Giraffe, Soho Restaurant Review

I didn't even need to look up from my desk to see the sneers from my colleagues. 'You're going where'? 'Giraffe' I replied sheepishly. 'Soho' I quickly added with a hint of confidence. For the uninitiated, Giraffe is a 'family restaurant' which serves a rainbow of burgers, flatbreads, skewers and grilled meats to buggy wielding mothers and screaming children. Or so I thought.

Upstairs (photo Mystery)

As I walked through the doors I was immediately struck by the design and fit out (imagined by Mystery). This was not the Giraffe I knew. In place of snotty offspring and space buggy parks were twenty somethings and handpainted murals. Bare brick, piping and venting like it was going out of fashion. Officially Soho friendly. The upstairs area looked even better and I have no doubt is heaving most nights of the week. Unfortunately Soho on a Saturday afternoon can be a bit quiet at times. I dread to think how much rent they pay.

Michelle @tweetygourmet had kindly organised for myself and Jeanne @cooksisterblog to visit Giraffe 'Bar and Grill' in Soho, opened earlier this year. We were greeted by a team of fresh faced, but clearly spooked staff. They had been forewarned of our arrival, either that or rocking up to lunch with a couple of lenses and a DSLR isn't as conspicuous as it used to be.

Mimosa Punch

'Why not start with a cocktail?'. Yes please. That is, after all what Saturday afternoon's in Soho are all about. I browsed the list and then started again. Clearly whomever developed the cocktail list did so with 22 year old PR's in mind. Fruit, fruit, fruit, champagne.

I decided on the Bramble. The drink that arrived at the table was not a Bramble but a fruity syrup mash which looked like it had recently been revived from cryogenic storage. The monumental mountain of ice which had been erected in the middle bobbed up and down. The effects of cryogenic storage were fast wearing off and slowly emerging from their slushy existence onto the table. I (conspiculously) tried to scoop the offending ice mountain into another glass, but was spotted by one of the eagle eyed brigade assigned to keep a watch over us.

 'Everything ok?' She asked nervously. 'Umm, yes. just a bit of overflow here'. I half considered sending it back. After glancing back at the 'Short and Serious' section of the cocktail list, I decided that there was indeed some cruel joke being played here, the list was indeed seriously short. I decided not to resurrect any more fruit and stuck with my lot.

Platter

J was running late, so we finally gave in to the insistent requests of the staff and opted for a rather tasty sounding sharing platter (17.95). Chicken satay, lime and coriander tiger prawns, teriyaki mushrooms and tofu, yakitori chicken plus nachos, crispy calamari and various dips. When the platter arrived I was soon thinking how it was possible to stray so far from the original brief. This was simple pub stuff surely, throw it on the grill or in the deep frier and we're done right?

Mo platter

Whilst I can't fault the presentation, almost all of the food on the platter suffered some kind of ailment. The corn chips were cast into place, solidified cheese holding them prisoner. Chicken was dry, calamari rings bounced and the mushrooms whilst succulent came with a patina of teriyaki which quickly gained adhesive qualities as it cooled. I nodded and smiled at the waitress, even gave her a thumbs up. Everything was just dandy.

Steak

Mains arrived and we were yet again mobbed by waiters, calling our dishes like it was bingo night. This one always gets me, how is it possible to get all of the dishes to the wrong people at a table of three? All the more so when you've just asked me how I would like my steak done and even brought me along a steak knife. Top tip waiters out there - draw a picture, write a description even - 'brown guy'.

 
The sides were excellent. Crispy onion rings, greasy, arterial. Slaw with poppy seeds, a stroke of brilliance. Sweet potato fries had us praising sweet baby Jesus.

 

With food piled high we swapped dishes. The Beef Short ribs (9.95) were done just right. Falling off the bone and came with a soy-honey sauce packed with umami but of the same consistency as the teriyaki patina we experienced before, messy.

The vege Burrito (8.95) was also done well, no need for meat here, although it doesn't quite match up to the amazing offers from both Wahaca and Poncho 8 just around the corner who between the two of them in my opinion have the Soho burrito market wrapped up.

Being a Bar and Grill I thought I'd check the quality of the meat and went with the 28 day Sirloin (15.95), ordered med rare this came out in shades of pink ranging from the desired med-rare at one end through to med-well at the other. An interesting gamut of 'doneness', but not quite what I was after. The Bearnaise didn't help this, a tepid, out of the pack remedy was slick and greasy.

Crumble

I longed for dessert. J went for the Toffee Apple Crumble (5.95), enough for two but i'd probably say that after a full meal this would easily do 4. Great value here. I polished a rather tasty cheesecake.



It's 8pm on a Thursday in Soho, you've just finished work and have arranged an impromptu night out with 4 mates. You're hungry and need somewhere to eat but also to drink, for 4, in Soho. Spuntino? And queue for 2 hours? crazy. Wahaca? too expensive, too popular.

Whilst the food may not be a foodies first choice, and the drinks sometimes missing the mark. Giraffe fills a gap in the market for those requiring a prompt meal and a place to start the evening in style.

Giraffe Soho

Service: 8
Fitout: 9
Food: 6
Drinks: 6