I could spend my days ensconced in Soho, wandering its charming, cozy streets from cafe to galleries to eateries to bars, completely content that I had fully experienced London. London is enormous, and best navigated by Tube. But when I think of it as series of neighborhoods, I don’t find it so overwhelming. And Soho is one of my favorite neighborhoods – especially for good food and nightlife. On my recent trip to London, I was fortunate to hit five outstanding Soho restaurants.

I would return to each of these Soho restaurants for their unique personalities and delicious food, at reasonable prices. Barrafina makes my Soho list for good food, cooking theater, and conviviality. Quo Vadis was amazing for its excellent execution of its dishes, service, and lovely dining room. I enjoyed NOPI  in Soho because of chef Ottolenghi’s brilliantly conceived food that is at once casual and refined with its balance of textures and flavors. But on a short London stop-over, I would make a bee-line to Soho for Blanchette and Ducksoup for their laid back ambiance and creative casual dishes.

Quo Vadis   –   Barrafina   –   Ducksoup   –   NOPI

 

Blanchette

 

 

Sitting at Ely Wine Bar, a favorite Dublin spot, I had the foresight to ask the manager whether he had any favorite wine bars in London. He recommended Blanchette as a restaurant in Soho with a good wine list. So the next day when I landed in rainy London around noon, Blanchette sounded like the perfect spot to get out of the rain and check-out lunch.

 

When I arrived at Blanchette, I was thrilled to find myself in a Provencal setting, with a modern French menu. And even happier to find that Blanchette was open continuously, given that I arrived mid-afternoon, after first taking time to check in to my hotel. The Blanchette staff were immediately friendly and inviting, and I decided to sit at the bar and chat with the bartender.

 

I was starving and anxious to try several delicious-sounding small plates. Not only was the food amazing, it was beautifully presented. The list of wines by the glass is small and interesting, mostly French, and the servers knowledgeable about the wine.

 

I started with a decadent Baked Saint-Marcellin Cheese. I mentioned this is a French restaurant, right? The bubbling dish sprinkled with Cumin and surrounded by Dry Fruit & Almonds.

 

Next up was a Green Bean Salad topped with Aged Comte Cheese, Walnuts, and doused in a Shallot Vinaigrette. Both beautiful and delicious. I accompanied it with a glass of Slovenian White Wine.

 

My main course consisted of a gorgeously composed dish of Sea Bass atop a Potato Cake and sitting in a pool of Crab Bisque, dotted with fresh Peas and Samphire. This was one of the most satisfying dishes I had in London.

 

I am so glad that I could not resist the Pomme Frites because I would have missed out on probably the best fries I’ve ever had. They were crunchy golden brown, but mostly it convinced me that all french fries should only be served with Béarnaise Sauce. They were out of this world.

 

I’m not gonna lie. I think I ate every bite of this stupendous first London meal. I loved this place so much that I toyed with coming back before leaving town, but with only 5 short days in London that would have meant giving up some other amazing food experiences in Soho.

 

Quo Vadis

 

 

As a frequent reader of Katie Parla’s blog (an American ex pat food writer living in Rome) I noted that she was a fan of Quo Vadis in Soho – and that while it was renowned for its cocktails she thought the food is underrated. That intrigued me.

 

Arriving mid-afternoon in Soho, the lunch crowd at Quo Vadis was thinning out. I liked the look of the cozy and inviting banquette in the bar area and opted to sit there, rather than in the dining room.

 

But make no mistake, Quo Vadis has a classic and chic sensibility throughout. The service was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. But the food blew me away.

 

I still dream of the rich, silky Crab Bisque with its flawless broth. The chef takes time to cook down the crab shells until this broth is deep and rich. The pairing of a thin Crispy Toast with a large dollop of thick spicy Aioli was inspired.

 

For my main course, I opted for a light salad of tender Squid a la Plancha tossed with Puntarelle, Bergamot, Capers, Vinaigrette, and topped with Parsley Bread Crumbs. It was inventive, complex, and beautiful.

 

If this were not enough, Quo Vadis served up some of the best golden brown Potato Wedges that were triple fried.

 

Quo Vadis is a great place when you’re looking for an elegant setting in Soho, with delicious food and great friendly service that won’t break your traveling budget.

 

Barrafina

 

The night I ended up at Barrafina, I had been toying with a last-minute theater outing. I was still being indecisive about my evening itinerary, when I ran into Barrafina while strolling through Soho. Barrafina had been on my list of restaurants to check-out, so I took this as a sign. This popular Soho restaurant takes no reservations, and the line was practically out the door. Rather than discourage me, I was drawn in by the lively Soho scene. This was going to be theater of a different sort.

 

Waiting in line for a seat is part of the Barrafina experience, and they’ve figured out how to make the wait fun, orderly, and hospitable. 

When I arrived, I was directed to queue-up at a narrow bar that runs behind the main dinner counter. A server comes by the line frequently to check whether you’d like a drink or something to eat while you wait. The electricity in the air is contagious, and it’s fun to take in the open-kitchen scene even from the queue. On this occasion I was dining alone and felt completely comfortable chatting with my fellow line-holders. As a matter-of-fact, the counter-seating situation is perfect for solo diners.

