Arbutus

Well, I have to say the food I had were pretty impressive. Affordable Michelin one star restaurant. However, I was kept waiting on water, ordering food, and they forgot my dessert.
What I had:
Starter– Boudin noir ‘Christian Parra’, hen’s egg, burnt apple purée.
Personally, I am not a fan of black pudding. But I kinda like the combination of apple purée and black pudding. I like sweet and salt stuff mix together. The purée gives the dish with a fresh taste.
Main– Cornish cod, mousserons, runner beans, seaweed butter sauce.
The cod is nicely cooked. However, I found seaweed butter sauce a little salty for me. Overall, a great nice dish.
Finish– Classic custard tart.
I really enjoy this custard tart. I personally like sweet stuff. So, it is hard to give reviews on those.

Yesterday 4 of us tried the weekend set lunch menu at Arbutus, £20 for 2 courses, £24 for 3, plus service of course!
It was pretty easy to get a reservation, I only booked last Sunday and the restaurant wasn’t full. I don’t think this is a reflection of the food quality though, my food was absolutely delicious, and good portion sizes.
I had the black pudding to start, which was incredible. The best black pudding I’ve ever eaten and an Apple purée that had a hint of HP sauce about it. I tried the other starter which was cured salmon, it was so fresh and delicious.
My main was a fillet of cod, it was perfectly cooked, melt in the mouth. It came with greens and a seaweed butter sauce that was tangy and creamy. Everyone else had the pork belly which they really enjoyed although they thought it could have done with a sauce. The crackling was crispy though and they said the mash was amazing.
Finally the arbutus honey ice cream, which I loved. It wasn’t overly sweet, it had an almost bitter note which offset the creamy sweetness.
A really fantastic meal! The service was great and the restaurant has a lovely informal atmosphere. Plus we weren’t rushed.
It missed out on 5 stars because of the drinks selection. A Brewdog’s This Is Larger was listed at £6.50, but they didn’t have it. This meant we got the next best thing which was a bottle of Mikkeller for an eye watering £9.50! Ouch. Wine comes by the 250ml carafe with the cheapest being about £11. So if you plan to have a drink with lunch expect it to bump your bill up!
Even with that in mind I’ll still plan to go back to Arbutus soon.

Food was wonderful until a few hours later when I experienced horrible food poisoning from the beef with snails!

The food is amazing and the service spectacular! The potatoes au gratin are the best!

This meal was a step above from my previous visit: from all the dishes I have tasted, to the service and even the bread, it seems like Arbutus has progressed to a higher level. Forget the debate if this place is worth a Michelin star, the place might not have the finest presentation or creativity in its cooking, but the food is simply solid, using top ingredients with a great flavour combination.

I consider this the «poor cousin» of Wild Honey (same owner). The main ingredients of the dishes are often the same between the two restaurants, but the Arbutus version is generally less complex because it is probably prepared by a less seasoned chef. The biggest difference is in the quality of the waitstaff. Arbutus has the «B» or «C» team, and the «A» players are at Wild Honey. For about the same money, I would prefer to go to Wild Honey instead…

We managed to get a reservation at this Michelin starred establishment pretty last minute for a Saturday night, so perhaps that was the first sign that this wasn’t a restaurant that would blow me away. With that said though, it was pretty solid and I enjoyed almost all of the dishes we shared that night.
Among three people we ordered three apps and two mains:
— Grilled ox tongue
— Smoked salmon
— Warm pig’s head
— Slow roasted venison
— Sea bass
My favorites were the grilled ox tongue, pig head, and the sea bass. I would skip the smoked salmon since it honestly did not taste that different from the kind of prepackaged smoked salmon I can pick up from the grocery store. With that said though, everything was beautifully presented and service was very attentive.
It was a friends birthday as well, so they brought out a candle along with the desserts. Desserts were nothing to write home about but we shared a chocolate mouse and classic English custard tart.
The wine list wasn’t extensive but they had a broad selection at reasonable prices. A good option if you’re looking for a nice restaurant in the Soho area of London.

My uncle was visiting from out of town and so I booked this restaurant from my wish list. I was not disappointed.
The experience was very good overall. I wanted a place that had a seasonal menu with some different options that you cannot get everywhere. Check. A good small intimate setting to catch up and feel looked after. Check. A quality meal at a decent price. Check.
Everything I was looking for was well delivered on. I ordered the cornish cod and the others the partridge. The presentation was spot on and the taste well defined. It’s not a place for a massive plate of food but the food on the plate was delicious. Also, the menu options are not vast, but all very different. If you’re picky, I’d check the menu online before booking. The service was slow at times but very friendly otherwise. It’s not a cheap dinner but I would definitely recommend for a special dinner or if hosting a guest.

