Anthea Gerrie Finds Carnivore Heaven At KöD Soho
I had every reason to suppose the Danish word köd translated as “cod”, not least because my favourite Copenhagen fish restaurant is Ködbyens Fiskebar in the city’s meat-packing district. Which explains why the actual translation is “meat”, making KöD in London the city’s only Danish steakhouse, and a pretty superlative one.
Only the Soho branch in St Anne’s Court is new to the British capital – KöD made its debut in the City in 2023 after establishing three branches each in Denmark (notoriously a meat-loving country, despite its wealth of fish) and Norway. Founding partner Morton P. Ortwed moved to London with his wife Catrine when the couple set their sights on making their name in a city with stiff competition when it comes to decent steak restaurants.
Doing it the Danish way, he says, means a casual, democratic approach which often sees him waiting on tables himself, reliving the start of his hospitality career, and making sure the serving staff are a happy band. This led, it must be said, to one sulky critic complaining the KöD Soho brigade were a bit too happy to notice her glass was empty.
While we noticed London’s most exotic-looking waitresses were certainly chatty types with bright smiles, they did not neglect us, first offering us our pick of tables in a room with many seating options, from a lively main room with private nooks to a secluded row of view tables lining the windows. Catrine has cleverly broken up the large dining space in KöD Soho, which could risk lacking intimacy when the room is less than full, with a series of transparent, etched screens and a neon welcome sign.
Ambient lighting is dim, with spotlighted tables making sure diners can properly appreciate their choice of mainly grass-fed beef, aged for at least 35 days. But first, feeding the Mad Men vibe we have come to expect of macho steakhouses, come the cocktails, in suitably hefty glasses. Mine, a Cherry Thistle(£14), was a glorious confection of Irish whiskey, cherry heering, simple syrup and a dash of bitters with a maraschino on top; it packed a punch, washed down with a pleasing sour cream dip with chips and a bowl of Nocellara olives, £4 apiece.
On a short menu of seven starters, three being steak-based smacked a bit of overkill – there’s a KöD Soho tartare, only to be expected, beef carpaccio with an interesting-sounding dressing of old Winchester cheese, and tri-tip tacos partnered more dubiously with mango chutney and avocado cream. But the standout choice of three fishy alternatives was the langoustine tortellini (£14), a tiny but exquisite portion enrobed in rich broth made from scratch in the kitchen every morning and simmered with shells for hours.
While the steaks, which come served on a little bed of carrot puree – possibly a Danish peculiarity to add nutritional value as well as visual appeal – require deeper pockets, the British rib-eye was decent value for £40 – an incredibly juicy 280g slab of grass-fed Hereford & Angus aged in Himalayan salt. And the 450g chateaubriand(£70), aged to perfection for at least 35 days and sliced in the kitchen, would feed a couple and their eldest child. You’d need a small appetite, though, to be happy with just the 150g of Wagyu £76 buys you.
When it comes to sauces and sides there are plenty, but every one of them is chargeable. A sauceboat of warm Bearnaise was expertly made, just tart enough and laced with fresh tarragon; this could feed two for £5, but greedy diners who want to dip their fries in the sauce will want a boat all to themselves. There are pepper and port sauces and, of course, a proper chimichurri.
Talking of fries, the steak chips at KöD Soho are some of the best in London, beautifully crisp on the outside and sprinkled with fresh thyme and sea salt; one £6 order satisfied two of us. The greedy might want to mimic Americans by ordering mash with their steak – here surely the capital’s most indulgent variation, thanks to the addition of smoked bacon, onion compote and wagyu fat alongside the butter (£7). Corn ribs slathered in miso butter (£7) make an interesting alternative to potatoes, but cool down a little too fast. Talking of vegetables, there are mains on offer for non-carnivores including the ubiquitous cauliflower steak (£20) and pan-roasted salmon.
No-one actually needs a dessert after such a rich feast, but KöD Soho does make an excellent vanilla-scented creme brûlée which is not too sweet and comes with a scoop of palate-refreshing raspberry ice-cream – a bargain at £8 compared to the eye-watering tariffs for the steaks. And talking of bargains, three courses for £60 may well be the best meal deal for beef of this quality – a main of 200g fillet steak preceded by either steak tartare or those spectacular langoustine tortellini and the creme brûlée to follow. Best of all, there’s no charge for either chips or the sauce of your choice, and you get some basil-dressed tomato as a bonus.
What to drink? It was surprising not to see a well-aged red burgundy on the wine list for less than £165 per bottle, but we enjoyed a phenomenal Chateauneuf du Pape, the perfect accompaniment to our beef, at £16 per glass. Lighter on the pocket and just as full-bodied, if not necessarily as fine, would be the £9 Malbec and £11 Barbera d’Alba, both offering four years in the bottle.
To summarise, KöD Soho is a place for meat-lovers first and foremost – but for anyone who does arrive with totally the wrong expectations, there’s a fish and chip shop opposite with an impressively long queue!
Tell me more about KöD Soho
KöD Soho ,2 St Anne’s Court, London W1F 0AZ
T: +44 204 586 5729 E: info@kodcity.co.uk
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