Samarkand Restaurant Review: Uzbek Charm in the Heart of Fitzrovia

When Peruvian food first hit London with an unexpected bang, I realised that the capital had officially become one of the best places to eat in the world. From then on, other cuisines us Londoners weren’t fully familiar with started popping up all across the capital. Indian food got much more traditional, Georgian restaurants started appearing in Mayfair and bacon ice cream actually became a real thing. The newest arrival however, slap bang in the centre of Fitzrovia is an Uzbeki restaurant, taking over the former Fino site.

Set just back off Charlotte Street, the new Samarkand is looking absolutely fabulous inside. In fact it’s probably the nicest looking opening I’ve seen this year. Bouncers on the doors were a little unnecessary, but as you enter the doors it’s a thing of calm and beauty. White and royal blue tiled walls lead to a copper heavy, angular restaurant which oozed class and sophistication, without feeling the slight bit stuffy or over the top. It also has a rather fabulous bar too which you could easily drink away an evening in.

One of Samarkand’s biggest strength is its cocktails and its bar. The cocktails really are stunning here and they’re also very different and unusual. The chocolate & tamarind daisy is a must order – it’s decadent and incredibly punchy. They’ve also got one of the largest vodka menus I’ve ever come across. After sipping our strong concoctions we tucked into our starters of creamy burrata with heritage tomato salad and the more traditional beef & lamb manti – a traditional Uzbek homemade dumpling. The food here takes its influence from the restaurant’s founder Sanjar Nabiev’s childhood, and whilst it’s not all traditionally, traditional – the kitchen has given a modern twist to everything.

While the starters were nice, my main course was the star of the show. A gorgeous slow cooked beef short rib – smothered in a pomegranate glaze & served with a side of pickled red cabbage. The slow cooked meat was falling apart at the sight of my fork, that lovely sweet glaze was sticking to my top lip and the slaw adding a lovely bit of crunch and freshness to it all. The truffle mash – well that was just legendary in itself. Chunky, full of flavor and not crushed down to a soggy baby food state. I liked the rusticness of it.

Of course a visit to Samarkand wouldn’t be the same without trying their shashlik. Succulent strips of meat on sticks, flamed cooked over the smokey robata grill. Best of them all was the gorgeous buttermilk marinated lamb – the meat had tons of flavour, lovely pockets of fat, charred edges and a sprinkle of wild mushrooms on the side. Bavette shashlik, while cooked well was lacking in flavour and seasoning. If I was Samarkand, I’d exchange for rib eye and put the price up a pound or two, it’s the perfect steak for a stick. Side of heritage tomatoes was excellent – juicy, crunchy and vibrant.

We finished up on a rather interesting take on the classic baklava. Instead of the flaky syrup drenched dessert, here it was served more like a cake. As nice as it was and as lovely as that glaze came out I still prefer the original, but it was lovely to try something a little different and nice to see Samarkand take the risk with it.

We had a lovely evening at Samarkand and it was interesting to see exactly what Uzbek as a cuisine had to offer. For me it felt like a mix of Middle Eastern flavours, with a little Georgian and Asian influence coming through in its preparation – such as those dumplings and grilled meats. The dining room was full with Uzbek nationals so you already know it’s going to be popular, but for the rest of London we’ll just have to see. I think London will be inquisitive to see exactly what this cuisine has to offer, just as much as I did so for that reason I see this restaurant having a very bright future ahead of them and an even better one once they get that rib-eye on the menu and that bavette off.

NB: I was invited to review and my meal was complimentary. All views are as always, my own. My views are not influenced by anyone other than my own palate and slightly poor eyesight.