Coming soon: Hammond’s Wine Bar, Oxted

It’s all going on in Oxted with a new wine bar and restaurant – Hammond’s – opening soon in the heart of the town at 105-107 Station Road East. With a wine bar and courtyard garden downstairs and a fine dining restaurant upstairs, Hammond’s will exude a stylish and elegant Art Deco vibe. Heading up the kitchen is Tommy Morriss, who trained under Gordon Ramsay and was previously at The Old Bank in Westerham. Expect snacks, small plates and sharing platters alongside a curated selection of wine, craft beer and spirits, plus soft drinks.

New: Be Juiced, East Molesey

Health nuts pay attention – there’s a new vegan café in town! Be Juiced has opened in Walton Road East Molesey offering up menu of vegan and organic (where they can be) goodies. Fresh juices feature highly – as you might have guessed – with traditional combinations like carrot, apple and ginger (the Malus) and mango, mixed berries and banana (the Mangifera) and a supergreens blend among others. There are also shakes (made with plant based milk) and shots (turmeric or ginger), as well as vegan sandwiches and protein bowls, plus teas and coffees.

Opening soon: Kinjo Japanese Bar and Grill, Oxted

Oxted it certainly stamping its place as an up-and-coming foodie destination. It’s already home to one of the best Thai restaurants around, and boasts Italian, Spanish and Nepalese restaurants – and next to come is a Japanese restaurant. Kinjo is opening up at 46 Station Road East in the space that used to be Robert Fuller Menswear, next door to women’s boutique Number 44.

The restaurant will be set over two floors, with long open bar on the ground floor where guests can sip on cocktail while watching the chefs prepare sushi, bao buns, domburi and yakatori. Upstairs is a mezzanine floor with banquet style seating. An official opening date has yet to be announced – but it’s imminent people. Watch this space!

New: My Best Friend’s Wardrobe, Cobham

Get ready to flex those credit cards people – fashion boutique My Best Friend’s Wardrobe is opening in Cobham this week (Fri 28 Oct, to be exact!). It’s the fourth opening in this boutique chain set up by (yes, two best friends) Francesca Beaumont and Sian Haley who founded the brand over a glass or two of rosé at a kitchen table in Surrey. Marlow was the first store out of the gate in November 2019, followed closely by the Cranleigh boutique and in March this year a store in Thurston, Suffolk. Now the ladies have added a flagship store in Cobham – and like the other My Best Friend’s Wardrobe boutiques you can expect to find a curated collection of timeless classics that are also fun and on-trend.

On telly: Mandira’s Kitchen, Albury

Have you been watching Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Channel Four? Eagled-eyed viewers will have spotted Mandira Sakar, from Surrey’s Mandira’s Kitchen, who beat hundreds of hopefuls to appear on the programme last week. The new six-part series gives small artisan food and drink producers the opportunity to pitch their products to Aldi – one of Britain’s big four supermarkets – and have their products featured on the shelves of almost 1000 Aldi stores in the UK. The programme airs every Thursday at 8pm until 24 Nov. You’ll have to tune in to find out how Mandira and her team get on.

Re-opening soon: Gomshall Mill, in Gomshall

Exciting news for The Gomshall Mill, which after its sudden closure in December last year, has been taken over the new pub group New Dawn and is expected to reopen this winter in time for Christmas. The 17th century Grade II-listed pub sits on the banks of the Tillingbourne River in Gomshall. The river, in fact, runs right through the building, a former mill that was still grinding flour right up until until 1950. Builders are currently working their magic on the beautiful old building, which is thought to have been around since the 11th century. New Dawn Pubs has been formed by the original founders of Red Mist Leisure, and includes a small collection of pubs and inns in Surrey and Hampshire including the recently renovated The Castle, in Farnham.

Closing: The Pilot’s Hub, Reigate

And sad news… the café at Redhill Aerodrome, The Pilot’s Hub is closing its doors this week after being given notice by the aerodrome to leave the hangar. It’s last day will be Mon 31 Oct. The 1930s aviation-themed café has been offering breakfasts, lunch and snacks in Hangar 9 since 2004. A petition has been set up to save the café.

Have you heard? Get the goss on new openings (and closures) in Surrey

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