Smiths of Smithfield (SOS)
67 -77 Charterhouse street
London
EC1M 6HJ
www.smithsofsmithfield.co.uk
Date visited: Saturday 9th April 2011
Attendees: Myself, The Quiff and Apple Geek
Price of meal: approx £13 per person for a one course brunch with a drink
The amazing Kylie Minogue had brought The Quiff and Apple Geek down on the Friday to London to see her in concert. So we got a chance to have Saturday brunch and I thought it would be nice to go to Smiths of Smithfield because we all like Masterchef and as John Torode has something to do with SOS (I used to think he owned it but now I think he might just has his name above the door?) I thought we would give its brunch the Masterchef test.
The restaurant has 3 floors and a private hire room and as the floor gets higher the dinning experience gets more fancy. Anyway we go to the ground floor where the seating is a mixed of communal long table with benches and tables for 2-4, a long stainless steel bar and visible kitchen area, it’s casual, relaxed and, to me, feels like it’s trying to be somewhere from downtown New York. We are seated and given menus which are covered in wipe clean plastic. The menu is quite extensive and there is a bit of divering between Apple Geek and myself over what to eat but the Quiff, as always, knew what he wanted.
Myself: Quinoa, chicken, lime, chilli and peanut salad with SOS juice (beetroot, carrot, celery apple & ginger)
The Quiff: Smiths All Day Breakfast number 3 (bacon, beans, egg sausage, mushrooms, black pudding, tomato, hash brown and toast) with an acid drop juice (watermelon, pineapple, apple juice & ginger)
Apple Geek: Eggs Benedict with a breakfast smoothie (banana, Greek yoghurt, honey & oats)
L-R: SOS juice, Breakfast smoothie, Acid drop
I think the food comes first and then the drinks but I’ll start with the drinks … we all have a go at trying each others. Mine is a bright red concoction and I really like it – not too sweet or veggie tasting, I found it quite refreshing. The Quiff’s is sweet and fruity and Apple Geek’s smoothie was just the right thickness and very good. The Quiff tries the SOS juice and says he likes it but didn’t think Apple Geek would: the consequence = Apple Geek does not try the SOS juice!
Quinoa chicken salad - if you zoom in you'll see some of the leaves at the bottom of the plate are brown!
All day breakfast number 3 with fried egg
Eggs benedict with spinach garnish which Apple Geek did eat some of
My salad is a decent portion with lots of leaves and chicken but I think there could have been more quinoa, especially as it is supposed to be one of the main ingredients. The best part of my salad was the chicken which was in generous size chunks but could have done with more seasoning and the peanuts which add a nice crunch and a nice dimension to the flavour. I couldn’t really taste the lime nor the the chilli. I couldn’t work out what the dressing was either. To me it was just thin and oily, there was too much of it which made the salad leaves (large and no not much flavour of their own) transparent. The other thing that disappointed me were the raw thinly sliced shallot in the salad. I think that if you are going to put something in the food that may make your breath smell you have to tell your customers. All in all I did enjoyed my salad. Both Apple Geek and The Quiff said they enjoyed their meals but it wasn’t as good as the brunch we had at Brasserie Roux last summer and I would totally agree. The Quiff felt his bacon should have been crispier – the fat was just fat the way it was cooked. Apple Geek cites the hollandaise sauce as being the deal breaker for him – it was much better at Brasserie Roux and lacking at SOS. At least we all enjoyed our drinks.
Our plates were cleared away quickly and after chatting and finishing our drinks it was a bit harder to get the attention of the waiting staff to get our bill. They walk pass like robots and never look at you after you have ordered and eaten. Eventually the Quiff gets someone’s attention and the bill comes quickly.
Summary: May be I was expecting too much from SOS because I was told it was supposed to be great but from my experience I found it to be good. The brunch menu is extensive and inventive – I liked this a lot. The place does have a vibe which makes it feel like it is too cool for school and would be full of media types but it’s not severe and is generally quite relaxing – we never felt rushed or out of place. The service is efficient once you get some but felt very mechanical. The prices at SOS are reasonable for a place with that brand and the food is good but you’re not missing anything if you don’t rush there soon. Oh and John Torode – what is your link with the place? I think you need to apply your Masterchef standards to it but if you have and this is as good as Masterchef gets then … amateur with skill but not quite making the mark would be my final verdict.
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