If I could give this a minus 100 I would! … Why so harsh?
Hmm… Because it’s a racist establishment that’s why! And I am not one to throw the race card around lightly either!
My sister and I went there for lunch about a week ago and we were greeted by a lovely receptionist who was so welcoming I almost tipped her. However that was it! After doing research online I found that our plates looked very different from other white diners who had the exact same dishes as us which was terribly disappointing as I had hoped to rave about this place to my colleagues.
Our food resembled pigs fodder and the waiters weren’t even willing to clear our plates! The manager spoke to me after I emailed informing him that I was disappointed in their primitive views and behaviour but all he could offer was a «maybe service was slow» … Really? And that’s why the while girl next to us had better looking plates?
Basically save your money if you’re of colour because it will go to a bunch of racist pigs!

Wine dinner with an executive at Corney and Barrow — you bet! We brought a special bottle of wine with us to share with a new friend that we had met on our previous trip to London.
Arbutus allows corkage so the bottle came with us to Arbutus. Arbutus has an eclectic but small wine list made up of wines from all over the world and offered both by the bottle as well as in 250 ml carafes. Prior to opening the bottle that we brought, we sampled a number of the wines offered by the restaurant including bacchus from the UK (cross between a Riesling and Silvaner), Spatsburgunder (German Pinot noir), South African Syrah (nice!), Lebanese cabernet (not so nice), and a Corsican red (undrinkable until we chilled it slightly). Many of the wines were pleasant and from regions to which we had little exposure.
I started with the English peas, broad beans, fresh sheep’s ricotta, rye breadcrumbs, Morrocan lemon. The size was small but packed with flavor. I have a special place in my heart for English peas and the accompanying ingredients were wonderful, especially the rye breadcrumbs… go figure. The octopus and the pug’s head were also enjoyed by our party.
For dinner, three of us had the Grilled piece of beef, Tropea onions, wand wild summer mushrooms, including me. We all ordered the beef medium rare and it was a little on the rare side but delicious. The mushrooms were of note as they had a very good flavor which complemented the meal.
For dessert, I indulged on the Arbutus honey ice cream, honeycomb. I don’t eat dessert often but this was well worth it. The accompanying «honeycomb» wasn’t just a honeycomb but had a wonderful lemony flavor with a crunchy texture.
Service was very attentive especially given the wine glass changes which accompanied every new carafe of wine. Ih, and the wine I brought: 2008 Realm Beckstoffer To Kalon cabernet… delicious and graciously served by the restaurant.

Four of us had a pre-​theatre menu at Arbutus for £25 fixed menu. The choices were limited and not great. Unfortunately, the service was really slow. We waited for quite some time our last course and for re-​fill of water. For a pre-​theatre menu, I would have expected service to be fast as we did have a show to catch. I felt like we needed to rush through dinner due to slow service.
–Ravioli of chicken and wild mushrooms, Italian greens– This was presented really nicely. It was good but not great. It was a tad spicy for me making my eyes water with certain bites.
–Slow cooked shoulder of Elwy Valley lamb, ‘navarin’, spring vegetables– The lamb was really tasty and tender. It didn’t have the unpleasant ‘lamb’ smell. The vegetables were crispy and yummy. However, I found the overall dish really salty!
– Rose water scented cheesecake, thyme roasted nectarines: I think was the best dish from what I tried. It was creamy yet light. The rose water was discreet and the nectarines were very yummy. However, we rushed through this course so I didn’t enjoy as much as I would have liked.
I wouldn’t go back for the pre-​theatre menu.

Four of us stopped by Arbutus for a pre-​theater indulgence and were frankly quite underwhelmed. At £25 the pre-​theatre menu seems like quite a good deal, but none of the options on the fixed menu were particularly stellar, and the food itself was not as impressive as we’d hoped. Moreover, the service was really slow, causing us to have to rush through dessert to make it to our show in time– very frustrating.
I tried the following:
–Ravioli of chicken and wild mushrooms, Italian greens– Okay but not fabulous, my friends found some large chunks of cardamom in their dishes which they really disliked. My plate wasn’t overspiced but it also unfortunately wasn’t particularly thrilling.
–Slow cooked shoulder of Elwy Valley lamb, ‘navarin’, spring vegetables– The lamb was incredibly tender and didn’t taste of lamb at all– it was really delicious. The vegetables complimented the lamb nicely.
–Olive oil and pistachio sponge, raspberries– Very nicely presented and quite tasty, although we were so rushed that we were not really able to fully enjoy the dessert.
All in all the meal was just fine, but certainly not of the caliber you would expect from a Michelin-​star restaurant. It is a shame when restaurants do not put as much effort into their prix-​fixe meals as their regular meals, because in a city full of amazing restaurants, one sub-​par meal is enough to make me never want or need to come back.

