New ‘Surf & Turf’ Chophouse opens up on St Anne’s Court, Soho

Joanne Mortlock checks out the new restaurant on the block… Block Soho!

Formerly what was Zelman Meats, which since lockdown was a neglected site, has been brought back to life as fully refurbished restaurant, with an on-trend ‘speciality’ menu; a selection of premium meat, fish and seafood dishes cooked over a flame grill. Simple you might think, through the cocktails and whisky offerings pack a punch! The newly opened Block Soho accommodates 120 seating guests offering a mix of booths, round tables, a central dining table, outdoor space and a bar area. 

While their menu will change regularly the key factor remains; showcasing British produce. The meat is supplied by family-run Huntsham Court Farm run by Richard and Rosamund Vaughan who rear; Longhorn cattle, Middle White pigs and Ryeland sheep in the Wye Valley. And the seafood is supplied by Newlyn Fish Market.

The central ‘wow-factor’ is the restaurant’s open kitchen where diners can get a front row seat to the action as it happens – wild flames and all!

If Sunday roast is your thing, get the family down for a meat feast of roast beef, pork or lamb which come served with roast potatoes, charred vegetable, Yorkshire puddings and Block’s special gravy. Mea- free options available.. 

From 3 October Bar Block will be serving up breakfast to set up hungry diners for a busy day ahead. You’ll be able to enjoy traditional breakfast dishes such as the Block Full House breakfast (like a traditional English brekkie), egg dishes, and for that something different Crayfish Benedict, Florentine Waffle, and The Block (a Longhorn hangover double stacked beef burger).

When I dined at Block Soho in September with a few friends, we enjoyed a variety of meat, seafood and vegetarian dishes.  For starters we had the Prawn Popcorn, Pan-fried Scallops, Dorstone Goat’s Cheese Tomato Salad, and Mackerel Escabeche. 

All the starters looked great and tasted nice. Our favourites from the selection however were the Prawn Popcorn; crispy and succulent, and the Goats Cheese Tomato Salad; creamy and served with tangy sweet colourful tomatoes. The dish that disappointed us though was the mackerel dish which is a shame as it sit well thrown on the grill.

For mains we had the Grilled Tiger Prawns, Fillet Steak and the Block Feast of Aged Longhorn Rib Eye, Beef Rump, Pork Ribs & Lamb Chops with an added Canadian Lobster Tail to make it a Surf & Turf.  

Our personal favourite from all the mains was the Grilled Tiger Prawns, which was drizzled with a chilli oil and garlic butter. It had a great BBQ flavour with a hint of spiciness and steeped in delicious garlic butter giving it that extra taste. As for the Block Feast of Meats, it was a spectacle – a feast fit for royalty! Served on a large board with a selection of lamb, pork to steak cuts. Most of the meat was cooked to perfection and tasted great but with their being so much to get though some of the meat got cold very quickly. We also ordered the Fillet Steak, though the cut was a little odd, very triangular which I assume must have been because it was the end part of the fillet. Though an odd cut, it tasted great, so soft and melted in the mouth literally – but the price is questionable at £35 and only comes with a sauce of your choice (green peppercorn, chilli hollandaise, Béarnaise, rosemary gravy, sticky smoked bourbon). I had the rosemary gravy which had a great herby taste to it but the gravy was a little lumpy. Personally, though I do think that the steak is overpriced and should never be the end cut served when paying that sort of price. For sides ordered a portion of chips but they were quite basic not even triple cooked. 

We never got round to having any desserts (it was a generous amount of food!), but they offer a selection of sweet treats such as; seasonal Fruit Mess Meringue, Dark Chocolate Tart with Honeycomb, Bramley Apple Crumble, and Ice Cream. 

Despite a few service issues (common for new openings) and the high prices of some of their dishes, all in all Block Soho is a great central place within Soho with a good vibe. Ideal for afterwork dinners, or a cosy lunch date sat at their window booth… or better yet, the option to dine with a large group of friends – whether meat or seafood lovers!

Words and images by Joanne Mortlock | @lovepopupslondon

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