Aurora Restaurant

Full review at www.thehappinessprojectlondon.wordpress.com

Aurora was lovely inside – great for groups of friends. They put us in a separate room with a nice big wooden table, interesting paintings, candles in wine bottles, books piled on side tables, lamps. I loved the atmosphere.

We ordered bread and olives, and the mozzarella, pepper and rocket starters to share which were light and delicious. We ordered one, no two, oh go on then three, bottles of the viognier at £21.50 each which was easy to drink but with a greater depth than the usual female staple Pinot G, and went really well with the food.

Next, mains of aubergine tamale, swordfish, monkfish and steak. I had the monkfish which was delicious – served on a bed of beans and chorizo, the monkfish was thick and meaty. Everyone else loved their mains and the veggie option looked great.

The lemon tart, chocolate pud and cheese plate were all lovely – well worth having.

All in all, we spent about 4 hours in there and the total cost for mucho wine and food was £40 each - pretty good considering the time spent and calories consumed. I certainly ordered well as the monkfish was absolutely gorgeous, but some of the other plates looked good rather than amazing. HOWEVER, the service and relaxed atmosphere made it a fantastic place to bring friends if conversation is as important as the food (and shouldn’t it be??).

Totally agree with the last review -- delicious food, very generous portions and very fairly priced. The menu is not Thai but has in the past had some fusion pacific dishes, generally the food is modern European and always has a great selection of fish, meat, chicken and vegetarian, as well as amazing deserts.

Unbelievable - some of the most delicious Thai and asian foods ive had in London, absolutely amazing and so beautifully presented. Friendly staff and a great level of service and a charming atmosphere and clientele

I took my boyfriend to Aurora Soho for a surprise birthday “treat” and it was just that! After reading Jay Rayner’s brilliant review in the Observer, I thought this would be a perfect place to spend a romantic evening celebrating a special birthday, and I wasn’t disappointed.

From the moment I called to make a reservation to leaving at the end of the night, the staff were superb - friendly, hospitable and couldn’t do enough for us.

Aurora is a small, warm and very welcoming restaurant serving delicious, locally sourced, fresh food.

The interior of Aurora is painted in a “lovely bohemian blood red” (as Jay describes it!) with candles and lillies adding atmosphere and a beautiful scent! The chairs and tables are all authentically old school; wooden seats with leather pads and arranged in intimate groups and alcoves which makes for a great intimate atmosphere.

We ate upstairs, however I believe there’s also a downstairs eating area and in the summer people rave about the beautiful courtyard garden as a perfect place to lunch and enjoy when we have some sunshine!

The food is a mix of traditional british fare, with a twist. Aurora offer a great mix of meat, vegetarian and fish mains which are all reasonably priced for this jewel of a find in Soho. We ordered the Steak and Swordfish which came with a selection of seasonal veg - both were cooked to our liking and tasted wonderful. The deserts are to die for - we shared a beautiful homemade cheesecake (which is just right after a sizable main!).

Our booking did have a 2 hour table limit, but there was enough time to savor the food and atmosphere without feeling rushed or hassled to leave.

A great little find for any foodie looking for quality in Central London!

I love Aurora. I think it’s my favourite restaurant.

The food is great, and the atmosphere wonderfully relaxed.

The crisp brown façade suggests a French feel to this place, but the menu is a mix of European dishes. The atmosphere is relaxed, and the staff are very approachable. There are two floors - both as cosy and relaxed as each other and i have always felt well looked after when i have eaten here.

The walls are covered in paintings which are for sale, and there is a little courtyard garden to really escape the traffic and rushing bodies of London.
Their menu changes monthly using in season ingredients. A lot of their ingredients are organic. Starters are around £5 and mains are £10-£15 depending on what you choose. The selection is good and usually includes different fresh fish dishes, poultry mains and an in season vegetable dish.

A lot of my friends say this is their favourite place to eat in London and i would’nt disagree. It really is rather good.