Dear Jackie is named after Broadwick Soho owner Noel Hayden’s mother, someone who “embodies fun, fabulousness and joy”
With lavish and glamorous interiors courtesy of Martin Brudnizki, the 57-room Broadwick Soho is no wallflower, and that maximalist design philosophy is proudly on show in the hotel’s signature restaurant Dear Jackie. It’s got red silk walls adorned with decorative plates, Mediterranean-inspired tiles on the tabletops, chintzy fabric on the banquettes, Murano lighting and vintage-style table lamps, which are as much function as form as the lighting, though flattering for the face, is so low you won’t be able to read the menu without them. The restaurant self-describes as part la dolce vita, part disco, we see it more like the older, moneyed aunt of Big Mamma’s Gloria on holiday at a White Lotus resort.
Head Chef Harry Faddy (ex-Aquavit and The River Cafe) is aiming for sophistication with his menu, peppering it with luxe ingredients and both classic Italian and Mediterranean flavours. You don’t get much more luxe than scallops and champagne, and plump shellfish bathing in a very drinkable buttery champagne sauce, with pops of acidity and salinity from pearls of finger lime and trout roe, was a strong start to our Dear Jackie experience.
There are some indulgent pasta dishes, like pumpkin tortelloni with nduja butter and amaretti and agnolotti del plin with black truffle and parmesan, on offer but we skipped those in favour of a well-cooked piece of pork collar served with a zingy salsa verde and an aggressively seasoned wedge of roast treviso.
If we see a parmigiana on a menu, we’re ordering it and so a side of fennel parmigiana joined the party. In reality it was more like a fennel gratin than a parm due to the lack of tomato sauce, but it was tasty nonetheless and the creaminess from the dish just about made up for the lack of sauce on the main plate.
Just as we cannot resist a parm, we cannot resist a tiramisu and Dear Jackie does an ok rendition, though it’s heavier on the cream and cocoa powder than the booze and coffee – and it’s served in a glass and not a glorious scoop of pudding on a plate.
We’re not totally sold on the substance of Dear Jackie but the place has style in abundance, so if vibes are high on your requirements when choosing a dinner venue, you’ll be happy here.
20 Broadwick Street, London W1F 9NE
broadwicksoho.com