Buzzing from the moment we arrived to the moment we left, it came as no surprise to us that Heddon Street Kitchen was so massively popular. We knew that being a central location in London’s vibrant Soho combined with the fact that it’s a Gordon Ramsey restaurant would have something to do with it.
But those two factors alone don’t stand as testament to how great our experience was here. The menu flavour pairings were complex and unique, and the service was spectacular. In fact, while the menu is the factor taking the cake for best on ground in our opinion, we’d like to make an honourable mention to the attentive, smiley and lovely staff who made our experience so much better. They seemed to float around loving their jobs – it makes so much of a difference when you can tell the staff are happy at their workplace.
The main reason for coming to Heddon Street Kitchen was actually so that we could try their brand new seasonal Belsazar Cocktail Menu. Just as suspected, the list was fun and summery, with a number of delicious (and dangerously more-ish) options up for offer. To ease into our dinner, we enjoyed the Belsazar Rose and Tonic, combining Belsazar Rose, Fever-Tree Light Tonic and a grapefruit slice. Throughout the night, we couldn’t help ourselves to a Belsazar Frose, which was just as perfectly icy and fresh as it sounds. Hellooo, summer at Heddon Street.
Starters included the Spicy Tuna Tartare, Steamed Mussels and the ‘Nduja Filled Gnocci. Mel’s favourite was the tartare, with wonton crisps and creme fraiche. This dish was so so creamy, showing just how tender the fish was, and the added spice gave it an extra kick. While tartare is normally is very light in flavour and style, the spice provided that nice, unique change.
Kristen’s favourite was the mussels with lemongrass, chilli, coriander and coconut milk. We almost didn’t order these, but we were so glad we did. I mean, we’re both big on mussels, let alone when you bring coconut milk into the mix! The coconut was yet another unique touch – one that we hadn’t tried on mussels before – and it simply made the dish a whole lot more flavoursome and summery. There were also no closed mussels which is a nice touch. Normally when we order mussels abroad, the plate comes with at least a few (if not, a lot) of closed ones that we can’t eat. Definitely make sure to order bread on the side if you want to mop up the rest of that saucy deliciousness.
For mains, the Fillet Steak was a big, fat slab of meat which Mel ordered as medium rare – a good pick for a cut this thick because she doesn’t really like bleeding but does like pink and soft with some of the juices flowing. It was salted just right and we particularly loved the way the sides were presented! Picture a little mushroom garden patch next to the steak, decorated with neon green season and small plump tomatoes.
We were so full by this point but we forced room for dessert, and could not decide between Sticky Toffee Pudding or Chocolate Fondant. Opting for the latter, we had no regrets. The serving had a lot more of the gooey melted chocolate inside than there was of the cake-y outside. While we personally prefer it with a little more cake and a little less goo ?, this dessert was rich and tasty all the same. And if that’s the only thing we can be picky about from our entire dinner at Heddon Street, well, that’s definitely a 10/10 from us.
