As chef at Putney Bridge restaurant, Anthony Demetre proved that he could do the Michelin thing. He also worked out that it was not necessarily any sort of route to riches. (Nowadays those same premises trade as a branch of Thai Square).
In conjunction with Putney Bridge’s former maitre d’, Demetre is now back in the Soho kitchen where he once worked with one of the big names of the ’90s, Bruno Loubet.
The dining area has had a pleasant but quite economical revamp, creating a comfortable modern bistro, without any obvious theme. The menu, however, is French with a capital F, and – by London standards – of a very traditional and rustic variety. For example, one main course, pieds et paquets (that is tripe parcels and trotters) was last spotted on a menu by a well-travelled fellow diner 20 years ago.
You don’t have to like offal to eat well here – main courses include quite a lot of fish – but it does help, and some dishes are on the heavy side for metropolitan tastes. Overall, however, standards are high, and it is impossible not to be impressed by the effort that’s gone into making this a really interesting dining destination, while still keeping costs in check.
The spirit of this ‘offer’ – as they say in the trade – extends to the wines, with two dozen well-priced choices in each colour. All are available by the 250ml carafe at a negligible premium to the price by the bottle. (Similar – but sadly rare – logic is even applied to cheeses, priced at £2.50 each.)
For foodies on a budget – or people who just like their food and wine – Soho has just become a much more interesting destination.
