Regular readers of SilverSpoon will know that I’m a huge seafood lover…and my friends at Zomato know this too… after the restaurant review site gave me a voucher to top fish restaurant Randall & Aubin, I quickly booked in for lunch with my friend Alisha who works near by.
I’d been to Randall and Aubin several years ago for a dinner, and I remember having to queue to get in to the popular restaurant, but if you choose to go at lunch you can make a reservation and there’s no waiting time.
White tiles line the walls, patrons perch on wicker stools on high tables, it’s noisy, it’s cramped but it has that delicious vibrancy typical of Soho. Actually the restaurant was originally London’s first French butchers but when it was converted into a restaurant many of the original features were retained with the marble bars added to give a friendly communal dining feel.
The delicious smell of the rotisserie chicken turing on the spit fills your nostrils; it’s a place that is a feast for the senses with a fabulously lively atmosphere. With champagne lining the wall and the finest of products being used, it feels luxurious whilst be casual and fun.
Perching our stools Alisha and I checked out the menu, which is predominantly la poissons and fruit de la mer but also a few meat options such as the aforementioned chicken, lamb, pork and burgers. I always find it hard to choose my meal at a seafood restaurant, there are so many things that I like!
I really can never resist bread with a crust this crisp and creamy butter.
As I was also going out that night (#foodbloggersproblems) I decided to keep quite light and Alisha and I shared a starter of organic smoked salmon salad with buckwheat blini, endive salad and honey mustard dressing. The gorgeous fatty salmon definitely passed my rigorous salmon tests and I loved the soft little cocktail blinis that accompanied it.
Head Chef Ed Baines has created a menu that’s simple and classic, perfect for seafood lovers who want to order a selection of their favourites. Ed Baines was previously head chef at Daphne’s in South Kensington and following his success here he met business partner James Poulton and set up Randall & Aubin in 1996.
I chose chargrilled Cornish squid with chilli sauce and lemon-dressed rocket. The dish was perfectly prepared and not all chewy as squid can be.
The restaurant is also proud to have a highly eco-friendly approach and a commitment to sustainable fishing which is ensured with strong local partnerships and selection of the highest quality produce.
Alisha chose pan fried Scottish halibut with haricot beans, crispy seaweed, capers and garlic butter. Halibut isn’t my favourite fish as I think it can often be a little dry, but this dish was perfectly prepared with a light coating of butter to retain the succulence in the flesh.
I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to return to Randall & Aubin but a big thank you to Zomato for inspiring me to pop in. Randall & Aubin is a restaurant I would return to again and again and just eat my way through the menu in that cool and vibrant atmosphere.
Randall & Aubin
14 -16 Brewer Street
London
W1F 0SG
0207 278 4447
