Soul music? Seafood? Sunday lunch just got better with Quaglino’s Soul Sundays…
Since its relaunch a few years ago, Quaglino’s has become one of my favourite London haunts. I hate anything overly pretentious, which is why the I love Quaglino’s so much. Once one of the most exclusive venues in the city, there’s a whole lotta history in that place. Yet today it has a sense of openness and warmth, without compromising on the excellent service and high quality experience. Now, Quaglino’s is elevating our weekends with a new series of Quaglino’s Soul Sundays complete with amazing sharing seafood platters and fabulous live music. There’s a whole host of wonderful soul artists lined up for the next few months, so be sure to check out the line-up before booking.
We’re very fortunate at Seen in the City to get lots of invitations but so often they’re evening events swimming in cocktails. This is no bad thing, but I never get to take my mother with me, because she can’t see me dance. So this time I thought, perfect. Sunday lunch, a tame afternoon in one of London’s classiest joints. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, let me be the one to inform you that Quaglino’s Soul Sundays is a master of disguise, capable of making an unassuming Sunday afternoon feel like Friday night. Not only was the band on fire, but I found myself instructing my mother to cover her ears more than once, not least when the dashing lead singer started belting out a soul cover of Nelly’s Hot in Here! Needless to say, the band definitely had people up on their feet all afternoon.
Then there was the food…
Quaglino’s Soul Sundays offers a very reasonable menu of 2 courses for £25 or 3 courses for £29. The seafood platter we went to sample comes in slightly pricier with a £55 supplement. However, you’re in for an absolute treat if you splash out on the special seafood sharer. I don’t know about you, but most of the sharing boards I’ve had in life offer starter-style nibbles with generous spacing between them. The kind that leaves you wanting more. They do not, conventionally, come with a side order containing a full Stone Bass en Papilotte (a posh way of slow baking fish in a paper parcel). It was rich, succulent and utterly melt-in-the-mouth.
Accompaniments included a set of delicious devilled oysters, which is perfect if you’re usually a bit squeamish about oysters but keen to try them. These came well-cooked and sprinkled with breadcrumbs. We were also treated to a lashing of moules marinière, which I loved. Everything was served with freshly roasted vegetables together with dollops of hollandaise sauce and aioli.
If you’ve still got room for dessert after such a feast (we had to pace ourselves!) then Quaglino’s has a scrumptious array of dessert on offer. Both Mumsie and I went for the caramelised maple custard tart with pistachio ice cream, but there’s a good selection of traditional favourites like crème brûlée and chocolate mousse. Wash it all down with one of Quaglino’s excellent white wines and you’ll forget you’ve got work the next day!
Quaglino’s Soul Sundays run from 1:30-4:30pm most Sundays. The Q Lunch menu is available 11:30am-2:30pm with 2 courses for £25 or 3 courses for £29. Seafood platters carry a supplement of £55.
www.quaglinos-restaurant.co.uk
