THE Australian-influenced all-day eatery Milk Beach started life in 2018, becoming a big hit with locals in Queen’s Park. Now the restaurant has set its sites on central London, having recently opened its second space in Soho. Set a few steps away from bustling Greek Street, the spacious pink-and-golden dining room occupies a substantial amount of real estate in Ilona Rose House – a new courtyard development overseen by Soho Estates – and was already filled to the brim during our visit.
This is clearly where it’s at in central right now.
Influenced by the kind of cooking that shapes the food scene in Sydney (both of Milk Beach’s founders are Australian), the menu traverses South-East Asian and Mediterranean flavours to create dishes that truly impress. The menu is based around small plates, with a few larger options available, and includes raw dishes (oysters, crudo), vegetable-focused plates (Grilled hispi cabbage, Szechuan Aubergine karaage) and robata (Chicken Yakitori, Grilled oyster mushrooms).
Char siu pork with rosti and fried egg
Start with the Baby gem lettuce served with pistachio butter, which might be easy to overlook but was actually a standout. The BBQ pork rib dumplings were juicy parcels dressed in a stunning pho ga consommé flecked with coriander. If choosing only one of the larger plates, it has to be the Prawn Toast, which seemed to reinvent the genre altogether with its superlative flavour and texture. Really, you have to try it.
Grilled mushrooms
John Dory served with chicken butter and parsley
From the Robata section, keep it classic with the Chicken Yakitori which was served with a creamy goma dare (sesame) dressing and fresh cucumber salad, otherwise there’s the epic bone-in ribeye accompanied by tarragon butter, which could only be a winning option. And for something that could only be described as Australian? Well, that has to be The Lamington. In the Milk Beach version, the coconut-covered spong cake takes on another guise – as a sweet semifreddo.
Soho was seriously in need of a relaxed, stylish, all-day space where you could eat really well. Milk Beach is a gift to the area.
by Derby Jones
Ilona Rose House, Manette Street, London W1D 4AL
For reservations, tel: +44 204 599 4271