Soho
boasts a wide range of different cuisines. From Yauatcha, concentrating on fine
Dim Sum and other Sino-Japanese dishes, through Barrafina's version of a tapas bar,
up to a few trendy Italian or French restaurants, you can find pretty much
anything of what you fancy in this lively area of downtown London. Real British
food, in the best tradition, can also be had in Soho, at Andrew Edmunds' for
instance.
Now, this
is not your everyday casual eatery. No, Andrew Edmunds is bizarrely, charmingly
eccentric. For starters, it is an annex to the owner's antique shop next door.
Being a wine collector, he gets rid of some of his bottles here. Ever fancied
drinking a Chave Hermitage with your pork belly? Here you can, with the 1997 on
offer at no more than £75! Harlan Estate from the same vintage costs £350,
which isn't even as much as the current release price! On a cheaper level, you
can still drink superbly, for instance with an '03 Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin
for no more than £40. If these prices seem outrageous to you, then you are
totally correct. No restaurant in the world (or at least London) will sell such
wines at such prices. There you have it, this alone would make Andrew Edmunds a
must visit for any serious wine drinker.
No restaurant in the world (or at least London) will sell such wines at such prices
However
there's more to the place than just the phenomenal, constantly evolving wine list.
The ambience is totally different from all those mediocre prefab chain eateries
that Soho now abounds with. The place feels like leftover from the 19th century
(in a very positive way!), or at least a movie set in that period. Ultimately,
though, Andrew Edmunds stands out from the crowd because of the food. Asked to
find a serious restaurant in London where a three-course dinner can be had for
£20, what comes to your mind? Not a lot, probably. Well, here you can eat for
minimally more than £20, and very decently too. Take the fishcakes, for
instance. Beautifully crisp on the outside, heart-warmingly creamy inside, they
may be simple but more than efficient and hardly onerous on the pocket at a
mere £12 (main course). A starter of eel with beetroot salad costs under a
fiver and is equally well prepared. For those coming in the autumn, there is
the chance of getting pretty affordable woodcock here too. This rare game bird
is roasted and served simply on toast. For the price charged here, other casual
eateries wouldn't give you more than a (stale) slice of bread and butter.
Clearly the
food is not perfect but this restaurant does not aspire to doing elaborate
Michelin-starred food. What it does best is basic British fare, prepared with
attention and good produce and sold at more than friendly prices. With the good
food paired with exquisite wines, you can hardly have a bad time here.
