Fitzrovia’s Riding House Cafe has a new spring menu and a cool Thursday evening seemed like the perfect chance to check it out. With neighbouring restaurants like Gitane, Mortimer House Kitchen and Scandinavian Kitchen there are plenty of strong choices within spitting distance of each other, which probably helps keep RHC on its toes.
We do love this place, from the mixture of modern and vintage quirky touches to the large dining counter overlooking the kitchen to the wood panelled walls. We went straight into some sharing small plates; the seared squid with pak choi, chilli and shrimp jam was just the right side of chewy and the aged masala lamb chop with green chutney was a perfect spring dish so flavoursome and beautifully cooked.
For mains it was blackened miso cod with carrot purée and a hazelnut miso glaze, and it looked stunning on a bed of yellow and green. The port-braised short rib is a bit of a beast, and comes with smoked mash and golden courgette to make a beautifully rich, soft and juicy combo.
Moving comfortably onto dessert, the spectacular cheesecake topped with passion fruit sauce felt very sweet and a little naughty but was gladly devoured – out of sight, out of mind is what we say.
Service was pretty spot on, even turning off the aircon that was blowing a steady stream of cold air right between the eyes was no drama for the staff. Riding House Cafe is still riding strong.
43-51 Great Titchfield St, Fitzrovia, W1W 7PQ
ridinghouse.cafe