When your reviewer first moved to London in the late 90s, Randall & Aubin was one of the places to be. Located on the site of London’s earliest French butcher, with many of the original features still in place, R&A (as regulars refer to it) had just opened as a dedicated seafood restaurant. Sited on the corner of Brewer Street and Rupert Street, it hit the vibe perfectly for a Soho that was gentrifying from seedy to cool.
Almost 30 years on, R&A is still doing everything now that it did then. Sure, it’s a more known and touristy venue, but it remains hard to secure a table. And the disco ball keeps on spinning. Part of the charm of R&A is its wonderful décor. It still feels like a very cool and relevant room. Beyond the disco ball that dominates the ceiling, think of high marble countertop tables, an open kitchen and an art deco influenced surround. Almost all the tables are communal, yet the atmosphere feels more intimate than intrusive. Nothing had changed since your author’s previous visit – in a good way. R&A was doing cool (even if perhaps somewhat unintentionally) long before other venues imitated many of these features.
The menu hasn’t changed too much either. As your author and his two dining comrades remarked, there are relatively few places in town that dedicate themselves to fish. Sure, there is Scott’s at the high-end and the consistently reliable Wright Brothers (as well as the deeply disappointing Manzi’s) but not a lot else in central London. This is an anomaly, but one which R&A happily fills. The venue does not try to over-complicate things. The food options comprise a selection of British and French classics but executed with quality and conviction.
Whatever your pescine passion, R&A has it: consider caviar, crab, fresh prawns, lobster and obligatory oysters. There are also around half-a-dozen fishy starters and mains as well as a couple of meat and vego options for those more difficult guests. Our trio stuck to fish, sharing a couple of starters before each selecting a main. Crab from Dorset and calamari (from an unspecified location) were both solidly satisfying. It was particularly pleasing just how well prepared were the latter, a world away from their often-too-greasy counterparts served up at lesser venues. The accompanying aioli mayo actually tasted of garlic too. A skate main (pictured) was equally delightful. This fish, a cousin of the ray, does not crop up so regularly on menus, so you know about it, especially when the skate is a good one. Here it felt classically decadent, topped with brown shrimps, capers, garlic and parsley butter. A bottle of Spanish Albarino worked as a perfect tipple to accompany the fish.
If one were to quibble about R&A, then it might be over service. Even on a weekday evening, the sensation was one of organised chaos. Staff had to juggle over welcoming guests, serving and clearing tables, all in a somewhat cramped space. One of our party lacked cutlery for her main. On another occasion, a wine glass was whisked away with liquid still in it. Part of the explanation may be down to the venue’s success, but R&A may benefit from hiring more staff. For some, of course, the buzz is part of the restaurant’s enduring charm.