Working alongside creatives is one of the reasons why we find restaurant PR so rewarding. This month sees us launch Sesta and Wildflowers: two restaurants where a fantastic, creative chef is going it alone for the first time in his career. Bravo to Drew and Aaron respectively.
This October, London Cocktail Week returns - do read on to hear more about co-founders Hannah and Siobhan, two of the most fiercely hardworking and inspirational people we've had the pleasure to represent.
What they've contributed to London's international cocktail reputation over the last 15 years is immeasurable. Cheers!
LATEST NEWS
SESTA is now open on Hackney's Wilton Way, from Drew Snaith and Hannah Kowalski
Sesta - a new restaurant and wine bar - is now open inside the site most recently home to beloved Hackney restaurant Pidgin. Following Pidgin's closure, former Head Chef Drew Snaith and General Manager Hannah Kowalski are breathing new life into the popular Wilton Way spot with an eclectic menu celebrating Snaith's love of both live-fire cooking and Southeast Asian cuisines, alongside a dynamic natural wine list curated by Kowalski. Read more here.
WILDFLOWERS - the new neighbourhood Mediterranean restaurant from chef Aaron Potter - is now open in Belgravia
Bringing a little sunshine to Belgravia, Wildflowers is the new neighbourhood spot from chef Aaron Potter - previously Trinity and Elystan Street - and interior stylist Laura Hart. Inspired by relaxed Mediterranean dining cultures, dishes such as Grilled red mullet, Puttanesca butter and Amalfi lemon are served in a stylish restaurant setting, while an upstairs wine bar channels the pintxos and cicchetti bars of Europe. Read more here.
LONDON COCKTAIL WEEK returns for 2024, with £8 Signature Cocktails, luxury Connoisseur's Collection events and more
London Cocktail Week - the world's greatest celebration of cocktail culture - is back, with a host of events, tours, parties and global bar takeovers heading to the capital from 3rd-13th October. Highlights include the luxurious Connoisseur's Collection events (think vintage Hanky Pankys at The American Bar at The Savoy), and £8 Signature Cocktails available to all wristband holders throughout the festival. Read more here.
SOTTO to open its doors this month, bringing a new Enoteca and Trattoria to Edinburgh's Stockbridge
Edinburgh is getting a new destination for Italian wine: from 4th October, Sotto will welcome diners into its upstairs Enoteca (wine bar) and downstairs Trattoria led by Calabrian chef Francesco Ascrizzi, with Italian cooking served alongside wines from its thoughtfully curated, 200-strong cellar. Open as an espresso bar in the morning, with regular complimentary tastings, this is your new day-to-night hotspot. Read more here.
FATTO A MANO to launch first London neighbourhood pizzeria in Bethnal Green in November
Brighton-born pizzeria Fatto a Mano is bringing its signature Neapolitan pizza to east London for the first time in early November. Bethnal Green will be its first neighbourhood spot in the capital, following on from its Covent Garden and Kings Cross pizzerias. Continuing Fatto a Mano's ethos of connecting with communities, £1 from every sale of its latest Carolina's Meatballs special will be donated to local charity Bow Foodbank. Read more here.
Late-night underground bar and restaurant SEBB'S to open in Glasgow next month
Next month will see Sebb's - a new underground bar and restaurant for audiophiles - open its doors in Glasgow's Miller Street. From Scotland's Scoop restaurant group, Sebb's will combine drinks from a dedicated cocktail kitchen, an over-fire menu of snacks and sharing plates (think Grilled Carlingford oysters with spiced lamb fat) and a rotating programme of DJs playing vinyl on its state of the art sound system. Read more here.
What's on this month
Autumn is upon us, so we're heading straight to The Laundry for the return of its celebrated Sunday roast (with all the trimmings, of course). London's most stylish new brasserie Marceline will raise a glass to the weekend with its new Champagne Cellar Raid brunch, when diners can enjoy sparkling wines at cellar prices. Pastaio is marking Stanley Tucci's stint at Soho's The London Palladium by serving his favourite pasta - Spaghetti alla Nerano - to diners from 11th-13th October. Henrique Sá Pessoa will be joined by The Dorchester's Tom Booton for the second of JOIA's Behind The Pass guest chef dinners on 9th October, while pastry chef Sarah Johnson will team up with The Palmerston's Lloyd Morse for a special Sunday lunch on 6th October, in celebration of her new book Fruitful.
Founder Spotlight: Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne
Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne are, quite simply, two of the most influential and respected figures in the global drinks industry.
They are best known as the co-founders of London Cocktail Week, which celebrates its 15th edition this month. The duo not only created the world’s leading cocktail festival - welcoming hundreds of thousands of drinks enthusiasts to the event in the years since - but they pioneered the ‘cocktail week’ format, creating a blueprint for countless international festivals.
London Cocktail Week is, however, still internationally recognised as the finest example of such a festival. It now operates as a not-for-profit organisation, as part of their commitment to supporting and championing the bartending community and hospitality industry.
Having met while working at influential drinks publication Difford’s Guide, Hannah and Siobhan have also gone on to launch HANDS London, a consultancy firm helping to elevate drinks brands for trade and consumer audiences. In 2022, they launched The Pinnacle Guide - the bar industry's answer to the Michelin Guide, which operates a 1, 2 and 3 PIN global recognition system for the world’s best cocktail bars.
