Celebrating one of London’s best-loved districts is Old Compton Brasserie serving up modern British food alongside cocktails created by The Talented Mr Fox.
The colourful bar and restaurant features pop art paintings of Soho celebrities and bespoke artwork from urban street artists including Anna Laurini, whose Picasso-esque characterful’Faces’ have become synonymous with the streets of Soho.
The seasonally-changing menu offers all-day brasserie style favourites, from breakfast through to dinner. Starters include burratina with rosemary marinated beetroot, kale pesto and grilled sourdough; kedgeree Scotch eggs; and steak tartare with caper berries.
For mains, there’s grilled hake and pea salad; truffle roast chicken with garlic potatoes and a classic ham, egg and chips – bacon chop with triple cooked chips and a fried egg. A large selection of vegan options is available including a meat-free’bacon and cheeseburger’ with vegan cheese, shiitake bacon, pickled cucumber and fries; alongside gnocchi with asparagus, wild mushrooms, butternut squash and truffle.
A cocktail menu has been curated by The Talented Mr Fox, the brainchild of acclaimed mixologist Matt Whiley and the man behind some of the world’s most imaginative cocktails.
Taking inspiration from some of Soho’s most notorious figures, quirky standouts include’The Paul Raymond,’ an ode to the’King of Soho,’ made with champagne, strawberry, white chocolate, and verjus, served in a faux fur jacket flute; and the’Regina Fong’, a homage to the 60s female cult impersonator on the London cabaret and gay venue circuit, made with Ciroc apple, pear purée, lemon juice and ginger ale, topped with black pear foam. Other inventive cocktails pay tribute to the likes of Ronnie Scott and Soho Pam.
The bohemian interior by Grapes Design features exposed brick walls, revealing the many layers of the building’s previous guises. whilst stained glass and hand painted murals provide splashes of colour.
Pop art of Soho socialites, such as Kate Moss and Twiggy, adorn the walls with quirky convex mirrors, originally from a Czech train station; and Parisian glass street lamps providing a cosmopolitan vibe in keeping with its location.
The ground floor is open and airy with a statement horseshoe bar taking centre stage to reflect the’always open’ and social nature of the brasserie whilst those that like to see and be seen should head for the’floating’ mezzanine floor overlooking all the action below.
36-38 Old Compton Street, Soho, London