Milk Beach Soho — Restaurant in London

The food was disappointing and overpriced; I won’t be returning.

We had high expectations based on the positive reviews, but this experience fell short, and I wouldn't recommend this place.

My friend and I spent over £50 in total for your context. We only ordered 2 starters, 1 bread and a coffee and a cocktail.

Sourdough £3.5: The menu doesn’t mention that it’s grilled. When it arrived, I thought something was burning because of the strong smoke smell. Taking a bite revealed that the bread itself was the source of the odor, smelling like burnt coal, and it tasted just as bad. The whipped butter was unremarkable. I asked them to remake the bread without toasting it since my friend and I could not deal with the fact that our mouths smelled like cigarettes/ coal. The replacement was just plain cut sourdough, but it was still just average.

Prawn Toast £13.5: The prawns were overcooked, making them tough, and the toast itself was rubbery, which made it difficult to cut.

Tuna Tartare £13.5: The nori crisps were so oily that you could only taste the oil. There was no salt or seasoning on it either, so it tasted very bland. The tuna tartare itself was okay, nothing special, but certainly not worth £13.50.

Overall, the portion sizes were small, and given the prices, it wasn’t worth it. Even for small plates, I’ve enjoyed better meals at similar price points (£13-£30).

I considered trying the grilled prawn for £29, but after the starters, we decided against spending any more money here.

The drinks were decent, better than the food, although a tiny bit pricey, which we had anticipated.

Some staff members seemed disinterested, while others were friendly.

We could also hear the chefs yelling and swearing in the kitchen, which was not that pleasant.

The store itself is beautiful; it might be a nice spot for drinks, but I wouldn’t...

Stepping into Milk Beach Soho was like venturing into a delightful Australian beach cafe located right in the heart of Soho. The warmth of the lighting cast a comforting glow across the interior, which was curated perfectly to create an intriguing Australian look and feel. The acoustics were excellent, facilitating pleasant conversations without straining the ears. Even the furniture and cutlery seemed to have been chosen with a meticulous eye for creating an authentic Aussie atmosphere.

As I moved on to their menu, the Australian theme persisted, albeit with an omnipresent sweet twist. The eggplant dish was a dance between savoury and sweet, while the selection of oysters brought forth the flavours of Australian coastal cuisine, even if masked by sweetness. The Gin Bloody Mary oyster shooter was another interesting combination.

The staff at Milk Beach Soho were a lively, again and may be exuding an easy-going Australian charm that made me feel welcome and cared for. They were attentive and friendly, adding another layer of warmth to the Australian-themed experience.

As for the price, I found it slightly on the higher end. The absence of a pre-theatre menu was a touch disappointing, considering the theatrical abundance of the Soho district. I ended up paying £51 for two oysters, an eggplant dish, and the oyster shooter. Oh and a mescal cocktail. (I still am curious about the orange wines)

And can anybody tell me why they insist a lot on the prawn toast?

In summary, Milk Beach Soho offers a decent Australian gastronomic experience in London, complete with an unexpected sweetness in almost all their dishes. While I appreciate the distinctness and the culinary adventure, the overwhelming sweetness did leave me craving more balance in the flavour profiles. However, for those open to such a unique palette, Milk Beach Soho certainly...

Having done some research on this restaurant I had high expectations for the service. I was not disappointed by the maitre D, but the rest of the staff were pretty UK average. The food options were OK, but a lot of dishes contained coriander (I am allergic) which is frustrating because it is not necessary in any of the dishes that it was in. Who puts coriander in prawn toast?! The food was relatively average for the price, aside from the chicken schnitty which was very nice. I wanted to try the chips with chicken salt because I miss that from Australia and although we ordered them they never arrived. Our waitress did remove the service charge from our bill, which was pleasantly accepted, but also very fair, since my friend also had to ask twice for one of her drinks. I will say that it was her birthday and they brought us a complimentary dessert, that, in fact was the nicest thing that we ate!

Both of us being about 6' the table was far too small for us to squish into and as we decided to make our food tapas style (most of the dishes are small servings, though the prawn toast generous), we were a bit sore after from being awkwardly cramped and struggling with the plates fitting on the table. Although the cocktails weren't bad, they were small and weak, and could be far better quality/value for money. The decor and ambience itself was nice. It's a shame they don't do a better job of creating more aussie dishes like an australian burger with bbq sauce/beetroot, or a gourmet meat pie or something! A chocolate malt milkshake on the menu would go...