22/8/16 - updated with more details about the opening
The Queen's not the only notable 90th birthday this year, as venerable Soho institution Quo Vadis is getting ready to celebrate its own 90th anniversary. And it's doing it with some BIG changes.
The first change is downstairs - where the main restaurant is moving into the bar space (which used to be the dining room). That'll now seat 25, serving Jeremy Lee's seasonal fair and they'll be bringing Oysters back to the table too. Planned for the menu are:
- Kickshaws, filled with wild rabbit and herbs (£5.50)
- Parmesan briks for dipping into roast pumpkin, spinach and green tomato purées (£8.50).
- Crab soup with rouille and croutons (£9)
- Chickpea pancake with spiced chickpeas, grilled vegetables, mint & yoghurt (£17.50)
- Pear, ginger and almond tart with lemon and ginger custard, ice cream and cream (£9.50)
- Agen prune, stuffed with house-made marzipan and dipped into Cru Virugna chocolate (£4)
They'll have their grouse dish when they come back too - that's "Grouse & Co" with bread sauce, game chips, house jams and jellies and croutons made with Harts Manzanilla sherry (£26-£28).
And taking over the space left on the ground floor is none-other than Barrafina. That's because the original Barrafina is tragically losing its original home due to a redevelopment plan. We're yet to find out when that will close, but if you have a soft spot for the location - get queuing now.
That's not all that's planned for Quo Vadis, though, as club members get something new too. Part of the first floor is being converted into a proper members' restaurant, seating 26 - with Jeremy Lee behind the menu for this and the downstairs Quo Vadis. And they've created the "Soho Tapestry" as a backdrop for the restaurant by Quo Vadis’ resident artist, John Broadley. The rest of the floor will still have two bars, and the whole floor has had a complete refit. Upstairs, there's a new library bar, which will apparently have "a more electronic musical focus".
We'll add more info on the changes as soon as we get it.
Quo Vadis is at 26-29 Dean St, London W1D 3LL. It will have a grand reopening on 12 September. For the latest info, follow them on Twitter @QuoVadisSoho.
