#sohorestaurants

[onejamtart]

OJT EATS | Tacos El Pastor

The other day, we suddenly had a hankering for tacos and being near Picadilly Circus, we headed over to Tacos El Pastor on Brewer Street.  Having taken over the old Hix spot, the place has a decent amount of space upstairs but if you’re looking for a bit more of a buzzier feel to it, head downstairs to where the bar is.

That’s where we were sat and we were at the bar itself with a nice view of all of the bottles of tequila and mezcal.  We were only looking for a quick bite so started off with a few tacos.  These ones were the ones the restaurant are named for, the El Pastors.  24 hour marinated pork shoulder with pineapple and salsa.  We thought these were good but a little disappointing for the signature dish of this place.  They were definitely tasty and the pineapple and the pork did go really well together; it was just the pork was a tiny bit dry for my liking.

The other tacos we ordered were the chicken ones.  Made with chicken thigh and with onions, coriander and a really fresh salsa, these were much tastier than the el pastors in my opinion.  These were really impressive and possibly one of the best tacos I’ve had in a long time.

This may have been the best dish of the night.  It’s called the Gringa Quesadilla and was made up of al pastor pork ends, salsa morito and guacamole all wrapped in melted cheese on top of a flour tortilla.  The melted cheese was so good and the pork was in slightly bigger chunks than in the tacos.  I really enjoyed this dish.

For a side, we ordered the esquites.  This was a bowl of buttered corn, covered in cheese, mayo and jalapenos.  It had a little bit of a bite from the jalapenos but the corn itself was really nice and buttery.  Adding cheese to anything is always a good thing in my mind so it all came together as a cheese, creamy, slightly sweet side.

For dessert, we figured that with the esquites and the tortillas, we clearly hadn’t had enough corn yet so we went with the corn cake.  It was served with a ball of home made roasted corn ice cream which was delicious.  The ice cream had quite a sticky glutinous texture to it that I really liked.  The cake itself had a lovely crispy glaze to it and then the cake was fairly dense and had a slightly savoury taste to it but the main flavour you could taste was just corn.  It was a little like cornbread but a cakier texture.  A pretty ideal end to the meal.

As I mentioned, we were sat at the bar which meant that we had a pretty great view of all the bottles lined up on the shelves as well as this mezcaleria section.  We didn’t try any that night but mezcal is definitely getting more and more common in London and if you can find yourself a nice bar with a decent selection (very much like this one), I’d recommend you giving it a go.  For us, it’ll have to be next time though!

Tacos El Pastor, 66-70 Brewer Street, Soho, London, W1F 9UP

Cheers, JL

[theburgerlist]

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 | I spent my Valentine’s Day at @cevicheuk having some romantic raw fish. How did you spend yours? ❤️ After being the first ones in at 5pm it didn’t take long for the restaurant to get full, so that’s only a good sign, right? If I had to point out some dishes that I felt were responsible for this then straight away I’m shouting out the pork shambar. The pork belly super crispy crackling on top, with that layer of fat underneath that melts like butter. It sits on top of a green potato mash, which I went from thinking it was guacamole to mushy peas. I need to learn to read the menu. Another standout was the prawn tamale. It’s hard for me to describe, so all I can say is it’s a creamy, potato-like corn bed, with prawn and an Amarillo chilli cream. The crispy pork rolls were a cracking snack with a beautiful sweet rocoto red pepper dip, and the beef heart skewers where super tasty with a panca chilli marinade. The restaurant can get quite tight when busy, so if you feel anxious in busy confined spaces then try to find a quieter times, or maybe walk in and sit at the bar. I thought the food was v nice, I’d probably visit again to try some other dishes. . . . . . #ceviche #porkbelly #peruvianfood #tamale #tamales #soho #londonrestaurants #sohorestaurants #beefhearts #londonfood #londonfoodie (at CevicheUK) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8tawC_ngQv/?igshid=9zs12azpyi9e

[benlakelondon-blog]

Yauatcha Review: Dim Sum in the Heart of Soho

Before heading to dinner at Yauatcha, I made a stop at Alan Yau’s new Chinese-cum-Gastro Pub, Duck and Rice. The perfect place to visit at the end of a working day, it presents a long list of beers, ales and lagers from around the world. My gloriously cold pint was complimented with a bar snack of melt in your mouth warm Chilli & Shallot Cashew Nuts. The wait is well worth it, as they prepare them freshly for you. There are so many other exciting varieties of beer snacks on the menu that it would be easy to perch at the end of the bar and work your way through them all – I will have to save that one for another day.

After being given a tit-bit reminder of Alan Yau’s genius at Duck and Rice, I wondered to myself how Yauatcha had been doing since Alan Yau sold his shares in the Hakksan Group in 2008. My attention turned to the restaurant next door, and so did my taste buds, which were now jumping around to see what was in store for us. Now in its 12th year in London, Yauatcha still offers some of the best dim sum outside of China. Awarded a Michelin star in its first year, Yauatcha has proudly held the star ever since. Not only do they offer the finest dim sum, they also have row upon row of colourful macaroons that rival Ladurée and a patisserie full of sweet masterpieces including a Raspberry Delice, a Passion Fruit Mango Dome and Coffee Mascarpone amongst others. You have to see them to understand the skilled craftsmanship. Walk past the electric blue lit restaurant on an evening in Soho and you will be magnetized to the delights on display in the window.

I was with my guests – Oxford’s most well connected Concierge and one of the country's leading PR agents – fingers crossed the qualified chefs had their ‘A’ game on! The restaurant boasts two bars, one upstairs and one downstairs with an extensive and creative list of cocktails. The wine and champagne list is equally as impressive, it has been carefully prepared to compliment the Chinese cuisine.

As you would expect from a restaurant specializing in dim sum, the menu options are huge. We took the easy option and left it up to the waitress to choose for us. We were presented with rows of Prawn and Beancurd Cheung Fun, Pan Fried Turnip Cakes and Beef Shui Mai - all so delicately presented, incredibly fresh and filling the room with aromas, none more so than the Wagyu beef puffs. The “caviar of meat” packed inside a crisp pastry puff – an explosion of flavour and for me the highlight dish.

The food here can’t be faulted and they don’t do so badly on the ambience either. The main room as you walk into the restaurant is described as the contemporary tea-room. I am not so keen on the layout of this dining room. It lacks a certain “WOW” factor, that the exterior suggests, the fish tank looks a little too bare and the tinted blue lighting does not excite me. Hidden downstairs however, is a completely different environment. As soon as you enter from the staircase, you are transported to a type of superclub, black with a starry ceiling of bright specks, cherry blossoms dotted around the room and a signature blue fish tank. This is the room to be in to have the full experience of their vision. There is also a sectioned off bar on the ground floor which, too has a unique feel, ideal for those wanting a table reserved out the way for a romantic evening.

Finally, you will not be disappointed if you want to indulge in the Chinese tradition of eating dim sum with tea, as the restaurant offers over 40 options of Chinese tea and an expert Bar Manager in Eder Neto, to explain the different kinds. Yauatcha puts a unique perspective on the dim sum experience in London and definitely establishes itself as one of the best fine dining Chinese restaurants in town.

Depending on how much dim sum you would like, be prepared to pay between £4.40 - £12.80 per dish; wine starting from £29 per bottle; sake from £11.50 per carafe and tea from £3.80 per pot.

Address: 15-17 Broadwick St, London W1F 0DL / 020 7494 8888

yauatcha.com

With over 13 years experience in the Luxury Lifestyle and Concierge industry, Ben Lake, CTA is one of the most well connected individuals in London. For more information visit www.benlake.london