Riding House Cafe is an established London restaurant for a reason. Handily based in Oxford Circus, cosy but modern, and with an all-day menu that appeals to anyone at any time, it’s no wonder friends often suggest it for Sunday brunch or midweek breakfast meetings.
What I’d never had there, though, was dinner, so I was thrilled to go along and try the new 2019 menu. The updated menu has been put together by head chef Henry Omereye and offers the best of all worlds, from indulgent to healthy and from carnivorous to heavy on the veggies.
Sitting comfortably in cosy velvet orange banquettes, we survey the room: herringbone-wooden floor, warm overhead lighting in fringed fabric lampshades. Staff are friendly and attentive, there’s a buzzy, fun atmosphere, and the menu is excellent.
You can share starters like baked Camembert, but we opt for mackerel rillettes and a chopped salad with halloumi, well dressed and a perfect size.
When it comes to mains, vegetables are seasonal, meat and fish are both carefully sourced and hearty grains feature prominently. Classics such as kedgeree and beef wellington look great, but we both select fish; sea bass and blackened cod. They’re delicious and beautifully presented; the sea bass with lentils in particular. As for vegan options: the roast onion squash is proving popular.
We finish with a raspberry and white chocolate tart with just the right amount of sweetness, and if you’re after cocktails, you’ll be well served, too – Blood Moon, served short, has blood orange, tea, honey, lemon. Riding House Cafe is the perfect place to settle in and make a night of it.
43-51 Great Titchfield Street
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Charlotte is a London girl through and through. She sweats through spin and puffs through Pilates to justify trying the latest restaurants and devouring copious amounts of sweet potato fries, burrata and bread – preferably on holiday. Her favourite destinations include Italy, the Maldives and anywhere where the sun’s shining and there’s a strong breakfast buffet. She’s obsessed with walking, visiting farmers’ markets and reading. She’s also learning to cook. Wish her (and her husband) luck.
