London

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After a slow start, the restaurant scene is waking up to an optimistic new season. With some modest openings from old hands as a warm-up, such as Gilmour’s from Christopher Gilmour and Claudio Pulze’s Osteria dell’Angolo, spring looks to be the time for launching new eateries.

Wunderkind Bjorn van de Horst (formerly of Gordon Ramsay’s La Noisette) will be unveiling his ambitious Eastside Inn – a project initially planned for January earlier this year – in the culinary quarter of Clerkenwell. Expect a vibrant menu inspired by van de Horst’s multicultural background (French training; Spanish and Dutch parentage; Basque, Dutch and American influences from his childhood).

Culture is indeed the buzzword for spring, as Hyde Park welcomes a slick new restaurant based near the Serpentine Gallery in April, to be known as The Serpentine Bar & Kitchen (pictured above). It promises to be the mother of alfresco dining, with a formidable 300-seater terrace and bespoke picnic service for those rare sunny spring days.

On the east side, the return of the Whitechapel Gallery in the same month also signals the opening of the Whitechapel Gallery Dining Room, which aims to serve solid British favourites – though you won’t find jellied eels just yet. For those who love vino, High Timber is the one to watch out for, due to launch any day now. As a joint operation between a South African wine maker (Jordan Wine Estate) and Neleen Strauss, the co-founder of the excellent Vivat Bacchus in Farringdon, this new North Bank restaurant looks set to become the quaffing destination of the season with a formidable cellar holding over 40,000 bottles.

Urban tours

Celebrity Urban Tours for BlackBerry smartphones reveal the hidden hangouts of celebrities and VIPs in cities around the world. Download Urban Tours for your BlackBerry at www.urban-tours.com

Gilles Peterson

DJ Gilles Peterson eats at Japanese restaurant Yumi (110 George St, W1U 8NY, 020 7935 8320).
‘The best sushi in London! Slightly experimental. No soy! Ask for the omakase.’

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Use your BlackBerry
Wherever you are, you can use your BlackBerry® smartphone to go online and search for a restaurant, then book a table online – or just ring them! Most restaurants’ websites have menus and wine lists, so if you’re in a pre-theatre rush, you can save time by knowing what you want in advance. You’ll never have to worry about missing curtain-up.

HOT LIST DOWNLOADS Visit blackberry.co.uk/hotlist to download our essential spring restaurants and bars recommendations to your BlackBerry smartphone.

Five great bars

Forget so-so central London bars – head for these ones with style and substance

Artesian

A stunner of a bar, all high ceilings and drama à la designer David Collins. A place to drink sophisticated cocktails in style.
Langham Hotel, 1C Portland Place, W1B 1JA (020 7636 1000) Oxford Circus tube.

Imbiss

Bold Austrian boozer serving top-notch Stiegl and highly rated Hirter beers in cosy surrounds.
14 Seymour Place, W1H 7NF (020 7723 2574) Marble Arch tube.

Rockwell
Clink icy tumblers of whisky and bourbon while surveying Trafalgar Square on the sunny roof terrace.
The Trafalgar Hotel, 2 Spring Gardens, SW1A 2TS (020 7870 2959) Embankment tube.

LAB

Street-smart cocktail bar for Sohoites, where you’ll find some of the most original concoctions in the capital.
12 Old Compton St, W1D 4TQ (020 7437 7820) Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Rd tube.

Terroirs

Though recently declared one of the best places to eat this year by Time Out, the impressive ‘natural’ wine list and natural buzz are equal draws in this friendly and informal bar.
5 William IV St, WC2N 4DW (020 7036 0660) Charing Cross tube/rail.

Use your BlackBerry
The ingredients for a great night out are a great bar, a great group of friends and your BlackBerry smartphone. Use your BlackBerry® Browser to scan the Time Out website for a bar you like, then IM or email your friends with the details. Not sure where the bar is, or the tube station at closing time? No problem – with built-in GPS and BlackBerry® Maps software you can never get lost.

Enter here for the chance to win a BlackBerry Bold 9000 this week