I discovered Arbutus in Soho several years ago and have dropped in for dinner any/​every time I come to London ever since; Because it’s amazing!
On this visit we tried to drop in for a late night bite to eat at the bar on Friday. Alas, they were far too busy to accommodate us. Luckily we were staying on in London for several more days, so I promised myself we’d try again before we left.
I prefer to sit at the bar and make a meal out of a couple of appetizers and salad (preferably shared with someone). Arbutus’ menu suits my preference very, very well. On Sunday night my girlfriend and I returned at opening time (5:30) to ensure ourselves a spot at the bar. We started with two house seasonal cocktails which were excellent. We then shared several appetizers: a Scallop Ceviche, followed by a Burrata Caprese, followed by a Smoked Eel and Poached Egg in a Pea Soup Purée. All three were a delight to the palate.
We finished our meal with a cheese platter («a small slice of everything please» — we had seated ourselves at the end of the bar next to the cheese board when we arrived… and this left our mouths watering for cheese the entire evening.) The cheeses were also amazing, and well complemented by a white wine recommended by the sommelier.
The staff (hostess, bartender, manager/​sommelier, and head chef, who happened to pop up to the bar for a cold drink) were all extremely friendly and masters of their craft.
I’m already looking forward to my next visit to London, and Arbutus.

If you ‘google’ the words ‘Arbutus’ and ‘Michelin star’ one of the results will be seeing a review that says «Arbutus is the worst Michelin-​star restaurant the reviewer has ever been to» and I too would have to admit that my dining experience here has been the worst performance I’ve seen from any Michelin star restaurant and frankly below par even when compared to non-​Michelin star establishments. Nothing majorly offensive occurred but then everything was undeniably underwhelming.
With the power of the Internet you can also discover that a news report from 2012 revealed that Arbutus was found by police to be harbouring illegal workers from India and Sri Lanka; just another distasteful aspect you would not expect from a Michelin-​star restaurant, and from what I could see from my recent visit, their choice of staff still remains quite disappointing. The service was slow, it took several attempts to catch the attention of any waiter/​waitress, one member of staff placed the cutlery on the wrong sides of the table and the waitress’ attention span seemed low as we were forced to repeat ourselves.
The decoration throughout the restaurant is quite plain with wooden furniture, wooden doors and wooden toilet-​seats. (On a side note, an annoying feature of the ladies’ toilet is that it is not clear whether the toilet is in use so you may find people trying to turn the door knob to your toilet as you’re doing your business.) The walls to the restaurant are painted a straightforward teal-​type colour and ornated with a string of black and white photographs. Overall the setting just seems contrived and the service reluctant.
You may expect that the quality of food would help counterbalance the other under-​ordinary aspects of the restaurant but unfortunately this was not to be. The tea is provided with a decanter which is nicely practical but then the tea itself is barely hot and the tea set plain white. I proceeded to have a selection from the pre-​theatre menu (£25 per head): the ‘Rillettes of smoked and cured salmon, radishes and toasted buckwheat’ was decent to look at but otherwise rather bland; the ‘Crisp Elwy Valley Lamb, spiced aubergine and Moroccan lemon’ sounds far more exotic than it actually is — the lamb was agreeable, the aubergine soft, the lemon indistinguishable and some spinach layered on top to add some more appearance with little taste (an ongoing theme of the cuisine it seemed). The ‘Early season raspberries, vanilla and meringue’ dessert I had without meringue and turned out to be a scoop of standard raspberry flavoured sorbet accompanied with three forlorn raspberries, some sort of jelly and a sprinkling of crumble — very simple and under normal circumstances would not be remarkable and yet this was still the best serving of the meal (which reflects the below-​average calibre of the food offered).
As I said before, although no one element of the dining experience was particularly offensive, as a whole it was not exactly pleasant, and certainly undeserving of a Michelin star.

