Tag Archives: soho

The Nadler, Soho

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My Sunday sleepovers at local London hotels are becoming more regular as I discover more and more promising establishments in my home town. Despite spending several evenings a week wandering the restaurant-packed streets of Soho, I have never noticed the Nadler before. Brilliantly located near to some of my favourite food outlets, the Nadler provides reasonably priced, stylish but simple accommodation for travellers wishing to stay in London’s most popular district.

Visitors to the Nadler are welcomed by the powerful sculpted angel overlooking the entrance. The venue seemed quiet and contemplative when we arrived late on a Sunday afternoon. After a speedy check-in, we zoomed up a few floors to our room – it was slick and swish, spacious and spotless. The room felt well thought through: a grand four-poster bed topped with a furry soft blanket instantly giving a luxurious feel to the room. A mini-kitchenette with microwave and sink, kettle, coffee machine was neatly concealed behind cupboard doors, it would be of great use for those choosing to create their own in-room dining. To accompany our stay, the Nadler team sweetly left champagne on ice, and Paul A Young chocolates.

The bathroom was large, classic and covered in marble, featuring all the necessary essentials. Gilchrist & Soames provide all the toiletries, his and hers sinks sat below a huge mirror, and there was a large bath-shower and plenty of soft towels. It was a lovely treat to indulge in the bath and then sit wrapped-up in a towelling robe to watch Sunday night TV on the huge flatscreen hanging above the end of the bed.

The Nadler decides its own rules. The lack of restaurant could limit the hotel, but fun alternatives are provided by the neighbouring eateries. Breakfast, for instance, is fetched for you (by Nadler staff) from Italian hit cafe Princi, and guests are encouraged to seek out dinner from the nearby establishments (we grabbed takeaway pizzas from the super boys at Pizza Pilgrims and treated ourselves to a pizza picnic in bed with glasses of bubbly).

This popular Soho hotel has four stars but our room was certainly deserving of five. With other branches in Kensington and Liverpool, the Nadler has a winning recipe for success.

More information and book here: www.thenadler.com/soho

Rum Kitchen, Carnaby Street

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Thanks to the resounding success of the first Notting Hill based branch, Rum Kitchen has recently opened a second venue among the boutiques of Kingly Court near Carnaby Street. The Caribbean inspired beach shack restaurant and cocktail bar serves up appetising food and fruity drinks. Many will know the original Rum Kitchen venue as a lively club, its regulars include Prince Harry and girlfriend Cressida. The food there however seems to have been forgotten. Carnaby Street is more central and certainly is more of a sit down eatery, though the fabulous drinks still very much have a presence.

The distressed coloured walls are reminiscent of a beach hut. It was strange visiting such a carefree and relaxed place on a weekday evening, I felt like I was escaping school to join in the rum fun. I assumed the cocktails in Rum Kitchen would be dependant on Caribbean rum, and this venue certainly has a generous selection, but I was pleased to discover that even without the crucial spirit the concoctions were extremely sweet, but naughtily delicious. From the Twist list we tried the Rumbustion (a take on a Pina Colada) and our preferred, Rubin Carter which was more similar to a typical rum punch.

I found the Roti and Choka very plain, even with the additional burnt tomato and garlic dip and a smoky aubergine dip. The Island Spiced Squid with scotch bonnet alioli was delicious: thick squid coated in lightly spiced crunchy coating and topped with zesty lime and slivers of chilli. The mains were much larger portions: epic Jerk Fried Chicken Burger and Chicken Thighs. The menu is quite limited and repetitive, but this seems to equate to quick and efficient service. The chicken burger was different to any other I’ve tried, very tasty and flavoursome meat with chilli jam and slaw on the side. The chicken thighs arrived with pineapple slaw which I found a little too odd to finish, rum jerk bbq ketchup and wonderful fine shoe-string onion rings. The fries, were unremarkable, but dusted with a nice spicy salt and served with chilli jam.

Rum Kitchen is great fun, perfect for a group outing. Caribbean is not my favourite cuisine, it can be rather limited and too sweet for savoury food, but Rum Kitchen is definitely worth a visit, the cocktails are addictive!

More information and book here: therumkitchen.com

Jackson & Rye, Soho

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Many restaurants in London try to emulate the vibe of NYC eateries. In my opinion few succeed, and there are a lot of cheap impressions around. Jackson & Rye however is effortlessly cool and comfortably casual with warm wooden interiors, a well-stocked bar and the dimmed cosy lighting of famous American hang-outs. This new Soho restaurant offers all day dining, ranging from hearty brunches to light lunches, delicious dinners and strong cocktails. I have visited twice now, for a long lazy breakfast meeting and later for an early evening supper. At night the bar becomes more popular and crowded as Soho’s streets fill, I preferred the carefree daytime atmosphere.

When I visited for dinner it felt like the whole of Soho was crowding into the restaurant desperate for some grilled meat. We managed to squeeze into a corner table for two, though the tables are so close together it felt like we were joining the next door couple for a meal! Abiding by dry January rules, I resisted ordering one of the cocktails the barmen were so efficiently shaking up at the counter behind me. After enduring a long walk in the pouring rain, my ballet shoes drenched on my feet and hair stuck to my face, I felt in need of something comforting and hot… Market soup with pumpkin spinach and ricotta ravioli was the perfect solution. It was a silky smooth soup, perhaps slightly too thin, but with the pleasant addition of the ravioli. The Crispy squid was rather thick and chewy for my liking but arrived with a delicious creamy chipotle mayonnaise that doubled up as a good sauce for chip dipping.

Jackson & Rye is at its best with the American classics. Buttermilk fried chicken is tender and satisfyingly tasty, coated in an abnormally thick crunchy crust. The steak was good too, a decent sized piece of meat accompanied by grilled shallot and watercress, a little overcooked but with a lovely rich flavour. Bearnaise sauce was the best of the sauce selection, peppercorn needed thickening and a touch more onion and the house sauce was too sweet for me. For fries, go for the shoestring, ultra thin and crispy, they easily beats the average standard sized variation.

It wouldn’t be a proper American meal without dessert, and the array of choices made a decision difficult. We eventually chose the Melting Chocolate Sundae with Butterscotch sauce which came highly recommended by our waitress. A spherical shiny object arrived, a ball of vanilla ice-cream encased in dark chocolate. You pour the sauce over yourself and watch the chocolate collapse inwards, creating a creamy melted mess. Yum.

Jackson & Rye is ideal for conquering those American food cravings, any time of day.

More information and book here: www.jacksonrye.com