Grill hype
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| Scallops, bacon, malt vinegar |
There are many high-profile restaurant/pub openings in London in 2023, but perhaps The Devonshire is the one that seems to be getting the most hype, with media coverage coming out left and right even before it opened, and now fast becoming a dining destination, and almost impossible to secure a booking. The main reason down to the reputation of its 3 founders, from a 2 Michelin-starred chef, a successful steak chain owner to a pub landlord who already created a gastropub with a cult following. The Devonshire itself spit across 3 floors, with the top 2 floors housing its grill restaurant, with most items cooked over a custom-made wood fire griller.
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| Iberico pork ribs |
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| Iberico pork chop |
I went at its first week of opening and ordered 5 dishes to share between 2, the roasted scallops were cooked perfectly, super soft with a buttery-like texture, and the bacon and vinegar combo acted like a magic seasoning and the turned the sauce into a umami sensation, it was the best dish on the day easily. The Iberico pork chop was underwhelming however, the seasoning was fine, and I could taste the quality of the meat, which came from a well-respected source (another 2 Michelin-starred chef, who has his own animal farm). The issue was the cooking, almost well done which was a waste when treating such a piece of quality meat. The same more or less applied to lamb culets, should have been medium rare.
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| Grilled langosutines |
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| Lamb culets |
It was still very early days for The Devonshire, and over-cooking is not much of a challenge to overcome, but I had to judge based on my visit, and it was far from the level I was hoping for, given all the media hype and the price tag. Grill cooking is not easy to get it right given there is nowhere to hide... Given the location and some interesting dishes I still wish to try, I might head back once it settles down. But then again, if the hype kept at this rate, it could be tough to score a table in the future.
Food 2.5/5
Average cost without drinks and services:
£75
17 Denman St, London W1D 7HW
https://www.devonshiresoho.co.uk/
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