Nestled in a spacious basement space beneath Broadwick Street lies the unique BBQ restaurant Temper Soho. The restaurant’s gritty, below-street-level setting seems to complement Neil Rankin’s live fire cooking and “nose-to-tail” approach to food.
In the realm of cuisine, Rankin has a fascinating past. After earning his physics degree and working as a sandwich shop owner, Rankin began cooking later in life. He retrained at Gordon Ramsey’s Tante Marie Culinary School and gained experience at Wandsworth’s Chez Bruce. Rankin did, however, fall in love with and master the art of cooking over fire when employed at Jamie Oliver’s Barbecue.
Rankin founded the first Temper restaurant in 2016 because he has an extreme passion for grilling. These days, Soho, Covent Garden, and the City are the three locations in London. Every restaurant has a unique eating experience, featuring open kitchens, excellent mixed drinks, and mouthwatering grilled meat.
Expecting an American-style BBQ joint with charred ends and brisket will leave you disappointed. That or pleasantly taken aback. However, Temper Soho is well-known for its tacos and steak—a combination of Mexican and American cuisine.
The cooks grill whole animals from English fields in the large fire pit in the centre of the restaurant. For a more intimate lunch, patrons can opt to take a seat in one of the cosy leather booths or watch the cooks in action from the bar. When the meal is the star of the show, either approach works.
In this case, sustainability is crucial. In order to reduce waste, the restaurant purchases whole animals and prepares them on-site. The meat is roasted over fire and eaten in corn tacos or on homemade parathas after being refrigerated.
Temper Soho serves mouthwatering BBQ in addition to a well-known Sunday Roast and a bottomless brunch on Saturdays. Best of all, the second one is called the “Three Beast Roast,” and it’s served family style with aged beef, roasted hog, and smoked lamb shoulder.
Temper is well-known for being an excellent place to dine alone in the capital, yet every day of the week, all three of its locations feature a lively atmosphere. On weekends, when you can get unlimited drinks for £45 a person, it’s much louder. Don’t forget to pack that pain reliever, though!
