What to Know Before Dining at Moi Restaurant in Soho

I’ve got lunch plans today with two of my favourite women – my sister and a long-time friend – and we’ve decided to treat ourselves. Moi Restaurant in Soho is the pick, somewhere we’ve all been eyeing up, ready to splash out on a Sunday.

I’ve even booked a table, because, well, it’s Soho.

Imagine my surprise when I walk in at 1:30pm on a Sunday and the place is almost empty. Empty enough to make me pause and wonder if I made a mistake with this resto pick.

It’s raining, sure, but it’s also the weekend, and this is prime lunchtime in central London. Still, we’re here. Maybe everyone else knows something we don’t. Or maybe, I think hopefully, they just haven’t discovered it yet.

Quick info before you order

• Restaurant: Moi
• Location: Soho, London
• Visit: Sunday lunch
• Vibe: Quiet, modern, upmarket
• Pricey: Definitely, upwards of £100 pp. Some things seem overpriced, even for premium ingredients
• Best dishes: Octopus skewer, tuna steak special, baked rice, rhubarb choux bun
• Skip it: Fried potato cake, oysters

Read our Moi restaurant review to find out more.

Is Moi restaurant worth the splurge?

The menu at Moi restaurant is ambitiously priced, to put it mildly.

There’s a £74 dayboat fish. A £110 sharing steak (which was £95 on the online menu, by the way). A £41 baked rice dish… with no meat. We raise our eyebrows, then shrug. We did say we were here to splurge.

Luckily, some of what we eat justifies the price tag. And some, well, doesn’t.

Let’s talk starters

We open with the Porthilly oyster with finger lime. It’s fresh and generous, all glossy and fat and dotted with lime. It’s a little too icy cold, perhaps – the intense chill blunts the flavour, and I miss the citrusy zing I love in a good oyster.

Next comes a selection of nigiri, including trout, sea bream, and akami tuna. It’s all beautifully presented. What’s missing? Literally any info from our server about what’s what. We ask someone else for clarification, which is fine, but also a bit meh considering how finessed everything looks.

Flavour wise, the trout and sea bream are the winners. Would I return just for the sushi? Probably not. But things are about to turn.

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The dish that changes everything

Then comes the octopus skewer – and boom. This is it. This is the dish that shifts things up a gear, and makes me glad I’m here.

The octopus is tender, charred, sticky from the soy pepper glaze, and kissed with just enough chilli to make me grin. We each get a bite, and it’s one of the most exciting things we eat all day. If I came back to Moi restaurant, it would be for this.

If you skip one thing, make it this

The fried potato cake with Devon crab is next. It’s basically a luxe hash brown topped with sweet, flaky crab. A posh comfort snack, if you will.

Although it’s tasty, it’s pretty forgettable too, and at £18 a pop I’d go ahead and skip this if I were you.

Big plates, bigger opinions

The seared tuna special, however, is a whole different story.

It arrives steak-style, all seared edges and ruby-rare centre, dressed with a glossy peppercorn sauce that plays surprisingly well with the richness of the fish. We’re all quietly impressed.

It’s deeply satisfying, and fatty enough that it melts in the mouth like the best beef steak would. An unexpected hit.

It’s the one dish that is also probably the best value for money, at £69. It’s big enough for three to comfortably share as a main.

We couldn’t come to Moi restaurant and not try any meat, so we also order the Hereford sirloin, with pickled maitake and roscoff onions.

It’s expertly cooked and confidently plated, but—controversial take – the tuna wins.

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The £41 question

The baked rice with wild mushrooms, cacklebean egg and black truffle is a thing of beauty.

You stir the soft yolk through the charred rice, and it becomes this comforting, luxurious pile of savoury richness. It’s earthy, silky, and indulgent.

But at £41, the pricing is sort of wild, considering there’s no meat in it. But we all agree it’s a dish we’d eat again. That rice crust alone is worth writing home about.

Desserts worth saving room for

We go all in on desserts at Moi restaurant.

First up, the blood orange sorbet is fresh and palate cleansing, but it’s not the best dessert on the Moi restaurant menu.

The chocolate mousse with jersey milk ice cream is richer, more indulgent, thick like ganache with flecks of chocolate nib and honey crumble.

It’s good, no doubt. But we’ve had better -Canteen, we’re looking at you.

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Then comes the Yorkshire rhubarb choux and oh my god, it is joy in pastry form. It’s a textural delight with its sugared pastry, tart jelly and silky custard.

It’s the best dessert on the Moi restaurant menu, by a mile.

Final thoughts on Moi restaurant in Soho

Is Moi Restaurant the best value meal you’ll have in Soho? No.

The prices are bold, the servers sometimes vague, and the place could do with a bit more buzz.

But is it a great restaurant? Yes. Absolutely. The cooking is confident, the highs are genuinely exciting, and the atmosphere – while quiet – is warm and considered.

We leave feeling happily full, slightly poorer, and totally satisfied.

A 9/10 from all of us.

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Moi restaurant in Soho review
Address – 84 Wardour St, London W1F 0TQ
Nearest Tube – Tottenham Court Road