Giaconda Dining Rooms

Now here's a restaurant you would walk straight past without a moments thought. In fact, unless you happened to be out guitar shopping in Soho, you probably wouldn't even see it, tucked away as it is in Denmark Street.

Paul Merrony, the chef, is not the first talented artist to have been here. This room was once the Giaconda cafe which offered tea and fry ups to Bowie and the Clash amongst others.

The menu is a Mediterranean mixture of French and Italian Bistro with a few plates of St John style nose to tail eating thrown in. The dining room is both a little noisy and cramped but the service is polite and friendly and the wine list offers some thoughtful suggestions.

The bread and olives were well above average. Crab Bisque had depth of flavour whilst the Lyonnais classic, Cervelle de Canut was well seasoned and creamy. We matched it with a 2008 Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Gianni Masciarelli which was a refreshing, medium bodied, appley citric wine that extracted far more than the average from it's workhorse grape.

We tried a Cotes du Roussillon “Segna de Cors” Roc des Anges 2007, a Grenache, Carignan and Syrah blend which offered an explosion of purple fruit with soft tannins and good structure to match the Ribeye and Sirloin Steak which came as ordered with decent chips.

A rich Creme Brulee had been dosed with orange zest making it an almost perfect match to a half bottle of Monbazillac Domaine Ancienne Cure, a Sauternes clone without the syrupy undertones but with a hint of the marmalade tang of noble rot creeping through.

The kitchen is so small, it's a wonder the chef can extract more than a Pannini from it but the quality of ingredients and robust flavour filled cooking is a pleasure at a price point that one rarely sees this close to the West End. This is not a venue for a quiet romantic evening and the Michelin starry eyed will feel robbed of the formality that they so often assume to be part of a fine dining experience. Make no mistake however, if you enjoy real food, this is far more than fine.