If Soho’s Kingly Court dining complex is an incubator for restaurants, then Goldies is destined for bigger things. Perhaps we should not be surprised, since it is backed by the team behind the now sadly closed Blanchette. The angle at Goldies is comfort food in a casual dining format. Guests might not want to leave.
Enter into a spacious peach-coloured dining room. A corner table allowed for perfect people watching opportunities. Solo diners can perch on counter stools. The open kitchen is on full display. There, the chefs ply their trade, frying chips and grilling meat. Yes, chips are one of the main reasons to visit Goldies. Note the lack of apostrophe in the restaurant’s name – for the goldies in question are the owners’ affectionate choice of name for their humble fried potatoes. They were indeed golden in colour and among the better ones your reviewer had sampled recently. The trick? Hand cut the chips, cook them twice – in beef dripping.
Many might choose to pair their chips with the Goldies burger. Since we were a group of five, we opted instead for the mixed grill platter. This is a nice up-sell for restaurant, charging £45 per person – even before chips are included. A burger costs just £14 while the most expensive single item – a 480g pork chop with trimmings – comes in at £39. However, the platter is well worth its money in terms of presentation, satisfaction and sheer variety – see picture. The merguez sausages were a particular stand-out. Marinated baby chicken pleased too. Lest readers think vegetarian options are an after-thought, then consider both the restaurant’s take on hummus and their supremely satisfying grilled sweetcorn. The latter was enhanced by a decadent parsley butter.
Throughout, service was ebullient and our group was plied regularly with drinks. We sampled a selection of cocktails as well as a couple of bottles of solid South African Syrah. There’s every reason to return, even if just for a lunchtime pitstop of burger and frites.