Visited for dinner on 5/28/2022

My friend and I found ourselves in London (we flew in for a few nights to see a show) and were open to trying anything out for dinner. So, when we checked-in to the hotel, we asked the concierge where we should eat. We were looking for a cute spot that was vegetarian friendly and were told ‘hands down’ to try Mildreds Soho, which was near to where we were staying. The concierge tried to call us in a reservation as we were warned it was usually busy, but couldn’t get through. So we decided to freshen up and chance it by walking-up. Spoiler: we got in 😉

We arrived around 7pm and it was definitely busy. The wait time for a walk-in was about 40 minutes (it was Saturday night). So, I gave my number and we went and caught a pint nearby while we waited. Honestly, the time flew by and I got a text saying the table was ready before we were finished with the pint!

We arrived back and were seated by the host to a table near the front of the restaurant. The back portion of Mildreds looks to be where the main dining area is, which was full of plants and radiating chatter. The ambiance of Mildreds is fun & classy. There is body positive artwork on the walls (think hand sketches of bodies, boobs, etc.) but nothing lewd. Just nice and artful amongst a lot of plants. There are only tables in the front (no bar seating), so you’ll definitely need either a reservation or to wait like we did to get in. 

The Mildreds menu is all online (https://www.mildreds.co.uk/menu/all-day/), so if you’re curious you can check it out in advance. Our server Steven was so nice and talked us through each dish and was very helpful with suggestions, particularly when it came to the entrees. Having Steven’s help was great though, because the definitions of the entrees don’t quite give away what you’ll get! That is always part of the fun of vegan/vegetarian places like this, but it is nice to know you’re on the right track.

We ordered two cocktails to start, unfortunately the appetizers came about 15 minutes before drinks (likely because it was a busy Saturday night), but when they came we enjoyed them. 

The tokyo highball – roku gin, sake, artisan yuzu tonic, cucumber

It was nice and refreshing. The cucumber was a new twist.

Kalamansi margarita – el tequileño tequila blanco, cointreau, kalamansi, sage, citrus caviar. So cute and delightful, with a frothy top!.

We ordered three appetizers to start. The first being the roman artichoke panelle, which came with a ‘sicilian herb chickpea fritter’ and roasted pepper pine nut cream.

The artichoke was well cooked, very soft and buttery. The chickpea fritter really tasted like a delicious block of cheese! It is incredible. Both my friend and I really liked the chickpea fritter (aka faux cheese as we named it) mixed in the red-pepper sauce.

Next came the hummus, which was made with apricot harissa chickpeas and came with two slices of pita.

The Hummus was nice and creamy! Inside of the hummus was a bit of a spicy chili sauce, but my friend (who said and I quote ‘is a sissy with spice’) said she could easily handle it.

Once we saw that there were Sweet Potato Fries on the menu, we couldn’t pass them up. We were not disappointed! They were phenomenal, so crispy and salty – if you’re a sweet potato fan, these are for you!

Entrees:

First we decided on the amba chick’n* kebabs. The menu stated they came with mango marinated plant chick’n, salada, pickled red cabbage, red shaata. We liked the kebab! And the yellow cream sauce was a nice add, as the kebab needed a little sauce to go with it, but the flavors were nice and savory.

The next dish was the mercimek kofte, which was a quinoa based dish with lentils,  beets, grape herb freekeh, tahini cream, and shredded carrots & cucumbers.

This was a hearty and fresh dish. It complimented well with the kebob, which was a savory and saucy dish.  

Dessert:

The dessert menu peaked our interest for quite a few things! We decided on two, the first of which was the caramel cookie cheesecake with blackberry coulis. It came with caramel popcorn on the top. The cheesecake was bright and buttery – the caramel shone through in all the right ways. The blackberry coulis provided a nice balance – definitely our favorite of the two desserts

The other dessert we ordered was the butterscotch banana bread. It had miso butterscotch on the side along with salted caramel ice cream. This was a very soothing dessert. It gave us comfort and really reminded us of home! It was essentially a deconstructed banana bread. So, if you’re looking for something fun & new – go with the cheesecake. If you want something soothing before bed, go with the deconstructed banana bread 🙂

Since we were planning to head out on the town after dinner, we ordered ourselves a couple of espresso martinis! The martini’s were made with sapling vodka, tia maria, cointreau, and of course fresh coffee. They were terrific and perked us right up! The espresso beans on top were a nice touch. So, if you need a pick-me-up definitely grab the espresso orange martini.

Overall, I can see why Mildreds has such a reputation (and so many locations). Our experience was a super delight! I can’t wait to go back again one day. Once we figured out they had a sister restaurant (Mallow) we needed to give that a try for brunch the next day, which you can read the review here. 

~Jeremy