 

When I finally nabbed my seat at the counter a little over an hour after arriving, everyone around me was friendly and excited to be there too. Those leaving, made recommendations of what to order. I ended up next to friendly locals who shared recommendations and even tastes of amazing food that I had not ordered.

 

Barrafina offers both a regular menu of Spanish-inspired dishes, as well as a nightly list of extensive specials. I chose a bit from each menu. My only regret in dining alone was that I couldn’t partake of more of the small, amazing plates – but I think I made a pretty good dent.

Never one to resist Patatas Bravas, I went for Barrafina’s more modern version. While they were more in the french fry genre, with a spicy aioli dip, they were delicious.

 

When dining Spanish, I can also never resist Pan Con Tomate – bread soaked with garlic and tomato sauce. Barrafina’s version is loaded with chunky tomatoes.

 

From the Specials menu, I ordered the crispy Sea Bass with Jerusalem Artichoke Puree.

 

The classic Shrimp in Olive Oil – head on and perfectly cooked.

 

But my very favorite dish of the evening – and one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life – were these Fried Baby Artichokes. These crispy babies were to-die-for – crunchy on the outside and so tender on the inside that they melted in my mouth. They were served with a classic and rich housemade Aioli.

 

You can figure that an average wait is about an hour if you’re just inside the Barrafina door. While you can grab appetizers while you wait, I highly recommend don’t over-doing it and probably best to only partake of a beverage so that you don’t fill up by the time you make it to the counter. After all, this is what you’ve been waiting for – and you want to savor your time at the counter. 

Barrafina also has a few pleasant sidewalk tables that are great for people-watching. However, on your first visit it’s ideal to sit at the counter and watch the cooking floor show. Barrafina also has restaurants in other London neighborhoods.

 

Ducksoup

 

Ducksoup was a find from the friendly local couple that I sat next to at the Barrafina counter the night before. They were also passionate about food, and we swapped recommendations. They raved about Ducksoup nearby in Soho, and I was so happy that I had taken them up on their recommendation.

 

After a half day tour of the London southside visiting the Borough Market and the White Cube gallery, I headed back to Soho with Ducksoup as my destination. Arriving mid-afternoon, Ducksoup was fairly empty, and cool eclectic tunes played on their house turntable. 

 

Staff was immediately friendly, and I grabbed a seat at their pleasant rustic wood counter. Ducksoup’s interior has a minimalist modern feel, and decidedly European. Flowers and fruit adorn the counter, wine bottles line the wall, and a changing chalkboard wine menu features interesting wines by the glass, including natural wine.

 

I was immediately enthralled by Ducksoup’s seasonal menu, with its abundance of housemade items. I started with the housemade Raspberry Soda that was tart and delicious.

 

I can never resist Burrata, and I began with a first course of this cheese appetizer soaking in Olive Oil and herbs and served with housemade Bread.

 

For my main dish I opted for the flakey and perfectly cooked Skate Wing topped with luscious Tomatoes, salty Capers, and fragrant fresh Sage.

 

Potatoes and fish are a no-brainer for me, so I required a side of the Roasted Potatoes dotted with chunks of Roasted Lemon Peel.

 

Ducksoup is open continuously in its cozy Soho digs. It has several counter seats surrounded by a few tables. And there is also upstairs dining. I really liked sitting at the counter. If you come for dinner, I would recommend making a reservation.

 

NOPI

 

I met up with a friend living in London, and we decided to meet for dinner in Soho. We had our sights set on NOPI, and lucked out with getting a weeknight reservation only four days advance. As Yotam Ottolenghi’s newest hot spot, NOPI is super popular so we were thrilled even to get seating at the downstairs communal tables. This turned out to be a pleasant turn of events as we liked the buzzy, communal vibe. While the ground floor table seating above is more classic table dining, downstairs is cozy, vibrant, and looks onto the bustling open kitchen.

 

Full disclosure: I was already a huge Ottolenghi fan long before I arrived in London. I own most of his cookbooks and love his sensibility of complex flavors with a focus on interesting vegetarian options. 

 

I had just been to Ottolenghi Spitalfields earlier in the week, and while it has the same focus on Mediterranean flavors, NOPI has its own style. I would venture to say that NOPI has a bit more of a fine dining sensibility, compared with a more casual style of the “Ottolenghi” spots.

We ordered a number of small plates to share, which emerged one at a time in delicious fashion.

 

As a fan of savory cheesecakes, the Blue Cheese Cheesecake topped with Beets and Micro Greens was obvious. It arrived in its own skillet, crunchy on the outside and creamy on this inside. We didn’t go wrong here.

 

Also delicious was the Roasted Eggplant with crunchy Broad Beans and Toasted Pine Nuts.

The gorgeous Filet of Sole was delicate and heavenly.

 

The Pan-seared Scallops plate was colorful, perfectly cooked, and delicious.

 

NOPI lives up to the hype, but definitely requires some advance planning. If you don’t yet know Ottolenghi, you will become a convert. If you want to be inspired check out the Instagram feeds of chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.