As food is a huge part of our lives, we should all make the most to enjoy and devour it as much as we can. Plus I love eating and trying new things!
I was lucky enough to be taken to the Smoking Goat in Soho, London earlier on this week. Smoking Goat ranked 55 in the National Restaurant Awards for 2016, so I was very excited to go there to say the least!
This restaurant may rank in the top restaurants in the UK, but don’t go in expecting Michelin star style decor, Smoking Goat is a very casual and understated environment that produces great food from small production farmers and fishermen.
Hidden very nicely down Denmark Street, Soho, you would walk straight past it if you didn’t know you were looking for it. I walk down Denmark Street on a weekly basis to meet up with one of my agency’s for our weekly meeting, and I have never noticed the restaurant before.
Upon arrival we were seated by the door which was lovely and ordered a drink, some of the team had arrived before me and had ordered a spin on a gin and tonic, with white port instead. I love a gin and tonic so though that I would give this a try! With the white port drink arriving (which is actually really nice!) we ordered food, ordering a few small plates, choosing a main each, I chose the Bavette with Lemongrass and Chilli and the Smoked Goat Shoulder to share. As expected with somewhere like this, the food is freshly cooked so arrives once it has been cooked. I know some people aren’t a fan of this style but that’s why it’s good to order several plates so that you’re always eating even if someone else’s main arrives before yours.
My bavette arrived before anyone else’s food, so I got stuck in eating, and the bavette with the chilli was absolutely lovely. The chilli gave a really nice kick and the bavette was cooked very well, just slightly tough in places, plus the sauce that this came in was perfect with the sticky rice. We also had the chilli chicken wings, papaya salad and the pork belly on the table, although the pork was gone before I had a chance to try!
Finally just after we had finished the majority of our food, the sharing Smoked Goat Shoulder was bought over to our table, it looked absolutely amazing. The goat literally fell off the bone and just melted in your mouth, you almost didn’t need to chew, the goat had been smoked beautifully too. The dish I would recommend if you visit, however it is a sharer so would need to eat with a few people.
Overall, a beautifully understated restaurant that clearly makes very good food, that I would suggest you try when you are next in the area.
The Bean in the Travelling Pants 