The new-look Quo Vadis. Bigger but not too big - and a hugely convivial space as a result.
Why are you returning to Quo Vadis now?
First, here's a little background. Quo Vadis has history going back to 1926. It had a notable period in the 90s under the auspices of Marco Pierre White and Damien Hirst, and was then bought by what is now the Harts Group back in 2008. Sam and Eddie Hart made the genius decision to bring in chef Jeremy Lee in 2012 which led to a proper comeback for the restaurant.
Then, 2016, the formerly large Quo Vadis restaurant was significantly cut down in size when a large proportion of it was taken to build what is now Barrafina on Soho's Dean Street. While the original Quo Vadis was maybe a little large and unwieldy, that revamp left the restaurant in a significantly compact form, seating only 20 diners (which we took a look at it here). The basic look of the restaurant remained similar, but there was no ignoring that the contrast to its former self was quite stark.
Fast forward to now and that's being all put to rights by a big refurb. These changes increase the size of the restaurant to a level that's much more befitting of a Soho institution.
So what's actually changed?
The reception area at Quo Vadis used to be pretty capacious. Now they've removed the famous revolving door, switching it out for something more traditional and compact (apparently the Groucho Club down the street has acquired the old door) and the space given over to the reception has been cut back. That in turn has let them expand the size of the restaurant significantly - actually doubling the seats to a much more convivial 40.
Here you can see the land grab that the restaurant has made from the former reception area.
The restaurant feels transformed as a result. Its new size means it's much more of a buzzy restaurant than before. Our Friday lunchtime visit with a near-full restaurant was full of the sounds of loud conversation. It's a room that now seems much more suited to the outgoing personality of its chef, Jeremy Lee.
But it's still Jeremy Lee in charge?
Jeremy Lee, one of London's truly great chefs, and his team are still in charge of the kitchen. As before, the menu changes regularly (dishes we'd seen on the menu only a few days earlier were already being switched out) and that menu remains one of the very best that London has to offer. Very British in origin, but with European flourishes, it really makes the most of the season and rewards repeat visits.
There are, however, some regulars on the menu that should be on your London restaurant bucket list.
First of all - the smoked eel sandwich.
The smoked eel sandwich (£14.50)
This sandwich recently made our list of the very best dishes in London and revisiting it on this visit, it still very much merits it's place there. Smoked eel fillet, mustard and horseradish are gently stuffed into sourdough that seems to have been fried in butter making this an absolute must-have. It's a dish that has truly earned the word "iconic".
Next up is the pie.
The Quo Vadis pie - a thing of beauty (£21.50)
Like any self-respecting British restaurant, there is always a pie on the menu at Quo Vadis. But this isn't any old pie - it's one of the very best in London, whatever form it takes. Always billed as "today's pie" (£21.50) you'll have to ask what the kitchen has cooked up for your visit. For ours, it was a guinea fowl, chicken and bacon pie inside the best crunchy suet crust we may ever have encountered. If it's your first visit to Quo Vadis, someone in your group must order the pie.
With those two out of the way - what you make with the rest of the menu depends on what's being cooked up that day. We've heard some very good things about the braised hare and mash (£32.50) but it was regrettably not available on our visit. It does, however, help to highlight that it's a great restaurant for game dishes, so you can't go wrong there - as evidenced by this special:
Baked marinated guinea fowl, polenta and grilled bitter leaves (£34.50)
We also had some pitch-perfect pork and duck rillettes (£12.50) and a special mention is deserved for their pommes frites - quite spectacularly crispy chips.
You will also need to leave room for their desserts. The Creme Caramel a L'orange (£10) was a wonderful version of one of our favourite desserts (not quite topping Bouchon Racine's but certainly coming close). The St Emilion Au Chocolat (£10) is another Jeremy Lee classic, so if you love chocolate desserts, make a beeline for that.
However, for us, this was the winner by quite some way:
Ile Flotante - with caramel, praline and custard (£10)
Ile Flotante is one of our trigger dishes - we just have to order it when we see it on the menu. This was a stellar version with the dreamiest of custards and shards of caramel on top of the soft meringue.
So what about the drink side of things?
Much as there's always a pie of the day, there's also an ever-changing aperitivo on the menu that it's certainly worth casting your eye over. For our visit, it was the Garibaldi:
The Garibaldi - blood orange and campari (£8)
That makes for a particularly good start to the meal, but any of the cocktails (All in the £13 region) are worth a look, from their vodka martinis to the negronis (they even have a yearly negroni championship at Quo Vadis).
Otherwise, a look through the wine list will find you a few bottles in the £30s (including a perfectly good muscadet 'sévre et maine' Melon de Bourgogne at £30), but the bulk of the list is in the £50-80 price point. A Loimer 2021 Grüner Veltliner from Kamptal (£58) was a pretty good match for everything we threw at it.
Overall thoughts
Jeremy Lee's cooking is as good as it's ever been. If you've yet to visit Quo Vadis, this revamp makes for the ideal opportunity to visit. If you're already a fan, it's a great reason to go back. In our humble opinion this latest revamp to Quo Vadis feels like it's correcting something of a wrong from when the restaurant was cut down in size six years ago. No longer too small or too big, this is very much the Mama Bear's porridge version of Quo Vadis - just right.
More about Quo Vadis
Where is it? 26-29 Dean St, London W1D 3LL
How to book: Book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @quovadissoho.
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Quo Vadis. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
Subscribe to be the first to get the news from Hot Dinners
