An Evening at Hovarda in Soho

I love a mid-week dinner in Soho. The bright lights and buzzy crowd always create the perfect backdrop for a casual evening out on the town. By a night on the town, of course I mean dinner and drinks.

This evening in particular, we visited Hovarda, a stunning venue nestled in theatreland. The space offers Aegean-inspired sharing dishes, alongside great cocktails and fine wines. We were even informed that there is an upstairs lounge featuring a revolving array of live music and international DJs.

The term ‘hovarda’, which is used in both Turkish and Greek, playfully references a generous host with a free spirit, and it’s clear the team got the memo as they guided us through the delicious menu, ensuring to inform decisions as recommended by the chef.

By recommendation, we ordered the following dishes: Sourdough with thyme olive oil; Tarama with bottarga and dill oil; Greek salad; Seabass Tartare; Saganaki; Pastichio and Kleftiko Lamb Shank. The tamara was an interesting and beautifully presented dip made from cod roe which was incredibly tasty.

Highlight dishes were the Saganaki which was rolls of aged feta wrapped in kataifi and drizzled with truffle honey, it was divine and very additive. Also great, was the Pastichio which is essentially long tubes of pasta, baked and covered with a mushroom sauce, it was rich in umami taste and an interesting shape and texture.

There are some extravagant options on the menu including a 1.2kg Whole Monkfish Tail, Whole Rack of Lamb and a 1.2kg Porterhouse which are designed to share and a little on the pricer side. That said, you can also opt for one of the venue’s set menus which offer a taste of many dishes for a fraction of the price.

Guests should definitely try the seasonal cocktail menu which focuses on one fruit that is in its prime at that time, for us, we got to indulge in pomegranate inspired classics. I would also recommend ordering the Banana Cake for dessert which is beautifully presented and a delicate mix of flavours including banana, Turkish coffee and chocolate.

On Tuesdays, the restaurant hosts a special Kebap Tuesday, serving up grills such as Lamb Adana, Beef Rump Shish and Chicken Shish, served in pita with a full range of sides. For just £35.00 per person it’s an absolute steal!

Find out more > www.hovarda.london