Hovarda - Soho, London

Anyone taking a cursory glance at their friends' Instagram accounts during the summer would have been hard-pressed to miss at least one post from Mykonos or Bodrum. If you'd rather get the vibe in London without booking a price-gouged flight, Hovarda on Rupert Street replicates both the sunny ambience and the excellent food of an Aegean resort. Taking inspiration from Greek and Turkish cuisine with a healthy dose of international flair, Hovarda runs an exceptional restaurant on its ground floor and a luxe first-floor bar packed to the rafters with beautiful people and throbbing basslines. 

The room is nothing short of breath-taking, oozing art deco opulence from the entrance to the kitchens. Designed by Spanish studio Lázaro Rosa-Violán, it incorporates an array of riveting details such as frilly draped pendant lighting, fish scale tiling, shiny gilt mirrors and a double height chandelier. Upstairs the bar is perched on a mezzanine. It's slickness incarnate with an underlit counter, a raki still that looks like something from MC Escher's sketchbook is on display, and there's a DJ podium tucked away in the corner. Cocktails offer complex interpretations of classics - spiked with Greek and Anatolian spirits and influence. 

The menu covers a lot of ground. Guests are urged to kick off their meal with a selection from the raw bar. We were particularly enthused with the tuna tartare with tomato, cucumber and wasabi as well as the scallop with mastika, cucumber and nasturtium. There's an extensive meze section with classics such as taramasalata and tzatziki through to more involved offerings like crab borek and grilled octopus. Kleftiko, a classic lamb dish with oregano and lemon, was given top-shelf treatment with slow-roasted Rhyeland lamb and lamb fat potatoes. As you'd expect from an Aegean restaurant, seafood receives pride of place. Dover sole with mountain greens, monksbeard and Santorini capers is a good bet as is wild tiger prawns with saganaki, Xigalo and ouzo. 

You've probably heard us nattering on about how cool and how good Hovarda is in the past. If you haven't been yet we heartily recommend it. 

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