Roast fillet of beef with fried polenta and Taleggio, glazed chestnuts and white truffle. This delicious menu, combined with Margot’s elegant service and timeless setting, will ensure that guests enjoy a New Year’s Eve to remember. www.margotrestaurant.com
Ella Canta
On 31 December, Ella Canta will be ringing in the New Year in true Mexican spirit, with guests invited to enjoy the contemporary Mexican menus of chef Martha Ortiz, alongside traditional Mexican drinks and Latin beats. From 5.30pm – 8.30pm, there will be a three-course menu including Jícama tacos with devil crab and avocado and Pork with emerald green sauce, black beans and wild herbs (£70pp), while guests will also be able to enjoy unlimited margaritas (additional £25pp). From 9pm, a six-course menu will also incorporate dishes such as Plantain molotes with solar corn cream and caviar and Red hibiscus sorbet with smoked chile (£130pp), and will be offered with paired wine and mezcal (additional £60pp). Throughout the evening, from 6pm-3am, DJ Cal Jader and DJ Jorge Montiel will bring the restaurant and bar alive with up-tempo Latin beats and carnival rhythms from across the Atlantic. www.ellacanta.com
Coq d’Argent
With its stunning rooftop location and breath-taking views over the London skyline, Coq d’Argent in the City will be throwing a New Year’s Eve party to remember. There will be a DJ playing throughout the evening, dancing on the bar terrace from 8pm until 1am, and to complete the celebrations, a firework display at midnight. Guests will be invited to enjoy a five-course meal before the party in Coq d’Argent’s contemporary French restaurant for £125pp, or alternatively can just join the celebrations on the rooftop for £50pp (including entrance, welcome drink, canapés and fireworks). What’s more, for those looking to recover from the celebrations, Coq d’Argent will be serving a hearty New Year’s Day lunch with dishes such as Goat’s cheese parcel with piperade and honey and basil dressing; Braised rabbit with red wine, mushrooms, baby onions and pancetta; and Tarte tatin with vanilla ice cream (£49 for 3 courses, kids under 10 eat for free). www.coqdargent.co.uk
Butlers Wharf Chop House
This New Year’s Eve, Butlers Wharf Chop House will be offering a range of fantastic options for those looking to welcome in 2018. The New Year’s Eve menu includes dishes such as Pigeon and foie gras terrine; Sea bass with Champagne butter sauce; and Dark chocolate and hazel nut praline (£75pp), while early bird diners will be able to book onto a two-hour boat trip from Butlers Wharf Pier at 10.30pm, to see the fireworks and enjoy unlimited Champagne onboard (additional £200pp). What’s more, guests to the grill will be welcomed to raise a glass, sing along to Auld Lang Syne, and see in 2018 with a traditional Hogmanay knees up! From 10pm – 12pm, there will be live bagpipes and an unlimited buffet of Scotch favourites such as Rumpledethumps, Cock-a-leekie soup; and Tipsy laird trifle, alongside three Schiehallion beers or Balvenie whisky cocktails, all for £40pp.
www.chophouserestaurants.co.uk
Blue Boar Bar at Conrad London St James
Blue Boar Bar at Conrad London St James is located in the heart of Westminster, so whether popping in for a drink after the fireworks or staying for the countdown to 2018, guests can ensure the year will go out with a bang! There will be live entertainment throughout the evening, and tickets are priced at just £10pp on admission. www.blueboarlondon.com
German Gymnasium
This New Year’s Eve, guests to the glamourous German Gymnasium in Kings Cross will enjoy a glass of Sekt on arrival, followed by a four-course menu specially designed by Executive Chef Bjoern Wassmuth. Dishes will include Duck liver terrine with thyme, vanilla and sauterne; Grilled halibut with butternut squash risotto, turnips and scallion, and Champagne cheesecake with Champagne jelly, strawberry caviar and strawberry sorbet. What’s more, there will be a live band and DJ until 2am! www.germangymnasium.com
Social Wine & Tapas
The perfect choice for those looking to bring in the New Year with friends and family this New Year’s Eve, the menu at Jason Atherton’s Social Wine & Tapas will consist of a selection of tapas dishes for the table to share – starting with a glass of Champagne and including the likes of Jerusalem artichoke velouté, mallard toastie, winter truffle, and Rhug Estate venison, soft polenta, braised shank, puntanella. Diners will finish with Valrhona chocolate tart, Armagnac & kumquat cream. The menu is priced at £75 per person. www.socialwineandtapas.com
New Street Grill and Old Bengal Bar
New Street Grill and Old Bengal Bar are offering the perfect New Year’s Eve package on 31 December, with guests able to enjoy a three-course menu with bubbles and amuse bouche on arrival for £65pp. Following dishes such as Seared scallops with devils on horseback and celeriac puree, and Turbot with roast salsify, lobster sauce and salmon caviar guests will be welcomed to join the party in Old Bengal Bar, with live music and delicious cocktails into the early hours. www.newstreetgrill.co.uk
