ChoJo — Restaurant in London

There is no shortage of places to eat these days in the Uber-fashionable Westbourne Grove section of West London. However, just around the corner from the eye-wateringly expensive, beautiful-people filled Farmacy (I’m sorry how much do you want for broccoli?) and just down the street from another Franco Manca is Chojo. It’s kind of amazing. I live in the area, so am getting a little tired of how basic the neighbourhood restaurants are getting (stay strong Taqueria!). Chojo is anything but basic. If you know good food, this is a place that will raise an eyebrow. It is creative, urban-exotic and on-trend not by design but because that’s just how they do it. Small plates, well priced, plenty of vegetarian options (can’t remember the last time I thought the Tofu was one of the best selections). Do yourself a favour and order the salmon cubes. Broccoli in oyster sauce with the fried shallot bits in it! Asparagus! Holy moly... the asparagus. So simple but when you get texture perfect, savoury, hint of crushed white pepper it is sublime. Nice touch - Josie is so proud of her tea selection and you will walk out more cultured if you allow her to guide you through a tea selection, sit back and observe the ritual while she describes how the water sourced from the Cairngorms is the only water on this rock pure enough for her teas. There is even an Oolong that has been partially helped along by an insect (bug bitten by the leafhopper, famous in Taiwan) that nips at the leaves while the plant defends itself by exuding polyphenols (antioxidants) that create natural honeyed aromas and a silky texture once the tea is dried, processed and brewed. Tea aside- the bottom line is this is not a noodle restaurant with a 100 page menu with pictures of all the dishes. This is a place with focus on food, tea, even wine and ambience. It is owned and run by two of the nicest people in this great city and they have paid attention to the details and have created a gorgeous and delicious restaurant experience. It is way too cool and authentic for Westbourne Grove. There most likely will even be a cute little dog (Bijou) that greets everyone who walks in the door. Places like this will help to bring the real-food dining culture back to West London. East London take note. Celebrate it and thank Cho and Josie on...

A fun place to eat with a good variety of dishes. The server was knowledgeable, helpful and very friendly. The place is pretty small. The dishes are indeed "small". I find it hard to review as the food was good, but I felt the price was too high for the amount of food. When comparing the amount of food provided to the price it has to compete with some of the most expensive restaurants. The quality is good, but I am not sure if it is quite at the level of £100 pp restaurants which it would cost for me personally to leave feeling full and with a couple of glasses of wine and tip.

The sweet spot for this place is for parties of 1 or 2 as it allows the variety that normally you need a larger party for at other restaurants. And for a special dinner for 2 I think it is an excellent choice. Similarly for those with a smaller appetite I think it would be great for larger parties. However for a party of 4 or more, with people who have a way above average appetite (like myself - the kind of people who order steaks over 500g at a steakhouse for themselves) I feel you are outside this sweet spot and would be better somewhere you can share larger dishes.

I also feel for the amount you can spend on food here there should be a few better wine options, even if only by the bottle as the quality of the wine was way below the quality of the food.

In summary, a great place for most people (the 90% of people with a more normal size appetite) but not the sweet spot for...

We visited for dinner on a Saturday. It is a tiny place, seating just 25 covers or so. The decor was nice and seating was comfortable. Our family of 2 adults and 2 young kids ordered the edamame, Korean spicy chicken, salt & chilli salmon, sea bass, salted egg prawns, veg spring rolls, asparagus, cucumber salad, beef fried noodles and some steamed rice. The food was generally quite nice. The Korean chicken was a highlight! The sea bass was also very good. There were a couple of items we didn’t enjoy as much - such as the salted egg prawn and the cucumber salad - I suspect these dishes may have been a bit more authentic and less catered to the western palate. Dessert wasn’t enticing so we skipped it.

Service was quite friendly and initially very quick, albeit we were the first table to arrive that evening. I believe we may have been served by the owner and he was the only person front of house, so things understandably did get a bit slower as the place got busier. Our bill came to £160 of which £45 was spent on drinks. Overall an enjoyable dinner in a quaint setting with reasonable prices. I look forward to a...