Back in February I started Soho Lunch Club; the intention was a regular monthly feature on my blog where I visit a reasonably priced Soho eatery for lunch at the weekend. With my wedding and honeymoon, ‘getting in the way’ the feature some what petered out in May. But when myself, Melanie from Sunny in London and Mina from King’s Road Rocks decided to reunite for a weekend lunch, it seemed the perfect opportunity to revive my forgotten feature.
I suggested one of my favourite restaurants in Soho, Dean Street Townhouse.
The restaurant / hotel is part of the Soho House group, but unlike some of the other venues, you don’t have to be a member to eat there. And with it’s cosy velvet sofas, comfortable red banquettes and menu of British comfort food (potatoes and mince, fish and chips and even crumpets and jam!!), Dean Street Townhouse is a home away from home. Also despite its luxe roots and location, Dean Street isn’t super spendy and the Sunday Roast is great value for money at three courses for £28. Even better, the Afternoon Tea, which I’m still yet to try, is a bargain at £19.50.
The restaurant is even more special to me because Mr Silver and I had our third ever date there so I have happy memories of our early days shyly glancing across the table at each other and sharing a bottle of wine…
But today was a ladies lunch day and as usual we had so much to catch up on it took about an hour before we even looked at the menu! But vitally we hadn’t ordered any drinks…I had ‘the usual’…
Served in a gorgeously elegant coupe glass.
Mina sampled one of Dean Street’s delicious cocktails.
A French 75 with Bombay Sapphire, lemon, sugar and champagne.
And what’s more homely and comforting than freshly baked bread…
The waiter presented with a warm crusty loaf and a side of creamy butter, it had that gorgeous fresh baked aroma that makes bread irresistible. I mentioned in my wedding blog that smoked salmon is my comfort food so my choice of starter was clear…
I also have a penchant for pickled cucumber and this particular side dish reminded me of kosher or Jewish pickle which have the addition of dill. The flavour of the salmon was fab but you can see from the picture that it was a little dry though that didn’t affect my enjoyment.
Mina went for another favourite British dish, a posh egg on toast! Her duck egg had the perfect soft, runny yolk and was accompanied by girolle mushrooms and peas.
But the star of the show was clearly Melanie’s twice-baked haddock souffle topped with a decadent, creamy sauce.
My main course was another favourite of mine:
A butterflied seabass served with fennel and clams. The skin was perfectly crisp and the flesh flaked perfectly with just the right amount of oil.
Mina also went for a fish option with a crab, prawn and fennel salad that was deliciously light but filling due to the perfect combination of protein and delicate dressing.
Melanie stuck to her roots for a more American classic dish, a chicken, bacon and avocado salad, kind of a hybrid of a Cobb and Caesar salad. The light, summery dish was just what she needed to remind her of her hometown of Daytona in Florida while the clouds gathered outside reminding us that British summertime was well and truly at an end.
We were definitely suitably satisfied with our light yet comforting options and a round a coffees and chocolate truffles was the perfect way to finish things off.
When I meet Melanie and Mina, the day could easily stretch into afternoon tea, more cocktails and a late night taxi back. But with family at home to see at the weekend, we bid farewell with plans to see each other soon!
Dean Street Townhouse
69 – 71 Dean Street
London
W1D 4SE
0207 434 1775
