Arbutus

alexthepink

Great value fine dining 14th September 2008

3 found this helpful

Arbutus serves delicious bistro fare and is relatively inexpensive for a Michelin starred restaurant. All wines are served by the carafe (1/3 of a bottle), which means you can sample different wines with each course without being limited in your choice. There's no foie gras or other expensive ingredients, instead the cheaper cuts are cooked exquisitely.
Our waitress was lovely, the food was to die for and the atmosphere was buzzy without being too loud. We will definitely be back...

ProfMagellan

Delicious food in buzzy setting 3rd September 2008

3 found this helpful

An arbutusuneto is a strawberry tree and there used to be one on Soho Square. Today, Soho Square is not populated by exotic flora and fauna so much as by young advertising types sporting their blackberries as though their lives depended on them (perhaps if they work for Martin Sorrell they do?).
Arbutus opened about two years ago to warm reviews
but this was my first visit. My guest was a true foodie
who at one time operated a successful catering business and has trained with some of the UK's leading chefs.
She had squid and mackerel burger (as recommended by AA Gill) and a pollock (I do not jest) whilst I opted for
a beef consomme and a summer risotto of vegetables presented in a lovely copper pan (see photo). The pollock, so my guest claimed, was from Cornwall.
We shared the chocolate soup desert (a thick warm chocolate dish served with ice cream - see photo) and shared half a carafe of sauvignon blanc.
Our waiter was from France and he was excellent - a real professional. The front of house was good too - not hint of the snootiness so often found in trendy London venues.
We both enjoyed our food enormously. Helpings were generous. The menu was excellent and wide-ranging.
The setting modern but not oppressively so.
Arbutus' pricing by London standards was fair.
Recommended.

Weeboo

Good choice for a business lunch 28th August 2008

0 found this helpful

I've been going to this restaurant for a couple of years now and it has never disappointed food-wise. There is a nice mixture of dishes on the menu. Their fish dishes are fantastic...better than some of the big-name fish restaurants I've dined at. In particular, they do a mean Dorset crab which I've had on several occasions. My boss can recommend the risotto *grin*.

In terms of the surroundings, Arbutus is the atypical pokey Soho restaurant. Undoubtedly stylish, but a bit of a squeeze when busy.

If you're looking to book a business lunch in Soho for the boss, this is a solid choice.

amandaharrison

14th August 2008

1 found this helpful

I liked it, but the acoustics make it difficult to hear and the layout is cramped. Also, when we went, the waiter a) got my order wrong b) managed to put his thumb in my friend's water then ignored the fact that he'd done it much to our hilarity. The management fixed the fact that he'd got my order wrong (maybe writing it down would have helped) by waiving the cost of it.

Niamheen

Cosy and modern - a real treat 13th August 2008

6 found this helpful

A friend visited recently from Australia, and they had one request for me, pick somewhere really good for lunch. Now really good means different things to different people, and from my friend Pete it unnerved me. He knows food and lives in a city renowned for it (Sydney).

It didn't help that I had only a couple of days to organise it, I was sure that anywhere that I wanted would be booked up. I had heard good things about Arbutus and was keen to try it, so, whilst walking past I wandered in, expecting a polite and maybe slightly annoyed sorry-but-you're-way-too-late style of response. I was greeted warmly and told we could have lunch at the bar. Hurrah!

There's a great lunch time offer but we decided to go a la carte. We started with pea and english acorn fed ham soup, light and delicious and salmon ceviche with horseradish cream which was light, delicate and a pleasure to eat. For main course we had broad bean and pea risotto which was extremely well received and I had the line caught pollock with crushed new potatoes and cornish cockles. Very, very good but the salmon starter was the star of the show. We had no room for desserts but we persevered anyway, to my great shame I can't remember what they were!

It's a lovely spot, with great food and ambience, I want to go again and recommend that you do too.

bellaphon

Arbutus 13th August 2008

3 found this helpful

Lunch with my daughter today. What an absolute pleasure; surefire food, surefire waiting staff (this is one of the few places where the 12.5% service charge is fully justified.) and surefire ambience. Her 3 courses at £15.50 of field mushroom soup, caillette of pork (faggot by any other name) and Floating Island pudding were an absolute triumph and bargain to boot. My starter of squid and mackerel 'burger'was a perfectly judged concept as was my mains of pollock with Cornish cockles. The portions were more than perfectly adequate, I'm still quite full as I'm typing this review at 8.30pm.

Well done Arbutus, a surefire triumph. Wild Honey next.

Busi_78

Fab 7th August 2008

3 found this helpful

been there a few times and really can't fault it. A fantastic place to go to with friends. The food's great, undemanding and the wines are fabulous. The carafe option allows you to try wines you wouldn't ordinarily and the clientele is laid back, the last time we were there we ended up chatting to the couple on the next table,great laugh. I suppose it would be a drawback that the tables are so close together for a romantic meal. Also the cheese seemed to be an afterthought, no chutneys or fancy biccies. Other than that, really pleasant and affordable.

topruss

Stunnig 23rd June 2008

0 found this helpful

Loved it all..... the food , decor and the friendliest staff ever. Been many times and gets better each time

gastro1

Superb cuisine using inexpensive ingredients 14th June 2008

1 found this helpful

I have had outstanding Bouillabaise and Cassoullet in Arbutus as well as some dodgy starters made from curios parts of animals.

On the whole though the food is excellent and good value and the philosophy seems to be to keep it affordable by using inexpensive ingredients.

One of the better restaurants in Soho.

subterranean at 20/06/08

Indeed - I've been on several occasions and never disappointed. You should also check out Wild Honey also owned by Smith & Demetre (now sporting it's first Michelin Star).

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Browners

Ah, but it's so good! 24th February 2008

3 found this helpful

When I heard Miles was coming to London I immediately started thinking of a suitable restaurant. It needed to be somewhere in the West End. Somewhere with British food, a lively atmosphere and a good atmosphere. Having loved Wild Honey it seemed a natural choice to opt for Arbutus.

Cowie checked the menu and predicted that I would chose scallops, pork belly and then the custard tart! This was disastrous because it was exactly what I wanted, but I couldn't possibly just fall into line! So I chose differently. And I'm glad I did!

My porchetta with apple sauce and cress wasn't what I was expecting; very thin slices of roast pork with a warm apple sauce and peppery leaves. Miles had some poached salmon that had been caressed onto his plate and very delicately cooked. It was as soft and moist as it was rich and pink. A stunning work of art on the plate.

My rabbit was moist, gamey, soft and very interesting. It came with a confit of rabbit shoulder casoulet with a truffle mashed potato topping. Quite a mouthful to type let alone eat. It was stunning. A rich, warming friend for my rabbit. The fact that I forgot about it until I finished my rabbit just made it taste even better!

Miles has a sensational looking shin of veal. The sauce shimmered and blinked like a celebrity at the Oscars. It was deep, comforting and beautifully presented.

Miles finished with a rhibarb jelly and I rather greedily couldn't resist the chocolate soup which was, as you might expect, pretty rich! The rhibarb on the other hand was light and sparkling with flavour.

We loved the atmosphere, which had a very lively vibe. Loads of 20 and 30 somethings having fun after work. Prices aren't too horific and the wine list is both fun and accessible given their caraffe policy. I'm looking forward to finding another excuse to come here!