The new Soho Bubala is much bigger, brighter and with a big open kitchen at the back
What can you tell us about Bubala?
Bubala features food that takes its inspiration from across the Middle East. They originally started life as a pop-up before launching their first restaurant Spitalfields in 2019 and were immediately hugely popular - so much so that Hot Dinners readers voted it their favourite new restaurant of that year. It's also an entirely vegetarian experience and although it's something of a cliché, it very much falls into the camp of being so good that omnivores won't miss the meat or fish.
So where's this new Bubala?
It's taken over the space that was the old Vasco & Piero (itself now moved elsewhere in Soho). It's much larger than the original Bubala and has the added extra of a fully open kitchen at the back of the room. It's also got a bright and stripped-back aesthetic - overall, a lovely room. And on top of that, they also have space for a private dining room downstairs (that'll be coming later).
Where should we go for a drink before/after?
As we're in Soho, there are a lot of choices so we'll go for the absolute closest. With that in mind, your best bets are Antidote for wine in Carnaby or Abajo for cocktails and numerous nearby pubs. At Bubala itself, there is a bar space but it's primarily for counter dining.
Where should we sit?
Unlike with the Spitalfields restaurant, many of the tables here can be pushed together to make room for much larger groups, even if you're not in the private dining room. Otherwise, all the tables are pretty equal, but if you're solo dining or there are just two of you, definitely consider the bar.
So - what's on the menu?
If you've managed to make the trip to Spitalfields before, the menu here is both familiar and new. You'll see old favourites (some with new twists) as well as a lot of new dishes that have just been created for Soho. If you're new to all this, it's a combination of small-medium plates, meant for sharing. We'd strongly advise ordering in batches when you're ready (bearing in mind any table-turning time limit) to avoid too much arriving at once.
At the moment, there's an a la carte menu, although the original restaurant has a "Bubala Knows Best" set menu for the evening, so that might come into play later.
We went in on one of their preview nights and here's what we had. We've also highlighted where any of the dishes are vegan.
First off, you'll want to order some bread and dips. This spread includes their laffa flatbread (£3), pita (£3.50 and AMAZING), Challah (£3) and then front to back on the left - baba ganoush with curry leaf oil and pine nuts (£7), Grapefruit ezme, tahini, pomegranate molasses (£7, vegan), Maitake mushroom & baharat butter, barberry jam (£10). The mushroom dish is new and an absolute must.
There are skewers too, some new for Soho. These are (front to back and all vegan) Charred oyster mushroom skewers, tamari, coriander seed, agave (£4), Leeks & amba (£4) and Chinese cabbage, preserved lime & cardamom (£4)
Corn ribs, black garlic pilpelchuma (£7.50, vegan)
Falafel, tahini, amba, sumac onions (£7.50, vegan)
Halloumi, chamomile & fennel honey (£11) - a Bubala classic which if you haven't yet had, definitely order. Much like the...
...confit potato latkes and toum (£6). There is another (vegan) potato dish on the menu too (that we didn't manage to have) - that's smashed Cornish mids, silken tofu, smoked harrissa salsa macha (£8)
Cauliflower, bkeila, tomato, yoghurt (£15)
Vesuvio tomato, mango, tamarind & cumin (£8, vegan) - probably our favourite dish of the night. A simple tomato salad is surprisingly hard to get just right - but this does it with aplomb.
What about dessert?
Dessert is on a separate tiny menu - so be minded that you should consider saving room for one of these...
The baklava semifreddo (£8.50)
Coconut and tahini fudge (£4, vegan)
What about drinks?
There's a slightly bigger wine list than Spitalfields. The focus (although not exclusively) is on small wineries in France, Italy and Spain but we did have an excellent Christina Gruner Veltliner, at £40. Wines start at £30 a bottle - not bad for Soho.
As for cocktails, Bubala cocktails have always been a strong part of their offering and the same goes in the Soho restaurant. On our visit the following was particularly good:
Rhubarb Highball (Escubac, vodka, lemon juice, rhubarb bitters & rhubarb syrup, £11) - and yes, there's a really strong rhubarb hit to this. On our visit, the blood orange margarita (£12) was also excellent.
Overall thoughts
The original Bubala was a hit with Hot Dinners readers and we think this one will be too. The menu is as great as we remember from Spitalfields (particularly that bread!) and it feels right at home in Soho, offering something new to the area. Well worth a visit.
More about Bubala
Where is it? 15 Poland Street, London W1F 8PR
How to book: Book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @bubala_london.
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