Sosharu
Sosharu, Jason and Irha Atherton’s Japanese izakaya-style restaurant and bar in Clerkenwell, has a New Year’s Eve offering with a difference. Executive Chef Alex Craicun has developed a unique 15-dish ‘Kisetsu’ menu, a Japanese word meaning a season or certain time of year. At £180 per person, the tasting menu includes plates such as Lobster dashi, Crab chawan-mushi, and Tepanyaki Wagyu beef. www.sosharulondon.com
Live music at Big Easy Bar.B.Q & Lobstershack
Bring in the New Year at London’s original Bar.B.Q institution, Big Easy Bar.B.Q & Lobstershack. Serving up blues, brews and ‘cues from 8pm until the early morning, Big Easy is the ideal venue to dance the night away to their live music this New Year’s Eve. Enjoy the start of 2018 at any one of Big Easy’s three sites across London with their friendly atmosphere and hearty portions of home-styled Southern Bar.B.Q food. www.bigeasy.co.uk
Pollen Street Social
For a Michelin-starred end to 2017, Jason Atherton’s flagship restaurant, Pollen Street Social, has an exclusive New Year’s Eve tasting menu that showcases some of the very best of his celebrated food. Dishes include Cured duck liver, jam, toast; South Downs fallow deer, artichoke, pear and chocolate; South coast turbot, caramelised celeriac, chestnut and truffle and a dessert of Bitter chocolate pavé, olive oil ice cream, black olive tuille (which appeared on this year’s MasterChef final). The menu is priced at £150 for ten courses, with matching wines also available. www.pollenstreetsocial.com
City Social
For a New Year’s Eve with a view, Jason Atherton’s Michelin-starred City Social restaurant is located within iconic skyscraper Tower 42 with dazzling 360-degree vistas across London. Guests will be welcomed with a glass of Champagne followed by a 5-course meal specially created by Executive Chef, Paul Walsh. Menu highlights include; Isle of Skye langoustine with citrus risotto, confit chicken leg, Umbrian white truffle; Lake District beef fillet, braised cheek, roasted onions, watercress; and for a sweet end to the evening, Hazelnut plaisir sucré, chocolate syrup, biscuit, milk ice cream. The menu is priced at £180 per person. www.citysociallondon.com
La Dame de Pic London
Michelin-starred La Dame de Pic London at Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square is the first UK outpost from acclaimed three Michelin-starred French chef, Anne-Sophie Pic. Open for dinner (6:30pm – midnight) on New Year’s Eve, La Dame de Pic London will offer a six-course menu which includes the chef’s signature dish of Berlingots. The cost is £200 per person (£155 for vegetarians), with wine pairing options available. The full New Year’s Eve menus can be viewed at http://ladamedepiclondon.co.uk/menus/
Theo Randall
Specially curated menus at Theo Randall at the InterContinental are a great way to get into the festive spirit, the Italian way. Holiday menus include Ravioli di zucca (ravioli of roasted delica squash, ricotta, marjoram, butter and sage, Orata al forno (wood roasted sea bream fillet with datterini tomatoes, capers), and Torta Caprese with roasted almond ice cream. The restaurant will be open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve. http://parklane.intercontinental.com/en/festive-season/
Mei Ume
Mei Ume at Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square incorporates authentic dishes from both China and Japan with a modern approach. Open for dinner on New Year’s Eve, Head Chef Tony Truong’s creative sharing plates such as Chinese barbeque Cha Siu pork and Golden crispy seabass in sweet and sour sauce, are complemented by a selection of delicate steamed, baked and fried dim sum. Served according to tradition across two courses, the Whole Peking duck will be one of the restaurant’s standout dishes, served first with pancakes, leeks and cucumber and then followed by crispy duck with salt and pepper. The cost is £168 per person and includes half a bottle of Delamotte Brut per person. The full New Year’s Eve menus can be viewed at http://meiume.com/festive/
LUME Milano
What better way to enter 2018 than in the beautiful and romantic city of Milan. Based in the Navigli district nearby to the Linea Traghetti Gaggiano-Milano, LUME is the perfect destination celebrate the new year. Within the first year of opening, Luigi Taglienti earnt LUME a Michelin star for his innovative Italian cooking. Chef Taglienti describes his culinary style as ‘heritage meets evolution’. He is committed to modernisation and, at the same time, dedicated to those sensations taken both from his past as well as traditional cooking. Using raw materials as the centrepiece to his cooking, Luigi uses avant-garde techniques to make the dishes into something magnificent – dishes that are simultaneously unknown and reminiscent in their taste. Luigi’s taste is predominantly driven by his Ligurian origins, where he spent a lot of his childhood in the kitchen with his grandmother and great grandmother who regularly cooked for the nobility in Tuscany. www.lumemilano.com