Noble Rot Soho

PENNY PINCHING

I’ve struck a deal with my daughter; it’s an attempt to catch up more often, without always incurring a beast of a dinner bill. We’ve moved our meet ups to lunchtime, specifically to take advantage of the ‘set lunch menu’ that, whilst offering a restricted choice, comes at a significantly restricted price.

In a city of so many great restaurants, the wine list is a great way to filter where to eat and they don’t get much better than Noble Rot; champions of low-intervention / ‘natural’ wines and a multi-award winning wine list . We’re both oenophiles and my daughter’s at least an aficionado too. It’s also an unexpected parental triumph, to hand over the wine list and know it’ll unlock a new region, producer or grape and picked to impress.

Winter Set Lunch Menu / Noble Rot Soho

The only question was which of the three Noble Rots? All offer a set lunch menu at £24 for 2 courses and £28 for 3. It seems like incredible value, given mains alone start at £30 each, however, there’s just one ‘option’ for each course. It’s not for the risk adverse.

Noble Rot Soho / upstairs dining room

We’re taken through to the elegant upstairs dining room with its smart candlelit bistrot sensibility, all dark wood and claret, with depth provided by Soho at night triptychs on facing walls. A backboard touts wines from £28 up to £126 for a 125ml glass; they also do 75ml pours, although that’s still well beyond this penny pincher.

Roquefor custard & endive

It’s hard to tell with no other options, but the starter feels like it would’ve been my choice anyway; Roquefort custard with its umami-magnified tangy sharpness, softened by its creamy, velvet texture. It pairs perfectly with the bitter crunch of endive, that’s also perfectly shaped as a scooper.

Venison ragu and crushed swede

As for the main it’s a meaty, minced ragu that tastes like it’s been simmering forever to layer flavour complexities beyond any gaminess. The ‘crushed swede’ makes it another dream pairing, with something in there amplifying its earthy sweetness and its texture is something else… pillowy fluffy but also offers some ethereal bite. I definitely wouldn’t have picked this given a choice, but it’s one of my favourite plates of the year.

Domaine Overnoy Cotes-du-Jura Poulsard 2022

Both dishes have paired beautifully with our easy drinking Cotes-du-Jura Poulsard; its fresh with red berries on the palate and silky tannins for a lovely mouth feel and long finish. It’s a perfect lunchtime tipple and something else for the best of 2025 list.

Basque cheesecake

We’ve opted for just one dessert with two spoons; it’s OK but nothing particularly notable about it, but I guess that’s just the way with Basque cheesecake.

We settle up the bill of £156.26 (Food £52 / Drinks £86 / Service £17.26) and buoyed by that damn fine bottle of wine, head off to find a wine bar to while away the afternoon. It might seem like we’ve failed to reign it in at the first hurdle, but we’re just doubling down on the pleasures of the vine.

I’ve never been much good at penny pinching either.

Noble Rot Soho, 2 Greek Street, London W1D 4NB

noblerot.co.uk/restaurant/soho

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2nd December 2025