VIVI a Pre-Theatre must | London Dining

RETRO CHIC: VIVI in London, near most West End theatres. Photo: Courtesy of VIVI

VIVI
Centre Point
11 St Giles Passage, Square
London, United Kingdom, WC2H 8AP
vivirestaurant.co.uk

By Scott Harrah

LONDON⁠—VIVI is not only one of the best restaurants in London; it’s one of the best in Europe as well. This posh spot, which opened earlier this year in the Centre Point building, is close to all the West End theatres. Proximity to a show is crucial when one is primarily visiting the British capital to enjoy theatre, but you definitely may want to allow plenty of time to truly enjoy a lavish restaurant like VIVI. It’s great for either a pre-theatre dinner or a more relaxed meal when you simply want to treat yourself after a busy day of sightseeing or shopping in London.

Do not let the Centre Point building deceive you. On the surface, the Centre Point building looks like a typical “mid-century” high-rise building one might find on New York’s East Side. For Americans wanting to experience something authentically British, Centre Point may remind one too much of any 1960s building back in the States, but don’t be too quick to make a judgment because VIVI is the ultimate in retro British chic. A fun fact: the name VIVI pays homage to the roman numerals for 1966, the year Centre Point was built.

It was a rainy June evening and we had a tight curtain time (7pm for The Lehman Trilogy) so we stopped by VIVI a bit early at 5:15pm to eat. A kind and friendly young woman greeted us at the front door and told us it was fine to head upstairs to the dining room, even though our reservation was not until 5:30pm.

We were enthralled with the place from the moment we stepped into the dining room, with pink-hued marble floors, bar stools in teal leather and lots of polished wood, like something from a glorious retro-futuristic James Bond film.

We had the pleasure of being served by general manager Troy Dalton, a charming Australian with matinee-idol looks and lots of enthusiasm about the restaurant. He answered all our questions about the restaurant and its delightful menu.

VIVI offers both a set menu (£21.5 for one course; £24.5 for three, with a glass of prosecco) and an a la carte menu. The set menu features such starters as chicken and ham terrine with piccalilli and grilled sourdough; pea and mint soup with a cheese straw; and beetroot and goat’s cheese salad with orange and candied walnuts. Mains include chicken tikka masala with Bombay potato and raita; VIVI fishcake with a poached egg, mushy peas and tartar sauce; broad bean and asparagus gnocchi with Berkswell cheese and preserved lemon. Desserts range from rum baba with vanilla ice cream and confit orange to a Colston Bassett cheese with seasonal chutney.

My dining partner started off with a non-alcoholic cocktail called “Pomegranate and Cranberry Fizz,” a refreshing blend of cranberry juice, pomegranate, lime, sugar and soda water (£7). I had a nice dry glass of red wine.

We were tempted to try the “Nibbles” like the coronation chicken beignet or cauliflower cheese croquettes, but decided instead to both enjoy the classic prawn cocktail, served with brown bread and butter. In the U.S., prawn or shrimp cocktails usually mean the prawns will be served over a big cup of American-style cocktail sauce (usually ketchup and horseradish). At VIVI, the prawn cocktail is served with prawns on top of a heap of Marie Rose sauce, a British concoction normally made of ketchup, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, etc.; in the U.S., it is similar to Thousand Island dressing. The prawns were fresh and firm as they should be. Other starters include a Caesar salad, chopped salad, hot smoked salmon and a beetroot and goat cheese salad.

We were especially excited about the mains, from the Berkshire pork chop to classic English fish and chips, chicken Kiev and most important, the steak selection. All the beef is from the Ayrshire Coast in Scotland and dry aged for 38 days by the butcher HG Walters. Fillet, rib eye and rump steak are available and we were so glad we chose the fillet (£36). It was 250g of some of the best, most succulent steak we’ve had anywhere, served with roast garlic and water cress. Three sauces are served (£1.5); Béarnaise, chimichurri and peppercorn, and all three were outstanding but we did not need much sauce because the steak was so excellent on its own.

VIVI also has great sides to go with its grilled steaks, all at £4.5 each. Some of the choices include truffle mac and cheese; crisp leaf salad with house dressing; green beans with shallot and hazelnuts. We chose the Jersey royal potatoes with parsley and the garlic mushrooms. The potatoes and mushrooms were both delicious.

Unfortunately, because of our early curtain, we did not have time to indulge in the desserts but they all sounded scrumptious, from the apple and plum crumble (£8.5) to the “after eight,” with a chocolate biscuit, dark chocolate mousse and mint ice cream (£8.5).

If you’re visiting London soon, be sure to add VIVI to your list of “musts” whether you are planning a pre-theatre meal, a special occasion, or just a fun night out. VIVI’s beef fillet is certainly one of the best you’ll ever taste and we cannot wait to go back to VIVI soon.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published July 3, 2019
Reviewed on June 12, 2019 in London