Sola

US modern fine dining experience

 

Scombridae

Sola, the newish restaurant on Dean Street by Victor Garvey was an interesting one for me. I have no idea what is American modern fine dining, but judging from the menu, it just sounds so inviting with plenty of fusion elements and the use of top-grade ingredients, not to mention the dish visuals are stunning from what I could see online. I was scheduled to visit back in Christmas in 2020 but thanks to the 'C word', that did not happen in the end. Since then, Sola gained a Michelin star and to be honest, that wasn't a surprise for me. Given the positive reviews, the modern and creative fine dining approach, etc. Fast forward to the 2021 summer, I finally got the chance to see what is it all about.

Tomato, melon, buttermilk

Crab, pea, miso

Langoustine, Japnese whisky

Foie, mushroom, ginger, dashi

The best dish from the tasting menu for me was the tomato course with a killer tomato consomme, it was as light as you can get, with such beautiful fresh umami flavour that got my tastebud buzzing. I have eaten at some really high-level tomato dishes from top Michelin-starred restaurants from Spain and this one rival those in every way. Less impressive for me was a crab dish which came with a heavily rich Japanese miso. For me, the saltiness and bean taste of the miso was too strong, which overpowered the freshness and sweetness of the crab. The squab pigeon course contained morel and foie, a classic rich and earthy combination of which I was a big fan of it. The meat was really tender and well seasoned, and I enjoyed the use of pear and shiso which added a soft sweetness and peppery tone to balance off the dish wonderfully. 

Scallop, salsify, sunchoke

Pigeon, morel, pear

Lemon, yuzu, meringue

Panama geisha, chocolate, banana

Sola reminded me of Henrick Gin when it was first launch: Unusual but in a good and really interesting way. While not every single dish was a winner for me, it was overall very enjoyable and some of the dishes were really exceptional. I think the Michelin star status is totally deserved and I would for sure rank it as one of the better 1-star restaurants in London (too many overrated Michelin starred restaurants in London for me sadly). The service was also top-notch, the manager on the day was very charming and displayed some really nice personal touch when engaging with us, which is so rare these days so I am so glad to see top-level front-of-house staff is still a thing in London! 

Food 4/5

What I paid:
£220 with wine

Average cost without drinks and services:
£139 (Tasting menu)

64 Dean St, London W1D 4QQ

https://www.solasoho.com/