Top 10: King’s Cross newcomers of 2015

Pond Club

T he quirky freshwater art installation, Of Soil and Water: Pond Club (its full title), gives people the chance to swim in the shadow of towering, noisy cranes, shifting mounds of rubble and tumbledown Victorian railway infrastructure as part of the area’s ongoing art programme, RELAY. Daily ticketholders change in stripy bathing huts before climbing the gentle incline up to the water’s edge (the pond having been entirely fashioned out of derelict land), before plunging into surprisingly clear waters. The pool is the work of artist Marjetica Potrc and Dutch architects Ooze, who have collaborated on many other projects, including a wind-powered lift attached to Folkestone’s majestic mainline viaduct as part of last year’s Triennial art event. The water is totally chemical-free, being purified via the natural filtering process of 4200 (count ’em) wetland and submerged water plants. The installation has a two year lifespan (until April 2017) before the bulldozers encroach – but it’s open right now, even in winter. kingscrosspond.club

Coba

A brand new opening in a slightly unusual location – ten minutes’ walk up from the all-consuming King’s Cross development, and a mile or so from Kentish Town, Camden and Holloway each. The menu at CôBa offers a mix of classic Vietnamese dishes, alongside some more modern interpretations, and is split into barbecue meats, cooked on a charcoal grill and served with a noodle salad, and soup noodles (classics such as fragrant pho and spicy beef noodles made with a 24 hour broth). The cocktail list includes a potent blend of tea-based and sorbet cocktails: all the favourites from owner Damon’s supper club days. Evenings only, 244 York Way N7

Granger & Co

T he interior is smart, with its riff on all things Italianate, from 1970s table lamps to olive leather banquettes and pink marble tables. The menu delights in healthy, simple produce, the kind of thing you might have eaten in Miami or Sydney. Anyway, it’s the sort of joint to enjoy a pale pink rosé while perusing the small plates – many featuring ingredients like whipped avocado, tahini, broad beans or quinoa. A handful of mains include more standard steak, chicken and pork options. A reliable addition to N1C, perhaps without some of the thrill of Vinoteca, Caravan or Grain Store. Open daily, 7 Pancras Square N1C

Cubitt Square

Lewis Cubitt Square and Park opened back in March, the first major new green space at King’s Cross so far (and how unimaginable was that a few years ago?). Named after the Victorian geezer who designed the railway station, grain stores and Great Northern Hotel, the park is surrounded by trees, the emphasis, as with Granary Square itself, being on relaxation for everyone, from shrieking kids to fashion-forward Central St Martin’s students. One feature that visitors have really warmed to are the mounded lawns, which break the space up and allow families to hang out or enjoy picnics. And an avenue of plane trees runs along the eastern edge of the park, linking the whole area with York Way. And that’s not all. The major new Lewis Cubitt civic square itself features arching water jets, and hosts the daily KERB streetfood stalls, as well as festivals like the recent Courtyard beerfest.

Vinoteca

Based at the foot of One Pancras Square this big new opening cleverly belies its brand-new feel with lots of chrome and wood, a glamorous zinc bar, high ceilings, and huge windows. It’s perfect for a spot of people-watching over the main pedestrian route up to Granary Square. The laidback, multi-tasking feel of the place means that you can pop in for an espresso by the bar, hunch over a laptop nursing a flat white, or grab a table and eat properly: head chef Kieren Steinborn (Alain Ducasse) dishes up simple, quality grub inspired by British classics, the Mediterranean and beyond. And if this all sounds a bit, well, beyond your budget? Fear not, there’s a set lunch menu (a reasonable £12.95 for two courses), for savvy types who just want to make Vinoteca a bit of a regular weekday habit. Vinoteca King’s Cross, One Pancras Square, N1C

Pancras Square

A s 2015 progressed, the office blocks were completed and the square landscaped. Even in the winter you can sit outside – blustery wind notwithstanding – and enjoy the water feature flowing through its heart, which adds perspective and tranquillity to the clang of building works. Or admire the gleaming glass and steel offices rising high above already mature shrubs and flowers, manicured lawns and saplings. And food isn’t an afterthought, either: expect salads, quiches and sandwiches at Notes, a decent grill and cocktails at Drake & Morgan, and quality fast food joints like Leon and Wasabi for smaller budgets or more limited timeframes.

Gasholder Park

This tranquil new green space in KX opened earlier this month: as you might expect, it’s a circular lawn on the side of the Regent’s Canal and sits inside the carefully restored guide frame of the Grade II Victorian Gasholder No. 8. A contemporary steel canopy encircles the edge, and the planting offers “colour, texture, sensory stimulation and seasonal variation” within and beyond the space. Surely a tranquil addition to other green lungs like nearby Lewis Cubitt and Camley Street Natural Park.

Skip Garden & Café

H orticultural nomads Global Generation designed the Skip Garden, which moved home in 2015 to a bigger plot, to be an organic, sustainable and above all portable allotment for 21st century central London. It’s a unique smallholding, where bountiful crops sprout forth from rows of repurposed rubbish containers, and the whole plot can up sticks and move on when the land is next in line to be built upon. A huge structure known as the Glass Lantern – made from recycled scaffolding boards and sash windows – forms a striking patchwork greenhouse by day, while functioning as a novel way to light the garden by night. In the accompanying cafe, diners perch upon wobbly benches to wolf down a smooth cauliflower and cumin soup, hunks of tasty in-house bread or home-made quiche and beetroot salad. Open daily till 4pm, Tapper Walk, N1C

18 Montrose

T his new Stable Street arrival is a key happening as it’s the first clothing retail outlet in the Granary Square area. And it’s a corker, if you like stylish, low-key British brands like Folk and YMC. The preview store is ahead of a national roll out of the flagship in Glasgow and Nottingham, as well as the 18montrose.com online store. Other brands to browse include Stone Island, Woolrich, and Helmut Lang. There are also products by Aesop as well as S’well bottles, perfumes, books and magazines. It’s a chic space: stainless steel rails, white and mirrored panels. Open daily, 18montrose Preview Store, Unit 9-10 Stable St, N1C

Waitrose wine bar

The mighty new 29,000 square foot store, right in the centre of King’s Cross, opened in late September in the restored Grade II-listed Midland Goods Shed. Smart cookery school? Tick. Tempting in-store bakery? Tick. Superior fresh fish stall? Tick. Nice cafe? Tick. But wine bar? Oh, go on then. Through exposed brick arches, high bar stools line a slightly-too-brightly lit counter, behind which half a dozen sommeliers and chefs buzz about preparing tapas and on-trend sharing plates. And, should you need a blast of fresh air, doors open out onto a secluded courtyard area overlooking the canal, where in warmer months you can marinate alfresco with a glass of Picpoul – and perhaps forget why you actually came here at all (hint: to do the groceries.) With draft Camden Brewery beers on tap as well, at the very least you can fill up your growler on your way out. Open daily, 1 Wharf Road N1C