Sadly, the sun-soaked beaches and swaying palm trees of America’s Golden State are still out of reach. But now, SOLA at Home is bringing the finest Californian cuisine right to your front door.
Headed up by Chef-patron Victor Garvey, alongside head chef Salvatore Greco, the Michelin-starred Californian restaurant in Soho has created not one, but three, fine-dining menus available for home delivery.
All the carefully crafted dishes look to Greco’s native Sicily for inspiration, while staying true to SOLA’s ethos of creativity, innovation and respect for the finest produce.
Prepare to flex your inner Michelin-starred chef muscles without actually doing much cooking at all...
What do you get?
There are three six-course menus available to choose from: Omnivore, Pescatarian and Vegetarian.
I opted for the first which includes:
- Blood orange Negroni
- Pistachio-crusted smoked swordfish with N25 Oscietra caviar
- Octopus carpaccio, squid ink & truffle mayonnaise, blood orange salad
- Scallop, 24-month parmesan-reggiano fondue, truffle, crispy pancetta
- Braised lamb neck, cinnamon caponata, polenta cake
- Manjari chocolate croustillant, honeycomb, rosemary & sea salt
- Italian citrus chocolates.
Blood orange Negroni
Standout dish?
Would it be cheating to say that every dish was complete and utter perfection?
This isn’t just a six-course menu, it’s an experience from start to finish and feels like a particularly lush piece of self-care when the rest of the world is circling the plughole.
If I had to pick (God, it’s like Sophie’s Choice) I’d give a particular shout out to the three fish courses:
The pistachio-crusted smoked swordfish with N25 oscietra caviar is every bit as special as it sounds. Topped with the most incredibly tangy and zesty salsa verde – each mouthful created little bites of joy, that were pretty much on par with receiving a hit of serotonin right in the cerebral cortex. If you could only make one type of sauce on the regular, it should be this salsa verde.
Pistachio-crusted smoked swordfish with N25 Oscietra caviar
The octopus carpaccio topped with squid ink truffle mayonnaise and blood orange salad was almost too pretty to eat. Almost. The complimentary flavours were unapologetically vibrant and reflected a Sicilian summer. It not only tickled my taste buds but delighted my visual sensibility.
Octopus carpaccio, squid ink and truffle mayonnaise with a blood orange salad
Then there’s the scallop with 24-month parmesan-reggiano fondue, all perfectly trimmed and ready to cook complete in its own shell. After a mere eight minutes in the oven and a sprinkle of crispy pancetta, the result was one of the most delicate pieces of fish, and possibly the best cuisine to have ever graced my kitchen table (sorry Mum!)
Scallop with 24-month parmesan-reggiano fondue, truffle and crispy pancetta
How hard is the preparation?
There’s not much more to do than open the box, heat some things up and scatter on a garnish.
Everything was clearly labelled, nothing took longer than 12 minutes and all came ready to pop straight in the oven or simmer over the stove.
What’s the damage?
If you want to treat yourself, then prepare to be treated.
At £89 per person – is it slightly on the expensive side? Yes.
Is it worth every delicious penny? Absolutely.
Braised lamb neck with cinnamon caponata and polenta cake
What’s the availability?
Orders can be placed until midnight on Sunday for delivery within the M25 on Thursday, and nationwide on Friday. However, only 40 of these incredibly special boxes are available each week, so order early to avoid disappointment.
Special occasion? A selection of SOLA’s wines are available to add on, and you can even request a complimentary piping bag of tempered chocolate to write a message on your loved ones dessert plate for that restaurant-style flourish.
Manjari chocolate croustillant, honeycomb, rosemary and sea salt
Final note?
Simpler in style but no less luxurious than the restaurant in Soho itself, this Michelin menu requires as little time and effort as possible. Victor Garvey has not cut any corners on quality and the amazing produce used certainly speaks for itself.
Go in with high expectations and you will certainly have them matched. This is a meal I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
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For more info, see Sola at Home and to order click here
