Tag Archives: soho

Little Pitt, Soho

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I have always been a fan of Pitt Cue, the delicious wood-smoked meats concept from Tom Adams and Jamie Berger. So recently, while researching my new Cornwall book, I was very excited to learn about Coombeshead Farm in North Cornwall, the working farm (and new foodie retreat) which provides the meat for the Pitt Cue restaurants in London. Tom Adams spends the majority of his week on the farm rearing the Mangalitza pigs especially for the restaurants, which is important for the ‘farm to fork’ aspect of the company’s work. A few weeks ago I went along to the original Pitt Cue site in Soho, which has recently reopened as ‘Little Pitt’, to try out the meaty offerings.

little pitt soho

On a Friday lunchtime Little Pitt was heaving with Londoners working nearby rewarding themselves with a special, nearly-the-weekend gourmet lunch. We sat outside and let the kitchen take care of our order, which consisted of tasting almost everything on the menu!

Little Pitt

The tagline for the new concept here at Little Pitt is ‘Buns, Bourbon and Beer’, as they have an impressive and unique collection of each… but there is also so much more to try. Of the buns, we loved the Sausage & Kimchi, a huge bap filled with flavoursome pork and spicy homemade kimchi. Grilled Onglet is a luxurious option, served with wonderfully sweet onions. Bone marrow mash and grilled corn provide the ideal accompaniments to the meat… the corn is charred to perfection while the mash is creamy and rich with a dangerously good gravy.

Little Pitt

There are no puddings at Little Pitt so you can really indulge in the savoury dishes. I recommend trying a few of the extras. Caramel Chicken Thighs are an all-round hit, sticky sweet juicy chicken with a wonderfully crisp skin and Grilled Lamb Heart is a delicate dish, silky smooth meat coated in a lovely marinade.

Little Pitt will leave you seriously satisfied and stuffed. If I worked nearby I’d be in here every Friday lunchtime.

More information and book a table at Little Pitt here.

Yauatcha Signature Dim Sum Menu, Soho

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Yauatcha is a restaurant which suits every occasion. Stylish but fun, with reasonably priced Chinese cuisine of the highest standard. I recently went along to the original Soho branch to try the Signature Dim Sum menu, a feast of some of the most popular Yauatcha recipes.

Yauatcha Soho

As I now know, the Yauatcha menu makes it difficult to resist ordering one of everything. To avoid the lengthy process of choosing from the list of irresistable items, opt for the Signature dim sum menu, which has a nicely balanced selection pre-picked, to share as a table.

It includes:

Blue swimmer crab salad

Venison puff

Seafood dumpling soup

Poached Peking chicken dumpling

Har gau

Pork and prawn shui mai

Three style mushroom cheung fun

Fried chilli squid

Crispy aromatic duck 1/4

Chinese vegetables

Dessert

Yauatcha Soho

The joy of dim sum is that every mouthful is different, but when you find a dumpling that you really love, you just want to eat it again and again. From the signature menu my favourites were the rich and luxurious venison puff… velvety meat encased in a buttery pastry parcel and the slimy but moreish mushroom cheung fun which Yauatcha coat in the most delicious marinade.

Yauatcha SohoYauatcha Soho

Crispy duck is a classic Chinese dish which Yauatcha excel at. Their version has plenty of crispy skin and the pancakes are extra thin, avoiding a floury aftertaste in the mouth. At every Yauatcha restaurant they will provide you with three circular dishes of sauces, I like to keep the sweet chilli sauce for adding to my duck, for an extra spicy kick.

Yauatcha Soho

Vegetables feel very much like an afterthought, brought along to the table after a decadent feast of far more interesting dishes! I found the baby bak choi a little bland, though the fresh vegetables did give a palate cleansing effect after the rich meal.

Yauatcha SohoYauatcha SohoYauatcha Soho

The desserts are displayed immaculately in a beautiful cabinet which I always ogle at on the way in. It is worth saving space for these sugary works of art, or ask for a box of the colourful macarons to eat on the journey home.

More information and book a table at Yauatcha Soho here.

Polpo Brunch

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Russell Norman has taken the London restaurant scene by storm, and Polpo is his biggest success story. Now with nine branches found in London, Brighton and even Leeds, his relaxed Venetian cuisine is becoming more familiar across the country.

Polpo Soho brunch

This month Polpo launches the weekend brunch menu, available in all the venues from 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays. I visited the Soho restaurant to try out the new Italian dishes. Soho was quiet, despite the big Pride celebrations commencing later that day. We were the first at Polpo and I relished the opportunity to photograph the restaurant empty in the dappled morning light.

Polpo Soho brunch

I was tempted to indulge with a breakfast bellini, but was sensible and opted for a strong flat white and fresh orange juice to wake me up. The menu is brief but features unique morning dishes that I hadn’t seen elsewhere before. Brunch pizzetta with Italian salsiccia, wild mushroom, Parmesan and a soft egg is a must. Once you get over the fact that you are essentially eating pizza for breakfast, it will delight with a lovely combination of subtly seasoned thick salami with mushrooms and eggs on a flaky, freshly baked dough base. Wild garlic, mushrooms and ricotta on toasted sourdough was nice too, though the unsteady pile of mushrooms rather drowned the other flavours… I would have liked more toast and creamy ricotta.

Polpo also offer buttery pastries and granola, for a lighter continental breakfast. But if you fancy something sweet I recommend ordered the ricotta doughnuts and cinnamon sugar, the perfect sweet treat to finish your Venetian brunch.

More information on Polpo brunch menu and bookings here.