Excellent value for money. Taken the girlfriend a few times and the food was always good. I know other people have had problems with the staff but when we’ve been they have always been pleasant and helpful.
Definitely worth a visit.

Service OK, though should smile more to customer.
Appetizers are really very good.
Mains are disappointing… as already written indeed… roast pork too chewy, dry and generally bland.
Left still hungry. Interesting but not worth the price…

A friend and I went for dinner. I ordered the duck egg with mushrooms for starter, then the sea bass for main.
Overall, food was solid. I really liked my starter — it was very flavourful and filling. However, I was a bit disappointed with my main. It was supposed to have come with truffles, but I couldn’t smell or taste the truffles at all, and the fish was pretty bland.
Service was, I must say, very slow. They are short-​staffed, I think, so they took forever to bring our bills.
Ambience was very cozy and sophisticated at the same time. Could be a nice place for an intimate date.

Cons: a bit pricey
Pros: everything else!!! Lovely and knowledgeable staff, excellent food, great wine list, original menu! What else do you want from a restaurant!!!
I was walking around Soho and was feeling a bit hungry. Went in, got a table for 2 straight away (on a Saturday night!!) even if it was quite busy. Looking at the menu — and giving in to temptation — i ended up having a 3 course meal and i enjoyed every mouthful of it :)
Bonus 1: nice hand wash and moisturiser in the toilets downstairs whilst you look at lovely 20’s style nude pictures
Bonus 2: menus are printed daily (the date is printed at the top). To me it’s a proof of freshness and good quality (and it showed in the food that was served to us)

Great experience. Service and food were excelent. Definitly a place to go for lunch or dinner.

I tried the crab cake for a starter which boasted a light texture complementing the nice crunchy crust. The sweet flavour of the crab came through in spades as well though I personally would have opted for a touch of heat — but that’s probably not in keeping with the British theme.
Next I moved onto the braised ox cheek which was one of the most succulent and decadent mains I’ve had in a long while. The ox cheek is served in a cast iron casserole dish in very generous portions — so much in fact that my dining companion couldn’t finish and I naturally took advantage to snag a bit more for myself. It was sticky and unctuous in all the right ways without being overwhelmingly rich. The side of buttery gratin and slightly charred spring onions was delicious on its own and paired well with the smokiness of the onions reflecting the same notes in the meat.
Desserts were a bit of a let down by comparison although to be fair we ignored the waiter’s suggestion of the friandes to try the «warm chocolate soup» and the cheesecake. While both were good, they seemed to lack that extra oomph that had characterised the meal. Lesson learned — trust the waiter over entertaining menu names!
Unfortunately, I can’t report first hand on the drinks menu as I was recovering slightly from a heavy weekend, although the fresh orange juice was delicious. I will comment quickly on the spirits as Arbutus has an excellent albeit eclectic selection of gins including FEW Aged Barrel Gin (which I’ve not seen outside of the US) and the first restaurant I’ve seen to stock the delicious Opihr Gin. The wine cellar looks well stocked too.
For £35, it’s very reasonable given the quality of the food and the upscale yet relaxed atmosphere. I can see why it has a Michelin star and I’ll definitely be back next time I need a place to catch up with a friend.

Very solid 4-​star. Good food, nice ambience, easy to get reservation.
I’m a fan of the décor. Elegant, posh in a low key way.
The food is consistently good. All the dishes are so nicely plated, and ingredients are always fresh. I love how they use local traditional English ingredients but cook in modern European style. My favourite is probably the partridge, and the rabbit was very tasty too. The chocolate fondant with salted caramel ice cream was amazing.
The selection of cocktail is also very good.
It’s one of my favourite dinner spots in Soho. Perfect for the evenings when you want to have a nice dinner but don’t feel like waiting in line or making reservations way ahead of time.

— Alors ça cher ami c’est vraiment un bon restaurant !
— Ah oui? Pourquoi ?
— Eh bin, tu vois, le plat arrive et ça t’a l’air tout à fait délicieux et en plus t’es venu avec un à priori positif, t’as été bien accueilli, et la tu gouttes…
— Et c’est bon quoi…
— Oui mais plus que ça, tu vois? C’est meilleur que ce que tu pensait que ça allait être (Burger maquereau couteaux) mais surtout c’est meilleur que ce que tu pensait que ça POUVAIT être (pâté de tête de cochon)
— Ah ouais d’accord …
— Tu vois ce que je veux dire ?
— Heu …, sinon t’es allé au ciné récemment?