Of all the various kinds of fusion to be found in London’s smart restaurants at the moment, the influence of Nordic cuisine is one of the less expected. Of course, there are numerous places in the capital that serve up such things – not least Ekstedt at the Yard – but at the newly opened Newman Hotel, their set-piece restaurant Brasserie Angelica, which has the sensuous design of a Twenties Art Deco cruise ship, manages to marry all the things you’d expect from high-end modern British cuisine with something altogether more unusual and exotic. The result is one of the most intriguing openings of 2026.
Start your evening with a cocktail in the slinkily atmospheric basement bar, the aptly named Gambit, where either an impeccable Old Fashioned or a gin and tonic with a twist, the dramatically entitled ‘Truth and Despair’, begin the evening with a bang. Come for the nocturnal vibes and stay for the superlative bar snacks, including devilled eggs – about as good as any I’ve had in London – or the goat’s cheese gougeres. The immediate impression is of an establishment trying to do something different, and succeeding in spades.
This does not change one whit when you walk into the dining room, which was relatively quiet on a chilly and wet evening but nevertheless managed to retain a pleasing buzz, thanks in large part to the excellent staff. The first feeling of welcome is the sense of generosity – Belu still or sparkling water is complimentary, whereas in lesser establishments you’d be forking out a fiver straight away- and the second is the intriguing, expansive menu, which does things that places like this aren’t supposed to.
But that is the whole thing about Brasserie Angelica; when you’re eating peerless, beautifully seasoned gravadlax or finely prepared king prawns as starters, served with a carafe of excellent Assyrtiko, you can enjoy the sense that you are having an experience that’s half London, half Stockholm, and quintessentially 2026.
Could the restaurant lean even further into its Nordic roots? Perhaps. There is a slight sense at the moment that when it’s playing it safe, to keep the punters happy, it’s less interesting than when it fully embraces the exotic. Mains of chicken and mushroom pie and pork chop were both superb, if verging on gastropub staples, but it was the sides that ended up being more exciting, such as the sprat and potato gratin.
It was the kind of dish that nowhere else is doing and certainly not to this degree of quality, and washed down by a finely chosen Pecorino white, and accompanied by an amusingly named Isle of Dogs green salad, this is refreshingly unconventional and all the better for it.
Desserts, as recommended by the excellent maitre’d, were a real highlight. Apple almond cake with salted caramel ice cream was the kind of thing that Pippi Longstocking would have clapped her youthful hands together at, especially accompanied by a glass of Tokaji, and the honey parfait with preserved figs came with a burnt lemon schnapps; just the kind of thing to warm the cockles and the heart simultaneously. It is a credit to Brasserie Angelica that the welcoming, stylish atmosphere here makes for a place that you don’t want to leave and that you plan to come back to many more times. It deserves to be a big, national border-crossing hit.
Brasserie Angelica, 49 Newman Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1T 3DZ. For more information, and for bookings, please visit www.brasserieangelica.com.
