Making a change from their ongoing expansion of Chicken Shop and Dirty Burger, Soho House have a brand new restaurant coming to town.
Cafe Monico sees them reviving the name of a vintage restaurant that was originally set up in the area back in 1877 and which originally overlooked Piccadilly Circus. The new location (which may be where the original moved to - we couldn't dig that up) is a little further away on Shaftesbury Avenue. It's a street not currently overburdened with great restaurants, so the opening of Cafe Monico can only be a good thing.
Here's what we know so far:
- It'll be an 180 seater all-day restaurant
- The menu takes "inspiration from the Mediterranean Sea and serves rustic Italian and French favourites" . Expect a separate grill section (inc chicken paillard, pork chops, lamb cutlets, dover sole), as well as for pasta, eggs, shellfish and salumi.
- Breakfast will feature muffins, zucchini loafs, breads and pastries - all made in house
- There'll be an afternoon tea service with everything from fancy cakes and scones to more seasonal desserts such as blood orange cheesecake and treacle tart.
- There are five aperitif cocktails - all at £8 - ranging from Vermouth Service - made with Noilly Prat, frozen grapes, lemon oils and sparkling water to a Peach Bellini
- Every day will have a special dish of the day, starting with coq au vin on a Monday and finishing with a Sunday roast beef.
The key thing you'll really want to know is the involvement of former Le Cafe Anglais chef Rowley Leigh. Rowley joined Soho House as a consultant last year and was reported to be working on Cafe Monico. There's more than a big clue to that in the menu here which features Rowley's signature dish of parmesan custard with anchovy toast.
Cafe Monico opens 4 April 2016 at 39-45 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 6LA.
