Famous London restaurants: Randall & Aubin

A restaurant which has excelled at keeping it simple in Soho for 20 years
Soho stalwart: Randall & Aubin
Ben Norum13 September 2016

Our guide to the London restaurants with big reputations. This time we visit Randall & Aubin, the Brewer Street brasserie with a penchant for simply-cooked seafood.

The backstory Randall & Aubin launched in its current form in 1996, but has heritage that goes much further back. A butcher’s of the same name has sat on the site since 1911, opened by Morin Randall and Cavenur Aubin. It sold the finest deli goods from the UK and France, as well as high quality meat which it provided to clients including The Ritz and The Savoy.

The resulting restaurant is run by TV personality chef Ed Baines along with Jamie Poulton, but is resolutely about its food not its owners. It shares the same focus on top quality British and French produce as the shop which preceded it, and even retains many of the original butcher’s fixtures and fittings.

What’s on the menu? Seafood — and oysters in particular — are the biggest draw, but rotisserie chicken and other French and English brasserie classics come close. French onion soup, moules marinere, steak frites and lobster are all among the most popular dishes.

Butcher's shop chic: The restaurants retains many original features

Char-grilled Cornish squid flecked with chilli, squeezed with lemon and served with impeccable crispy, thin fries is another option which comes highly recommended.

When it comes to pudding, it’s hard to beat a marvellously old-school crème brûlée, brought to the table flaming, while an abundance of French wine is waiting to wash it all down.

Don't be shellfish: A seafood sharing platter

Champagne takes particular prominence, while the house fizz is a delightfully nutty English sparkling wine from Sussex.

The atmosphere Tightly-packed tables, lowlights, counter seating and a high-octane playlist all add to this venue’s formidable buzz. The food is on the money, but in reality it’s this which is its secret to such long-lasting success. For those who bemoan the sadly diminishing ‘Soho-ness’ of Soho, this is one of the last bastillions.

Famous London restaurants

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Who goes there? It’s a wonderfully mixed crowd, but expect young couples on date nights to rub shoulders with those grabbing a bite before a night out and foodie tourists who’ve heard it’s a place to go.

Cheque out Oysters start at £14 for six, house fizz is a tenner and mains range from under £12 to £26 for steak.

Find it 14-16 Brewer Street, W1F 0SG; randallandaubin.com.

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