Cuisine:

• Diner
• Fine Dining
• British
• Contemporary
• French
• European

Arbutus Description:
Arbutus began by offering value for money and despite its success and the opening of Anthony Demetre and Will Smith's second restaurant, Wild Honey, the eatery continues down the same admirable path. Demetre and Smith were the main attractions at the now closed Putney Bridge and Demetre worked with ace chef Bruno Loubet when this Soho site was Bistrot Bruno in the mid-1990s. The restaurant is an odd shape, with two parallel rooms and a small bar at the back, pleasantly decorated in natural colours and materials. It provides a suitably subdued background for highly inventive seasonal cooking, using an imaginative mix of ingredients. The menu is strong on cuts other chefs ignore, as in the perennial favourite of braised pigs' head with potato purée and caramelized onions at a remarkable £7.95. Main dishes might include cottage pie and saddle of rabbit with broad beans, or for vegetarians a risotto of spring vegetables and herbs. There's a small but topnotch selection of cheeses from La Fromagerie; desserts include seasonal fruits and the likes of crème brûlée. The wine list is again small, but very skillfully chosen with many bottles available by the 250ml carafe, so you can pick and choose. The 3-course menu at lunch for £15.50 and pre-theatre for £17.50 is a steal. The staff is charming; the cooking is very good indeed.


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