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Sola

London, Soho - Californian / Global - Restaurant - ££££

Overall Rating: Very Good

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Very Good

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Exceptional

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Very Good

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Very Good

* Sola is now offering an individually priced carte in its new downstairs lounge area for those who want a glimpse of the full tasting menu.* Bang in the heart of the Soho action, amid the jostle of Dean Street, Victor Garvey's Sola (recently refurbished and extended) represents a highly personal take on contemporary North American food, but with a difference. While all the innovation and conceptual dash of modern technique is on show, there is a firm focus on delivering high-impact dishes in an accessible framework – not least for value. It is all too easy to dazzle when price is no object, but look at the £59 set lunch menu here, and then ask yourself: how does he do it? From the parade of astonishing canapés – including crisped-up belly of suckling pig topped with a huge cloud of jasmine foam, little rolls of pickled kohlrabi and apple cream – to the take-home pastiches of American candy bars, the intensity level never wavers. Ingredients are top...

* Sola is now offering an individually priced carte in its new downstairs lounge area for those who want a glimpse of the full tasting menu.*

Bang in the heart of the Soho action, amid the jostle of Dean Street, Victor Garvey's Sola (recently refurbished and extended) represents a highly personal take on contemporary North American food, but with a difference. While all the innovation and conceptual dash of modern technique is on show, there is a firm focus on delivering high-impact dishes in an accessible framework – not least for value. It is all too easy to dazzle when price is no object, but look at the £59 set lunch menu here, and then ask yourself: how does he do it? From the parade of astonishing canapés – including crisped-up belly of suckling pig topped with a huge cloud of jasmine foam, little rolls of pickled kohlrabi and apple cream – to the take-home pastiches of American candy bars, the intensity level never wavers. Ingredients are top-drawer throughout, as is the case with two large pieces of bluefin akami cut into neat, rectangular lozenges alongside a cylindrical sesame-dotted tuile made from soybean flour, stuffed to bursting with gorgeously fatty minced otoro. Striking accompaniments include a quenelle of super-light avocado mousse, cubes of ponzu jelly, burnt and raw spring onions, pickled shimeji mushrooms, edamame and a ponzu sauce with tapioca pearls. How can a main course top that? And yet... here comes pink-roasted squab breast with a gratin of artichoke and Emmental, crisp-fried artichoke, crisped pigeon skin and a parfait of foie gras encased in squid-ink gel, the whole dish held together by a gloriously savoury black-olive praline. Dessert might be as refreshingly light as Pink Lady apple with Calvados sorbet and sumac pastry, or as richly luscious as poached pear in caramel sauce with an almond financier and truffle ice cream. Only the wine offering, which is predominantly Californian, seems to limit the operation needlessly, offsetting the powerful appeal that the menu pricing exerts – a result of the transatlantic exchange rate. 

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VENUE DETAILS

64 Dean Street
Soho
W1D 4QQGB

020 3730 7883

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OTHER INFORMATION

Dog friendly, Credit card required

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