Coal Vaults

RODEO DRIVE - bourbon, toasted macadamia liqueur, lemon and egg white, with a fresh cherry
RODEO DRIVE – bourbon, toasted macadamia liqueur, lemon and egg white, with a fresh cherry

I shall warn you now that the restaurant review you’re about to read contains nothing sweet! Yes, that’s right; I left a restaurant without ordering dessert. Technically speaking I did have a cheese board which could be considered a dessert but certainly not in my eyes. I thought I’d write about my trip to Coal Vaults as it’s recently opened and you may like to see what all the fuss is about.

187b Wardour Street
187b Wardour Street

The menu consists of small-medium sized plates designed for sharing, which has become something of a trend amongst many restaurants in London such as Grain Store which I had the pleasure of visiting last week. I think it’s a fantastic idea especially for indecisive foodies like me who would order the whole menu if one’s wallet would allow. Coal Vaults is a trendy new bar-come-restaurant hidden away in a basement in the heart of Soho. The interior is incredibly trendy (check out the pennies in the loos!) and is matched by clientele (we were sat next to actor Nicholas Hoult). We sat on high stools at a super small table close to the bar, not ideal when ordering more plates of food than you can count on one hand. There was a strong draft as we were also by the stairs and a normal restaurant-style table in the cave-like arches would have been perfect. Still, this is probably my only complaint about Coal Vaults.

Cheese board, potted crab and goats cheese salad
Cheese board, potted crab and goats cheese salad

The three of us shared the following:

  • Neal’s Yard cheeses with bread and chutney
  • Potted crab with home baked brown soda bread
  • Charred courgette, caramelized red pepper, goats curd and hazelnut salad
  • Westcombe Dairy ricotta cake with figs, wild rocket & balsamic syrup
  • Pulled rabbit with smoked black beans, sweetcorn & pineapple relish, avocado, sour cream & flatbread
Westcombe Dairy ricotta cake with figs, wild rocket & balsamic syrup
Westcombe Dairy ricotta cake with figs, wild rocket & balsamic syrup

These six dishes are by far enough for three and we left feeling satisfied. My favourite dish was the ricotta cakes with figs, wild rocket & balsamic syrup. The combination of sweet and savoury was perfect with the ricotta cakes beautifully cook.

IMG_2661-002
Pulled rabbit with smoked black beans, sweetcorn & pineapple relish, avocado, sour cream & flatbread

Another favourite was the tender rabbit which up until that evening I had refused to try after having house rabbits from a young age. I hate to say it but rabbit is pretty darn tasty and the black bean sauce gave it that all important smoky kick. The cocktails were great too and reasonably priced between £6.50 and £9.50. My meal came to £27.50 which included service and a cocktail, fairly good for what is argued one of the best new openings in London. If you’re looking for a relaxed and tasty evening Coal Vaults may well have the answer.

Living life, loving cake,

H x
Coal Vaults on Urbanspoon

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1 Comment

  1. […] friends suggested going there again, but I believe there are better newly opened eateries such as Coal Vaults which I visited earlier this month. I often find myself wondering whether I just made the wrong […]

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