‘Meet me in Bayswater’; not a phrase I’ve ever heard during my 12 years in London, but I expect to hear it more as the area faces a food renaissance. Leading the way is Sol’s, the latest chic-little-number from chef patron Henry Farrow and owner Gabriel Chipperfield of Fort Road, Margate and East London newsagent-cafe hybrids Shreeji News and Foreign Exchange News.
The restaurant is nestled amongst grand Victorian stucco terraces, map shops, estate agents and Greek restaurant Halepi: a family taverna that, like the rest of Bayswater, hasn’t seen much excitement since the 80s. I know Greek is in, but Georgina Hayden and David Carter weren’t even glints in their parents’ eyes then.
Sol’s is multifunctional; a deli/café-cum-wine bar/bottle shop with a little tasting room adjacent to the main space. It looks good in autumn, adding unexpected edge to Leinster Terrace. As I walk towards it, I envision a hot summer’s eve, patrons spilling out to the street swilling low-intervention wines and nibbling fat Spanish olives.
The interior is an East-meets-West mashup of P Franco’s ‘Where the fuck are we going to sit’ chaos with the ambient aisle in Bailey and Sage. I slip onto the central table – it really is designed for summer and not for umbrellas, bags and bulky coats – but once I’m in, I’m set. It’s a good spot to be early. I absorb the shelves brimming with carefully sourced condiments, olive oils, organic flours and St John focaccia sandwiches, making a mental note to return for lunch.
The open fridge is filled with charcuterie and four-litre tubs; their contents and the date labelled in Sharpie with neatly cut tape. The chef in me sighs with satisfaction, so accustomed to restaurants (including the mighty Faviken) displaying pickles and ferments in kilners, ostensibly destined for plates but really full of inedible guff. I like this place.
We order a selection; nothing surprising but all tasty and prepared with care and attention. As the GM at Noma used to say, ‘The best meals are the ones where you remember what you spoke about, not what you ate’. Sol’s is exactly this, a catalyst for great conversation. Decent sourdough with olive oil, crispy lamb salad with radicchio, orange and fennel. The lamb is too crispy for me, but the salad is well-seasoned and vibrant. The caponata looks unconventional but eats well; the agrodolce perfectly balanced with a controversial dollop of aioli. We order the giardiniera, and from one of the four-litre tubs comes a tumble of crunchy, sweet-sour and aromatic cauliflower, celery and carrot. We devour the generous pile quickly and consider ordering a second. They forget to bring our boquerónes – salt-packed and drenched in olive oil – but they make a delightful pre-dessert for two anchovy fanatics. You can keep your basil sorbets, thank you.
We wash it all down with a bottle of chilled red, recommended by the knowledgeable and warm front of house who tantalises us with other contenders on the list – thoughtfully curated by food and wine writer Mina Holland. As with any spot worth their salt (and olive oil), desserts are covered in the stuff and are simple. A chocolate mousse with toasted Piedmont hazelnuts or vanilla ice cream? A tough choice not worth making – just order them both.
