I’ve been so slow in getting to Neil Rankin’s fiery Temper in Soho, that he’s already opened a second site (albeit with a curry twist) in the City. I finally made it to the Broadwick Street original though, and with renewed enthusiasm, after devouring their incredible goat tacos at Tequila & Mezcal Fest during London Cocktail Week. It’s worth noting that Temper Soho boasts 180+ covers and takes reservations, so it’s a much more reliable dinner spot than some of it’s queue-ridden neighbours.
Temper is fundamentally a barbecue restaurant, in that they cook everything in front of your eyes using only wood and charcoal on fire pits in the central open kitchen. They source superior meat from local farms and butcher it themselves on site. The Soho site takes inspiration from South America, offering up tacos on home-made tortillas and a lot of mezcal, but their are other influences throughout the menu too (e.g. burnt end Thai larb, Jhal muri) and they put on a serious Sunday roast.
We were sat in the hot seats right by one of the grills, but our exceptional server Yancy kept us hydrated throughout our sauna experience. On her recommendation, we worked our way through two tacos, a couple of flatbreads, and a side between two, which was just about right. You can also go down the route of ordering daily special cuts by weight – a good option for larger groups. It was all deliciously meaty and rather wonderful – from the aged cheeseburger (£8.50) and beef fat (£5) tacos, to the smoked goat flatbread (£11). Beef fat potatoes with Ogleshield (£5.50) are a must on the side. For dessert, we were almost defeated by their obscenely rich deep dish Brigadeiro cookie (£6) with fior di latte ice cream. It was one hit after another – the quality of the produce was allowed to shine in fuss-free food. My only criticism would be that the bill racks up pretty quickly when you add in drinks, but when the results are this good, you soon lose count.
Temper – temperrestaurant.com
Trenchard House, 19-25 Broadwick St, Soho, W1F 0DF
