London's Dining Couple Bo Drake Review

THIS RESTAURANT HAS NOW CLOSED.

For my latest solo excursion, I decided on Bó Drake, which as the name suggests is a fusion of East Asian cuisine with Western BBQ influences. It’s located on Greek Street in Soho, which is a stone’s throw from Tottenham Court Road Station. I’d initially reserved the restaurant for Shiima and I, but Shiima’s schedule didn’t allow the visit. Also, she looked at the menu and gave it a pass lol. I, on the other hand, was enticed by the menu so solo excursion it became.

I arrived at Bo Drake just before 6PM, and so I expected to be the first person there, but there was a couple already settled in. An incredibly friendly waitress quickly attended to me and offered me a sit at the bar, which is just by the entrance. The restaurant has a chic industrial vibe with exposed bricks and wood furnishings. I couldn’t see the entirety of the restaurant because of where I was sat, but it didn’t look like the most expansive room, although space is nicely maximised.

What I ordered

The waitress, who seemingly had a permanent and genuine broad smile, took her time to talk me through the specials on the board behind me and this only altered my order a little bit as I’d already decided on Korean Fried Chicken (KFC), Pork Belly Bao, and Smoked Duck Tataki. I added Crisy Kimpab with Japanese BBQ eel, one of the specials, to my order.

Review of the food

The KFC and Pork Belly Bao arrived together. I went for the chicken wings first because, you know, it’s chicken lol. Damn, it was special. Almost the best fried chicken wings I’ve ever eaten. Perfectly crisped with an incredible balance of sweet and sour. Also, there were a few slices of sweet red grapes in the dish. The pork belly bao was also really good. I only intended to have one of the two steamed buns and just eat the second pork belly by itself (being a loser gym freak and all ha!) but I devoured both baos whole. The pork belly in itself was delicious; succulent, a tad crispy and with the perfect amount of soy glaze. Also, the slices of pickled cucumber in the bao complimented the pork belly very well.

After a brief break, where in I quickly wrote a few notes on the restaurant and the dishes I’d enjoyed in Notes on my iPhone, the crispy kimpab and the Smoked duck tataki arrived. The kimpab, in my humble estimation, is essentially a Korean sushi roll with seaweed on the outside. The crispiness here is derived from lightly covering the kimpab in tempura batter and frying. It was rather nice, especially with the paprika mayo that was drizzled over it. But I didn’t taste much BBQ eel, which I love.

The tataki was also nice. Although it might be too pink for other palettes (ask for the duck to be cooked longer, maybe). The mushrooms and crispy garlic chips were good accompaniments to the dish, because they added richness and crunch, respectively. The sweet dipping sauce that came with the dish made the dish more tasty, although much sweeter as well.

Dessert?

I was still hungry, and I wanted another portion of KFC to be precise, but decided not to be greedy and instead check out the dessert menu. As I expected, none of the options interested me. I decided to wait till I get home to enjoy some Pots & Co Chocolate Fudge Pudding and Oppo Salted Caramel ice-cream – I love that combination lol.

Verdict

My experience in Bó Drake was lovely; the food was really good, and the service just as good. Bó Drake is very moderately priced as well. It began to fill up as I was done, and the crowd in there seems to be the mid 20’s to mid 30’s Soho crowd just off work. I’ll certainly be going back, and next time I’ll drag Shiima along. I recommend for foodies, a relaxed date, and large groups.

Cuisine: East Asian and western BBQ fusion.
Dress Code: Casual
Star Dish: Korean Fried Chicken wings
Price: £30 each (without alcohol)
Rating: 4.7 out of 5