Bubala Soho — Restaurant in London

Wow! What an experience. I came here with a friend on a weekday evening without booking not having heard much about the place. We were luckily offered a seat next to the bar at which point were were offered complimentary still or sparkling water by the waiting staff, a huge thumbs up in my books!! We were then politely greeted by the bartender who carefully explained the menus and gave recommendations, specifically for us to try the laffa bread. The interior was simple yet effective with nothing overdone and the music just perfect (at least to my musical tastes). We opted for the vegetarian 'Bubala Knows Best' menu which is essentially a single cost tasting menu where you are given a broad selection of the main menu and they were very happy to swap items out which we decided not to do.

The food was served at the perfect pace. The opening course consisted of bread (the bartender recommended laffa which was incredible), dips and pickles all of which complemented each other to perfection. There was absolutely nothing I could fault with this course. The hummus was perfectly textured and flavoured with the burnt butter rounding it off nicely, the labneh was decadent and delicious with the laffa and pickles bringing it all together to provide a wonderful symphony of flavours and textures. The second course was the cabbage and oyster mushroom skewers with the cucumbers and halloumi. Do not let the simplicity of the ingredients here fool you, after the first course it was hard to see how it could get any better - boy was I wrong - the cabbage was seasoned and charred to the perfect degree with the mushrooms meaty and moreish, would've happily eaten those skewers all night! Then the halloumi and cucumber, both of which paired so well together, the richness of the honey and the halloumi combined with the coolness of the cucumber, spice of the chilli and creaminess of the tahini was just to DIE for. The final course in this scrumptious saga was the latka with toum, butter lettuce and Kohlrabi - we had to ask what 'toum' was as we hadn't a clue! The bartender provided us with an eloquent description of 'extremely garlickly mayo' which was absolutely true! One further point I would like to add to this review is that every time we asked what and item on the menu was, the waiting and bar staff new exactly what it was! Anyways, back to the food, the latka were perfectly layered and crisped round the edges and was an absolute delight with the garlic loaded toum, the lettuce was soft but not soggy with a delicious citrusy and savoury seasoning coming from the orange and sesame, and finally to wrap it all up the perfectly executed kohlrabi I don't think I've ever had done any better in my life! It was cooked just right and the the flavours and textures in the sauce were just out of this world. And being a meat eater, I couldn't have been more satisfied by the tastes and textures I had experienced - food like this makes me realise that you don't need meat to make a meal good, it is the mastery of good quality ingredients that make food good and Bubala is the epitome of this.

Drinks wise we had some fizzy wine and one of the homemade Turkish soda 'Gazoz' both of which were great but to be honest, who goes to a place like this for the drinks?!

Overall I would probably give this place a perfect 10 as we both finished our meal extremely satisfied and didn't have a bad word to say. If you're in the area, GO VISIT THIS PLACE!! You will not be...

My vegetarian girlfriend (whose been before) took my meat loving self here unsure how I would feel about the meal, but I really enjoyed it. The food was mostly very good, the atmosphere was typical soho vibe and very busy on a Friday night. We had a 8.30pm booking but had to wait an additional 15 mins for our table to vacate, but the staff were very friendly.

When you sit down, the staff explain you have a choice of whether to go a la carte or the set menu (veg and vegan menus available). We opted for a la carte, but we saw a lot of people getting the set menus. The set menu plates had smaller portions per plate - maybe as there was a big variety on the menu. We opted to just order what we wanted.

Bread - Laffa:

Bang Bang 10/10 choice for dips. People on the table next to us wanted what we had too.

Hummus, burnt butter: 9/10

I’m generally not a massive fan of hummus but when its as smooth and tasty as this, I absolutely love it. Quality makes a difference, and although I shared it, I could’ve eaten the whole thing. Its a must order if visiting.

Labneh, confit garlic & za’atar: 4/10

We had mixed reviews on this, I wasn’t much of a fan of the labneh. It was a cold texture and I personally found it pretty bland, whereas my girlfriend liked it, not as much as hummus but said was okay.

Oyster mushroom skewer: 9/10

We ordered one skewer each and they were really good. It had a really good smoky flavour with a chargrilled tang. One of the skewers came a bit too burnt so we asked for them to replace it. They brought out another one 10 minutes later, leaving the old one on the table, so I just ate it as my girlfriend didn’t appreciate the burntness of it.

Smacked cucumbers, tahini, chilli crunch: 7.5/10

These were nice and the dish was fairly similar to cucumber dishes you can find in traditional Chinese restaurants. It had a good shot of spice and although I enjoyed it, I felt it would be nicer if the cucumber was more cold.

Halloumi, chamomile & fennel honey: 7/10

Again not a massive fan of halloumi (shock to many) but this was very nice. It had a nice sweet glaze coating which gave it a perfect blend.

Carrots, peanut tahini, coconut & kaffir lime salsa: 6/10

Carrots were super soft, and very different to what I’ve had before. I personally found the sauce not as tasty as I would’ve liked, but still it was a nice dish. I think there are other options I would’ve liked to try especially for £15.

Confit potato latkes: 7.5/10

CRUNCHY! CRUNCHY! CRUNCHY! Good crispy potatoes. Would’ve preferred if they came maybe half the size as easier to eat but still enjoyable.

Between two of us we ordered 9 dishes, but we should have settled on 7-8 dishes. One big dish too many.

Overall, very much enjoyed my dinner, food was really good, staff were friendly, and was a good vibe. My friend told me that he loved the artichoke when he went, so will have to try that next time. Would...

In the realm of culinary exploration, as a non-vegetarian, I approached this vegetarian venture with a dash of skepticism. Nevertheless, in deference to a dear friend's preferences, I graciously acquiesced, and to my delight, I was rewarded handsomely.

Within the confines of a charming and rustic ambiance, we embarked on a gustatory odyssey known as Bubala's "Know Best," an opulent 11-course tasting extravaganza.

Our gastronomic expedition commenced with pickles that, regrettably, leaned heavily towards an overpowering vinegar essence, thus instilling a tinge of disappointment. However, the subsequent procession of ten tantalizing courses wrought a profound transformation, leaving me astounded and thoroughly enchanted.

The hummus, accompanied by an exquisite burnt butter accompaniment, ascended to unparalleled heights of gustatory bliss. Never before had my taste buds been graced by such a delectable dip, teetering on the precipice of divine artistry.

Likewise, the mushroom skewers, adorned with a delicate char, skillfully balanced sweetness and sourness, orchestrated a culinary waltz within the confines of my palate.

The remaining dishes, in equal measure, tantalized and titillated, shattering preconceived notions of vegetarian fare and unveiling a world where tastiness, modernity, and freshness harmoniously coexist.

Venturing into the realm of desserts, unfortunately, proved to be a bittersweet endeavor. The decomposed baklava ice cream, bearing lofty aspirations, regrettably stumbled in execution. The peculiar interplay of excessive saltiness and an unconventional ice cream texture marred an otherwise unforgettable dining experience.

However, one cannot overlook the impeccable service that enveloped us throughout the evening, leaving an indelible impression upon our culinary sojourn and rendering it an occasion worthy of...