SOLA Soho

SOLA snaps of the week! Thank you to our chefs, FOH staff and guests for a great week 🫶🫶 see you all this weekend!

The power of micro herbs! 🌿

Restocking our wind rack for the week! See you all soon 😚🍇

Celebrate your special day in the heart of Soho this sunny autumn. Join us today and experience the magic of a golden October afternoon ☀️🍂

Matsutake, known as the most expensive mushroom in Japan and considered the king of mushrooms! 🍄

We’re excited to share that we have just launched a new dessert! 🕺🍊 RUBY GRAPEFRUIT — Indonesian Long Pepper, Lime, Basil

Egg on egg 🥚 SOLA’s classic caviar chocolate egg

Our head chef Andy & Matsutake mushrooms! At SOLA, we are always experimenting with new seasonal ingredients, challenging norms, and innovating whenever we can. To our chefs, cooking is a game and we’re always striving to LVL 🆙 ! 😤🍄☀️

Otoro, Radish, Sansho 🌿🤝🐠

Our deviled egg has never looked better! This canapé has been on our menu since Day One, so we hold it very close to our hearts 🥚

Humans of SOLA! Meet Cameron 🫶☀️

Growing up, I was sure I’d be a pro tennis player. I was homeschooled at 13 to focus on tennis and went pro at 17. But at 18, I blew up the nerves up in my neck during a tennis accident, ending my tennis career. It felt like my whole world fell apart. My backup plan was the military, but my injury ruled that out too. During recovery, I got addicted to opioids, but after losing two friends to overdoses, I knew I had to stop. I went to rehab and got clean three years ago.

I tried being a paramedic but left because the pay was so low. I started working in bars and hospitality to make money, and I ended up loving it.

Being part of a team gave me purpose and helped me stay clean. Even though people say hospitality is full of drug use, it was the opposite for me. The busy schedule, the teamwork, and the high standards in fine dining kept me focused.
Cooking has always been my happy place, and now I dream of running my own bar and restaurant someday. Hospitality gave me a second chance, and I’m all in.

2 of our exclusive canapés, only available on our full tasting menu! Book now through link in bio, or call us at 020 3774 3495 ☎️☀️!

Lights dimmed, candles up.

Humans of SOLA, meet Lily our Pastry CDP ☀️🫶

I loved baking as a kid, started before the age of 10. I loved being creative and making things look pretty. Then the hobby just died, and I didn’t really bake again until I was 15. I wanted some spare money so I could go out with friends and stuff. So I got a job at a restaurant as a kitchen assistant then became their pastry chef. I have been a pastry chef for 4 years now. This is my first time working in a fine dining setting. Everything is consistently kept to a high standard, everything must be perfect, and I take lots of pride in putting in the time and effort to make my work beautiful.

Being a pastry chef has made me a much calmer, patient and understanding person. You really can’t rush anything when baking, things usually need to proof or rest, if you don’t give it the time it needs, the dessert can be ruined. In my first job, I used to be a hot head, reacted poorly to feedback, would kick off and answer back. But now I have learnt to be more understanding of others’ point of views, I am able to step into another person’s shoes to figure out why they might be feeling a certain way or saying a certain thing.

The truth is though, I am 19, I am still young and figuring out what I want to do with my life. I’m considering going to uni to study psychology or economics or maybe politics. I find academic subjects interesting and want to explore and learn more. But for now I love what I do and being a chef makes me a better person.

Humans of SOLA ☀️ Meet Ryan, our Sous Chef!

I was a bit of a fat kid, I would eat anything I see. It didn’t help that both my mum and dad are great cooks. My mum is from Guyana, so she makes Guyanese food with bold punchy flavors, my dad made insane desserts, his lemon tart and lemon cheesecake were especially incredible. But they’d never let me in the kitchen, which intrigued me about the magic that goes on in there even more.

Every family gathering I went to revolved around food, usually in a potluck situation. Food and eating together was an important part of our culture, especially on my mother’s side. I find it special how flavor and taste bring people together, evoke certain emotions, and create a sense of closeness. Food sustains our bodies, of course, but it also bonds us through the taste of familiarity, shared flavors, and shared pleasures.

When you’re trying to impress someone, you bring them out to eat. When you’re celebrating, you eat. When you’re sad, you eat. When you’re happy, you eat. Food is always there. Food brings people together. I find a sense of belonging in food and the act of sharing it. When I have a restaurant one day, I want people to feel like they’re walking into my home. I want them to taste the warmth, love and comfort, just like I did when I was with my family.

21 day Dry Aged Mieral Duck

served with seasonal vegetables cooked in our house made Umami Butter, finished with Black Olive Caramel 🦆

Humans of SOLA, Meet Cosimo! ☀️🫶

Hi I’m Cosimo, I’m a CDP at SOLA. The kitchen is my second home and I feel safe here. I started from nothing, I washed dishes and learned appetizers for €600 a month in Italy, morning and evening rhythms of 500 covers a day. I never gave up, I also worked in the dining room, but I soon realized that being in front of the fires was what I liked most. I arrived in London with some change and very little English, but fortunately I had friends nearby. I came to London with the intention of working and challenging myself. During covid I lost my grandmother, I had my father sick and many other things. I promised my family that I would become a great chef and I never questioned my choice.

For many this job becomes stressful or tiring after a certain period. But for me, I always say “thank you” to cooking for giving me one of the most beautiful distractions, also because I believe that this job can only be done if you love what you do. I want things to always be perfect. I like to dedicate more time than average to the preparation and plating of a dish, having patience, to obtain a good production.

I like to stay in my zone, not talk to anyone and just flow.

One of the main courses on our current menu! Turbot, a meaty delight, served with clam chowder inspired garnishes and dressing, topped with caviar 🐠