Something fishy

Wright Brothers Soho, 13 Kingly St, W1B 5BW

Meal for two: £65

It is not unusual for a fledgling gourmand to have a favourite restaurant critic, someone who writes in a manner that captures the not-so-secret desires of their fundamentally greedy soul. Last year, Gourmet Chick  wrote about her respect for Marina O'Loughlin. For me, it is all about Jay Rayner: a man who expounds the virtues of lard and generally shuns bland or faffy food and stingy, ungenerous cooks. It is not surprising, therefore, that I wish I had read his review of the new Wright Brothers place in Soho before I chose it as the place to celebrate a good friend's engagement. 

Just as Rayner observed, food was generally good, if occasionally overpriced, but the holes in the service were so big, a colossal squid could have shimmied straight through them. What he criticised in December had not been put right by January. And, as he speculated in his review, we probably lost out for being civilians and not well-known food writers.

There are many things to like about Wright Brothers Soho. The setting, a converted old Soho house now tastefully kitted out with solid wood and white-tiled walls, is a well-judged mix of tradition and trend. A choice of slightly unusual beers and good value house wine are also strong points in their favour.

The build-it-yourself seafood platter is also a strong point, although it could work out expensive if you went crazy with the choices. Colchester oysters and winkles were both well presented and delicious. My newly-engaged companion had never tried oysters before and came away from the meal as a convert to their salty squidgy charms. The mayonnaise was also excellent and, if we had opted for a meatier crustacean, it would have been a perfect match.

Fish stew was also good, filled with a varied mix of fish and shellfish and served in well-seasoned, red fishy broth. It was judged to be excellent, if a little small for a hungry person. It was freezing outside, so I eschewed the lighter fish options and went for the ox cheek, ale and oyster pie, hoping for big, hearty flavours to drive out the cold. 

When we ordered, we were warned that the pie takes twenty minutes to cook. Not a problem because we had winkles: one of the most time-consuming foods to eat on the entire planet. Winkles winkled, it was a little disconcerting when the person who had taken our order asked us if we wanted anything else. Cue nervous reminder, panicked member of staff and a very long wait. Irritatingly, although it was quite obvious that she had forgotten our order, she tried to conceal this fact. Honesty and an apology would have been better received.

Back to the pie: we were seated at the bar facing the kitchen so I saw them make it. I saw it languish on the counter for a long time during the order confusion and then go back under the grill. The pastry was, therefore, disappointingly overdone and dry. This was a shame because the filling was what I had hoped for: dense chunks of ox crumbling into a potent, meaty gravy with a good hit of saltiness from the oysters slipped under the crust.

Wright Brothers Soho has potential. Its ingredients and ideas are excellent but it feels like its people are letting it down with slightly sloppy cooking and textbook bad service. Seated at the bar, I heard every moan and whine from the kitchen staff, who need to remember that they can be overheard by diners. It was clear some of them didn't want to be there and, for the time being, I would probably follow their lead.