Quo Vadis: Jeremy Lee Has Gone to Soho

Jeremy, where are you going?

Much respected chef Jeremy Lee of Blueprint Cafe has relocated from South of the river to the bustling quarter of Soho. A historic building of Quo Vadis, which once contained Karl Marx and Marco Pierre White and now also operates as a private member’s club, will set a new era for Lee. To go with the new chef was the new look. The revolving door at Quo Vadis led way to many box-fuls of very fragrant oranges and lemons. The bar was a modern mishmash of refreshingly green potted plant and dark brown wooden tables. A walk in a park? A walk in a Mediterranean orchard? Your call. My call? While waiting to be seated.. I called.. for an orange juice.

A touch of orange..

I have had many encounters with orange juice. Many ended disastrously… dilluted, polluted, you name it! The Quo Vadis orange juice was, however, perfuming and intense. It’s this clean taste that made me shun wine. The menu (yes I was there for food not juice) came in a stained-glass-like format (to emulate the stained glass front perhaps?) which was not that easy to read through. There were mini rectangular sections for “Bites”, “Oysters”, “Today’s Pie” and “Grill”. The larger boxes were for the conjoined sections of starters (£6 approx) and mains (£17 approx) and the reasonably priced “Theatre Set” (£20 for 3 courses). But before my order arrived…

there

was

a

long

loonnnggg

loooonnnnggg

loooooonnngggg

llloooooonnnngnggggg waiting time.

One of those creases they will soon iron out. Surely. Personally it did not irritate me. I didn’t have to rush anywhere; the room was pleasant enough; and when the dishes started to make their appearance (finally!!) they were all scrumptious. Baked Salsify & Parmesan (£3.50) was wrapped and baked in a thin pastry and served as if Turkish boreks. The sweet bitterness of the salsify went well with the nutty saltiness of the Parmesan, while the texture contrast between the velvety roots and the crispy pastry skin was heavenly. This reasonably priced “Bites” dish was also big enough to be a starter. Salt Mallard & Pickled Prunes (£6) was lovely. The mallard retained moisture and mild feisty-ness, which was nicely interjected by the peppery-ness of the watercress, though I found the prunes a little too sweet to be tagged “pickled”. The mains of Grilled Pork Liver, Bacon & Sage (£14) was portioned into four skewers sans garnish and verged on being too tiny for a main. I enjoyed the sage-infused oil, the bacon-rendered fat and the liver-y forte. However, the bacon that formed the skin for the liver was unforgivingly burnt. The side of Orange & Fennel Salad (£5.50) set the meal on track. Like the orange juice, these discs of oranges were full of zing and citrus-y goodness and were perfect companions with the aromatic, lightly dressed fennel slivers.

Desserts?

I went for another orange combo. Campari, Pomegranate & Orange Sorbet (£5.5) looked a bit like pink boobies and boast a refined texture. The bitter alcoholic kick was strong. It took a few second for the citrus-y acidity to come through. A good dish, nonetheless. I also opted for a third glass of orange juice instead of tea.

All was well. The restaurant did comp me the salad as an apology for the long waiting time. While I didn’t fall in love head over heels with Quo Vadis, I think Jeremy Lee does make the place exuberant and exciting. And it won’t take me….

far

toooo

loonnnngggg

to return

GO FOR: Minimalism. Light flavours. And oranges..
RATING: 4/5

(read about rating here)

QUO VADIS

29 Dean Street
London
W1D 3LL

Tel. 020 7437 9585
www.quovadissoho.co.uk