The Carnaby Street-adjacent area of Soho offers slim pickings when it comes to actually good places to wine and dine, especially if you want to avoid things feeling stiff or tacky. Marjorie’s has graciously stepped in to fill that suspiciously east London-feeling gap.
Earthy escargot is presented with enough artistry to convince even the most stubborn snail-swervers
This place was inspired by wine bars on the outskirts of Paris, and two glasses deep, with a candle burning on your table, they could definitely have you fooled. On a Friday evening, punters mill outside (chic-looking people too – with Labubus on their handbags): cheers-ing, chattering or else craning their necks to nosy over fellow diners’ orders. The whole front of the restaurant is open, with some tables on the pavement. The view might be of a boarded-up construction site, but we’ll let it slide; some things are just too London to be within your control. Inside, the space is classy but casual: there’s a large communal table and stools dotting a bar stretching the length of the wall. The intimate downstairs area hosts a duo of cosy nooks and a big round table beside a buzzy open kitchen. Down here, you really do feel like you’re somewhere in-the-know (and couldn’t possibly be within walking distance of M&M’s World).
It helps that both the menu and wine list are small but extremely well-curated. We ordered a bottle of Anaïs Fanti, Pampa Rosa 2023, a tastefully tart unfiltered pink pinot, and an a sourdough baguette with a generous slab of mushroomy brown butter, thick slices of saucisson and a hazelnut-dusted cube of delicate chicken liver to start. Then came the highlights. Sticks of white asparagus, cooked with just the right amount of bite, resting in a gorgeous bowl of white, lemony, sharp yet soft faisselle sauce, followed by a plate of earthy escargot with soupy seaweed and pine nut cream, presented with enough artistry to convince even the most stubborn snail-swervers to give it a go. And the kumquat crab tartlette! A cute little pastry cup holding the most delicious fishy, citrusy melt-in-your-mouth custard.
The bigger plates didn’t hit quite as well. The poached chicken should have doubled down on the lemon to cut through the heavy, brown butter rice, and while the charred gurnard was very nice to look at, four out of five mouthfuls were weirdly, inexplicably bland.
Thankfully, it was to end on a high. It turns out that Marjorie’s does dessert extremely well, and what is more chic than ordering a bottle of wine and two spoons to tackle an unimaginably highly-stacked mille-feuille? This Jenga of custard cream, strawberries and perfectly puffy pastry was the star of the show, but the cooling, complex raspberry sorbet with tarragon was just as delicious. You will be licking that bowl dry.
The vibe Laid-back but with a kick of class. The perfect place to bring a date, catch up with a friend, or wander in, slightly peckish.
The food French-inspired, but not flatly traditional.
The drink An all-French, small-batch wine list, with natural options. Plus three thoughtfully chosen cocktails.
Time Out tip There’s a daily cheese board with slabs of all sorts, from London dairy legends La Fromagerie.