Old Tom & English

A mixed bag of a bar.
The waiting staff were really friendly, helpful, and knew their stuff.
Management was a different story. After not really engaging with the manager/​owner he was randomly rather aggressive and eventually threw our friends out. It was all a little random tbh. Without this I’d have probably given it three stars.
The cocktails were decent, but nothing really to write home about. The food was also a little hit and miss with the best thing being the homemade Parsley mayo.
Not sure I’d come back. The vibe is pretty cold. Like hanging out in a museum.

Very posh bar/​restaurant. I love that the front door barely has the sign on it — if you didn’t know the address of the place you’d never find it. The front door looks like a safe and you feel a bit like a spy entering! The hostess takes your coats and shopping bags, gives you a golden playing card instead of a number, and leads you downstairs to the restaurant. Fantastic cocktails in a cozy atmosphere. We had the Crash Landing and Old Tom’s Rhubarb Spritz.
The restaurant is meant to share plates — we had several options that were fantastic. I recommend the Deep Fried Artichoke Hearts, the 63° egg with Asparagus, the Pan-​fried King Scallops, Beef Onglet, and Crispy Pig Cheek. Great way to end our trip!

This Soho restaurant has been on my radar for a while, after a friend went late last year shortly after it first opened and highly recommended it. It’s completely underground, and is decked out in a swank modern interior and dim mood lighting. One key thing to note is that it is reservations only — you can’t just walk in. When I booked the day before, they had a lot of availability for a Friday evening, so it doesn’t seem hard to get a table. It also wasn’t clear to me how you could sit at the bar… there was only an option for booking a table, but maybe the bar is only for diners after they have finished their meal.
As for the food, we came for a late dinner after a few drinks, so weren’t up for a big meal. Luckily, it seems like most of the menu is small plates. I went for the deep fried popcorn cockles and the pan fried king scallops. I probably wouldn’t order the popcorn cockles again… they were quite small, basically smaller than Skittles, and there was only about a large handful’s worth of them. At that size, it was hard to distinguish much of a taste. On the other hand, the scallops were lovely and beautifully plated. It’s not a lot of food, but exactly what I wanted.
I think that this place is good for a glam night out, and I could also see it working well for a date. I was very happy having drinks here with just a few plates. It wasn’t super busy, nor very loud. This seems to be the effect of having a reservations only policy — you definitely get your space and privacy, which is a great contrast compared to the many cramped bars and restaurants in London.

A great spot and I cannot wait to come back!
The mysterious entrance is found on a Soho street corner, with a spangly gold door. Half expecting to enter speakeasy, I was actually greeted by the 70s skiing chalet style décor — sounds strange, but it works! There are lots of little pockets of tables within the restaurant and the place had a very intimate feel — great for dinner with friends or a more romantic night.
We started off with a few drinks at the bar — all created to perfection by the bartenders. The food is all for sharing, and every dish we had was delicious. I would particularly recommend the roasted guinea fowl (really succulent), the seabass and the beef.
The waiting staff were friendly and attentive and the barman’s recommendation for post dinner tipples were fantastic.
Highly recommend this restaurant and will definitely be back.

Wonderful bar and nibbles! I heard the design of the venue was something to see in and of itself — the soft seating, bar and lighting are notably one of the best I’ve seen in London.
The food was incredible — we had the mushroom/​egg/​crostini to start (the crostini really needs to be bigger please, but otherwise dish is heavenly), then the venison, scallops, and fat chips which were all superb.
I will definitely go again. This place is great for catching up with someone or perfect for a date.