Dean Street Townhouse, if you hadn’t guessed, has a rather splendid location on Dean Street in Soho. It’s a hotel and restaurant owned by the Soho House group but you don’t have to be a member to enjoy either.
The dining room was a long and fairly narrow space and on our Thursday night visit for my sister’s birthday it was heaving; the bar along the left was full of people sipping on cocktails. It was a dark and noisy space with the candles on each table flickering away making for a romantic setting; the atmosphere was great.
Some house bread started proceedings and was really, really delicious. The two white bread rolls served warm and alongside salted butter were totally moreish.
To start I opted for the lamb sweetbreads and morels (mushrooms) on toast (£10). The sweetbreads were massive lumps of tender fatty loveliness and the addition of some peas provided freshness. The toast was smeared with something so sweet it was reminiscent of treacle which was utterly heavenly.
The girolle and leek tart (£8) was simply presented but tasted delightful. The crumbly butter pastry encased a creamy mushroom and leek filling which was rich and divine.
The twice baked smoked haddock soufflé (£9) was also a winner. Light and delicate with a creamy sauce and the perfect amount of fishy flavour; superb.
For main I opted for the lamb chops with spring vegetables (£18). The chops were thick and cooked to perfection. The fat around the edge of the chop had crisped up gloriously – crispy lamb fat is one of my favourite things! This was simple cooking at it’s finest.
The rib eye steak with chips and bearnaise (£26) was a generous chunk of meat – but then again it should be for 26 quid. It was cooked perfectly medium rare as requested and was a real belly pleaser.
The roast banham chicken with sage and onion stuffing (£17 for half) was a generous portion to say the least. A simple roast dinner it was, but a divine one at that. The chicken was moist and there was more than enough gravy to accompany it which is always a good thing. It was really lovely.
For dessert, my sherry trifle (£6.50) gave a real alcoholic thwack with every mouthful which I loved. The addition of meringues (not something I’d expect from a trifle) were most welcome and provided texture. I actually couldn’t finish it though as I was so stuffed!
The chocolate fondant (£6.50) was as decadent as you could hope for – total chocolatey bliss! The accompanying malt ice cream went some way to cut through the rich bitter chocolate and a little biscuit garnish added some crunch.
We really enjoyed our time at Dean Street Townhouse. It was the perfect place for a special occasion as it had a really buzzy atmosphere and the simple yet tasty food totally appealed to my parents who are slightly less adventurous than I – to say the least!
8/10
