The Boheme Kitchen and Bar has the Soho crowd dazed and confused as they ponder what’s on offer in this restaurant-cafe-bar hybrid.

The Venue
If you pass the Boheme Kitchen and Bar on a clear, crisp day, you can almost make out the ghosts of summers past, resting on the wrought metal and chunky wooden tables outside it. When summer arrives, this real estate is prime for people-watching and generally enjoying Soho’s atmosphere. While it’s cold though, the action is all inside.

The wood is nailed down as far as the eye can see and at first the look is a little formulaic. However, don’t be disturbed by the linear layout of tables and chairs by the windows because if you’re looking for somewhere to eat, you’re staring at the kind of layout that can be found up and down the land. If you’re here for a drink then there’s the option of a stool at the shiny, lamp-lit circular bar that has been plonked down next to the wall to break up the space, or try the lounge space out back. The seating is low and the individual areas are like miniature sofas, snapped from the multipack and scattered for your pleasure. The venue may not have originality coming out of the knots in the wood, but everything is comfortable, there are no protruding nails and the wood is sanded. In a word, it’s smooth.

The Atmosphere
The location of Boheme Kitchen and Bar puts it in a prime position to gain a good level of people traffic and so the daytimes see the venue happily ticking over with punters eating and drinking. It’s better at night, however, when things are a little less formal. The mixture of tourists, after work nine-to-fivers and regular visitors compete with older scenesters. It proves a good mix and as the atmosphere relaxes as time passes, the staff begin to offer cheer to the relaxed environment.

The Food
The restaurant side of the bar is important and the menu is a lively mixture of classic dishes and decadent seafood. Brunch is served here and there are choices like Eggs Benedict, full English and a simple bacon sandwich. Main courses are fair value for the area (£9.50-£14.50) and range from dishes like organic baby chicken stuffed with mushroom and sage and mackerel fillets with watercress and horseradish. There is a strong American theme to the menu, too, and the grill serves up lamb chops, rib eye steak and fillets of beef.

The Drink
The bar has the wine list of a restaurant. There are multiple whites from the light, crisp Griffin Ridge Van de Pays to the smooth red Tampranillo, Candidato. There is a good list of beers on draught including Staropramen, Stella, Proof and Hoegaarden. There’s also a small range of cocktails that are billed as ‘twisted classics’. The ginger Melon Manhattan is a highlight and averagely priced at £8.

The Last Word
The Boheme Kitchen and Bar is one of those efficient, good looking places that is hard to fault. Its slight lack of life and vitality can be found elsewhere in London but for upmarket eats and drinks, it’s a hit.

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