Some of the finest things in life identify a need which you previously didn’t even know that you had and the Dining Room at Dean Street Townhouse is a case in point. Cooking at home will no longer do. The Soho House Group has brought stylish destination dining to Dean Street and as soon as you’ve tried it you’re going to be a goner. Don’t be surprised to find yourself lusting after intimate dates spent lingering over three courses at candle-lit tables. Or regularly craving a wind down after work drink and a bite to eat at the counter. Before finally coming to the realisation that your life just won’t be the same without sinking into their velvet chaise longue and taking high tea.

The Venue
Part of the Soho House Group, Dean Street Townhouse and the adjoining Dining Room are as stylish and well thought out as you’d expect. The discreet signage and barely discernible door to the Dining Room at Dean Street Townhouse help to create the same friendly, members’ club air that have made Soho House and Shoreditch House so popular and it’s to Nick Jones’ and his team’s credit that they haven’t changed the formula when it comes to the group’s restaurants.

The carefully restored Georgian building seems to stand up straighter than it did in its previous guise, as though bearing testament to the care and attention that have been lavished on it. From outside, the sparkling leaded panes and twinkling lights are welcoming and once through the heavy double height wooden doors it just gets better. A long counter stretches the length of the main room with seating arranged along it at intervals - ideal for an informal bite to eat. Curved booths at the back of the room cater to larger groups who can hold court without disturbing couples dining a deux and the lack of natural light works in the restaurant’s favour – it’s so hidden away from prying eyes that you could just as easily be eating at The Ivy or Scott’s (where many of the senior staff have worked previously).

The relaxed and friendly approach to dining is echoed in the interior design. Wax drips down the candlesticks on every table, the low reading lamps pool light onto the counters and the stripped back chandeliers hang high above the uneven reclaimed oak timber floor. Higgledy piggledy pictures sit atop patterned wallpaper, the menu has an old fashioned typeface, cherry red leather pulls together the separate seating areas in the main restaurant and low clusters of velvet covered chairs in an adjoining room cry out for you to sit in them.

The Atmosphere
As for the staff, they are smiley and down to earth in the manner that only a team really confident in their ability can be. You won’t want to go home. In fact, you’ll want them to adopt you. The food and surroundings are so exceptional that it’s inevitable that the odd famous face will end up eating in the Dining Room at Dean Street Townhouse but the restaurant’s egalitarian approach is reassuring and you can’t imagine them having much time for diva dramas. In fact, they may just tell them to go to their room – not such a punishment when the hotel’s individually designed bedrooms are only next door.

The Food
As soon as you sit down, a miniature freshly baked loaf of bread arrives at the table for you to share whilst you look at the menu and the level of attention to detail continues throughout the courses. Smoked salmon with beetroot and horseradish (£7.25) is well presented and generously sized (the amount of fish would pass as a main course in most restaurants). Pleasantly peppery, the coarsely cut hunks of salmon are interspersed with white and deep purple slices of beetroot and their delicate flavour isn’t overwhelmed by the dab of creamy, fresh horseradish in the middle of the plate. However, unusually it’s the watercress soup (£5.75) that’s the showstopper. It’s poured out of its own individual saucepan into a bowl in front of you (they hold the lid in front of you so you don’t get splattered with soup and steam). The soup’s bright green colour is arresting and its smooth texture and light peppery taste works well with the dense (but not stodgy) cheese topped scone that accompanies it.

The comfort food theme continues into mains. A vast portion of salt beef (£16.50) is bright red, well cooked and tender and served with caraway dumplings (which replicate the taste of rye bread that salt beef would typically be served with in a sandwich) and the all-important pickle. If you’d rather eat fish, you certainly won’t miss out. The halibut steak (£22) is palm-sized and topped with juicy cepes. To accompany the main courses, sprouting broccoli and steamed or creamed spinach (both £4) are equally good, the broccoli is just al dente enough to save it from being soggy, and both of the portions are large enough for two to share.

The reasonably priced desserts are a must particularly the rhubarb fool with shortbread (£4.75). The slightly tart chunks of tender fruit are a delicate pink hue and the cream isn’t overly sweet which can be the problem with some fruit fools. All the more welcome given the accompanying butter shortbread biscuits as otherwise it would be far too sickly. As for the other desserts, whilst the description of warm chocolate cake with mint ice cream (£5.50) is slightly misleading the dessert that arrives is still exceptionally good. It’s more like a chocolate fondant – round and covered in icing sugar, it’s got plenty of melted dark chocolate in the middle whilst the sponge is nicely textured and not too crumbly. The accompanying scoop of mint ice cream is mixed through with chocolate flakes and rests on a wafer of dark chocolate that’s so intricate it looks like filigree.

The Drink
At £4.50 a glass the Tempranillo is the cheapest red wine on the menu but it works really well with the salt beef as its drier, spicier notes balance out the salt in the meat. A glass of Malbec is more at £6.50 but given the quality of the full bodied wine it's money well spent. In keeping with the comfort food slant of the restaurant, if you don't fancy wine you can opt for a pint with your meal instead. All pints of bitter and lager are £4 and include Buttcombe Bitter and Bitburger Lager.

The Last Word
Intimate dates, a bite to eat at the counter or even high tea, the Dining Room at Dean Street Townhouse is ideal day and night. From the staff to the surroundings, when it comes to eating out in Soho, this restaurant hits the spot time after time.

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