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A bargain in Soho with Grillshack

A bargain in Soho with GrillshackWhat can you tell us about Grillshack?

It's the latest restaurant from London restaurateur Richard Caring. Perhaps best known for his Caprice Holdings restaurants like Scott's and 34 Caring also owns 30% of the Soho House group including Dirty Burger and Chicken Shop. This is his latest dude food concept - an affordable all-day grill restaurant in Soho (although expect this one to expand elsewhere too).

And there's something special about how you order?

Yes - there are lots of options that put control in the hands of the diners, but this does mean you pay in advance. Either by using the app or the in-store touch screen terminal you can order your meal and pay quickly, just telling them what table you're on. So there's no waiting for the bill, and you can easily add more food and drink if you want.

And who's it suitable for?

There are a few booths for up to six people, so it's a good choice if you want to grab a quick bite with friends. The clientele, being Soho, was pretty eclectic when we turned up plus the retro playlist will draw in a varied crowd. It's not somewhere to linger, though - Grillshack is more somewhere to pop in and fill up as part of an evening out. 

Where is it?

On Beak street, just a few steps down from the original Polpo, where Alphabet Bar used to be.

Where should I meet for a drink first?

There are plenty of options close by, from a Fernandez and Wells or Vinoteca both a few doors down if you're after wine, or there's always the downstairs bar at Bob Bob Ricard, which we love. And if you just fancy a pint, the Sun and 3 Cantons is a good bet.

And what should I order?

Given the prices on the menu, you could order pretty much everything and still pay far less than what you would in many other restaurants. So we tried the rump steak and shoestring fries - a flattened steak on a bed of fries, quite astonishingly good value at £9.95 in Soho, and perfectly cooked too - given that we imagine it could be easy to get a minute steak like this wrong. 

The half chicken was also good value at £7.95, as was the basic burger at £4.95 (adding cheese, bacon or a gluten free bun for an extra 75p each) - although we have to say the burger doesn't match up to its group stablemate at Dirty Burger.

If all that meat makes you feel like you should have at least some veg - make sure you get the grilled corn with chipotle butter and cheese, a must have at £2.50.

There's also a brief breakfast menu which looks like it'll be a major draw, with grilled sourdough for £1.75. Add eggs or bacon for an extra £1.50 - or buttermilk apple pancakes for £3.50.

And one final thought - definitely order the ice cream sandwich - you can split it if you've gorged on steak and burgers, but it's well worth having.

How about the drink?

The affordable prices continue to the drinks menu, with single choices of red (£3.00) white (£3.25) , rose (£3.50) or craft lager (£2.75). The wine comes in proper 175 ml measures too, not the rubbish 125ml that we've seen rather more than we'd like in London's restaurants recently.

Overall?

Grillshack will do well in Soho. The food is simple enough to pop in for a quick bite but combining well cooked food with a real focus on affordability is by far its main selling point. If it can keep up the quality as more punters come through the doors this should be another smash hit for Caring.

Grillshack is at 61–63 Beak Street London, W1F 9SL. Follow Grillshack on Twitter.

Prices were correct at time of writing. Hot Dinners was invited to try Grillshack

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