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Electric in Soho - we Test Drive Soho Diner

Electric in Soho - we Test Drive Soho DinerWhat can you tell us about Soho Diner?

It's the Soho cousin of Notting Hill's Electric Diner, with a similar menu by US chef Brandon Soudikoff and is part of the Soho House group. You can expect plenty of American diner inspired "dirty" food.

Where is it?

Slap bang in the middle of Soho, on Old Compton Street, a few steps from Charing Cross Road.

If I'm meeting friends, where should we go for a drink first?

As with any restaurant in Soho, you're spoiled for choice. However, if you want a cocktail to kick the evening off with, then it's certainly worth heading along to Soho Diner to check out the cocktails on tap. Created at the beginning of each day, these include a cosmopolitan and negroni plus our personal favourite, the Ginger Collins. Great, strong cocktails that you don't have to wait an age for the barman to make and reasonably priced at £6 - if only more bars would take note.

And where should we sit?

It's a no booking restaurant, so wherever you can. We'd recommend the front part of the restaurant, though, which seems to be buzzier. Or sit right at the back if you want to stay out of the glare of the passing public. Food comes quickly, so tables become free fast if you're waiting.

And what should we order?

As its related to the Electric Diner, there are a few popular choices taken from that restaurant and added to a streamlined, one-page food and drinks menu. There is an emphasis on the more dirty food aspects here than at The Electric, something that fits in well with the area.

The notable things that have been carried over are the flat iron chicken (which we loved on our visit to Electric Diner) and the burger, originally based on a recipe from Soudikoff's Au Cheval in the states. The burger's as good as many of the best in town at the moment and well worth a try, from a presentation perspective too, with a knife skewering it (see the gallery below).  A new addition that we did try was the Philly cheese steak sandwich - a fine version too, particularly with the dipping sauce, and demolished far quicker than can have been good for us.

We also particularly recommend one of the smaller plates too, the honey fried chicken. These wings and drumsticks are so coated in honey that they're accompanied with napkins to help tidy yourselves up with after. It's also cheaper to try them here as opposed to Electric where it's a main course.

Portions are big here - something we were aware of going into dessert, sharing a banana split, which at £6, easily fed two of us. With dollops of cream and brownies it was a fine dessert for us greedy folk but would be pretty disastrous for anyone on even the vaguest of diets.

Note that dishes do arrive fast, so let them know if you want to slow things up a little (we think you'll definitely need a breather before dessert).

And drinks?

As well as the on-tap cocktails, there are standard cocktails for £8, decent beers on draft (£5 for a pint of Brooklyn's pretty good for central London) and a short wine list (five each of red and white) starts at £19 a bottle.

Overall...

Soho Diner will be an easy recommendation to anyone who's a fan of the original in Notting Hill. It does its pared back dirty food menu well and we're big fans of the ready made cocktails. Prices are pretty decent for the area too (it's noticeably cheaper than the Electric Diner) and given that it's a large room with a no booking policy, it's a good bet for grabbing a last-minute meal deep in the heart of Soho.

Soho Diner is at 19-21 Old Compton Street Soho London W1D 5JJ. Find out more about Soho Diner

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

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