Restaurants are all about staging, and Milk Beach ticks all the boxes on that front. Its second branch, after the highly popular Queen’s Park restaurant that hit north-west London in 2018 and quickly became known for its brunches, this Soho outpost more of the same formula. Think a breezy flutter through Mediterranean and south-east Asian influences, but with Sydney swagger at its heart.
The Aussie vibe is immediately emanated from the décor, which presents Australia as some sort of idyllic dream world. One moment you’re on Greek Street, weaving through the trash, rats and hen parties of Soho before a quick turn into the fresh and pretty Ilona Rose House. Thanks to the Crossrail redevelopment, this spot has seemingly carved out a whole new section out of Soho. Located within a huge courtyard adjacent to Kapara (on which see my review here, Milk Beach feels like a total escape from Soho. The vibe inside is sun-bleached coastal cool — a textured pastel colour-scheme of stone, taupe and beige. This is a spacious oasis. Whilst life in London is cold, relentless and unyielding at present, at Milk Beach things are decidedly vitamin D-drenched and blissful.
The food continues to evoke sandy beaches and Pacific Ocean spray. Devised by Queensland-raised chef Darren Leadbeater, the menu is divided into “nibbles”, “raw”, “veggies”, “plates” and “robata” – the latter two being on the larger size . I went from a plant-based dish robata plate: Grilled oyster mushrooms, fermented mushroom glaze, macadamia hummus (£14). Though on the small size, this is a phenomenally good vegan dish: divine hummus, generous and well seasoned nuts and mushrooms with body yet delicacy. Ticks all the boxes.
To share, we went for Aubergine karaage with Szechuan peanut crumb (£10.50). The aubergine had been cooked to perfection. Melt-in-the-mouth tender, with a moreish Asian seasoning. There is, indeed, a pronounced (and geographically logical) east Asian and southeast Asian influence here. But what makes Milk Beach’s food impressive is that the teetering balancing act of contrasting flavours never quite topples over. Partly, this is the vital through-line of Asian condiments and seasonings.
Milk Beach have managed the move from west to central London very well indeed. Whilst the spirit of Australia, reworked in dishes, decor and spins on classics, will perhaps not be to everyone’s taste, the place was packed when we visited and it’s clear that they’ve almost instantly created a scene in this brand new Soho space.
On a February day, the service is warm and toasty, and for a dose of sunshine in all senses, Milk Beach is worth heading to. Pairing all that with a really great menu – they definitely have another winner on their hands. We’ll be surprised if this is the last Milk Beach to hit London.
Milk Beach, 14 Greek St, James Court, London W1D 4AL
Website: https://www.milkbeach.com/soho
Rating: ****
Yumtini 