January 21st, 2011
I went to La Soirée last night, in the South Bank Big Top, with a group of friends. We met and ate at Benugo Bar and Kitchen in the BFI.
I ordered Ox Cheeks, which were braised and served with mashed potatoes, red cabbage, some vegetable cubes and gravy. The mashed potato was good, the red cabbage was crispy and the ox cheeks were light and tasty. However, there were only a few pieces of ox cheek, which is a very cheap cut of meat – you can buy an ox cheek for £1 or less from a decent butcher. The gravy was reasonable too, but the vegetable cubes were nondescript and reminded me of something one might buy in Iceland.
I tried Oli’s partridge and I’m sorry to say that it was extremely tough, like it had been microwaved. The foccaccia served with the meal was fresh and very nice, as was the Italian Rosato. The restaurant was pleasant and so were the staff.
Benugo Bar and Kitchen is at the BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XT.