As the saying goes, when one door closes, another opens. For this story, it's more a case of the same door, just a different restaurant behind it. The door in question is at 10 Greek Street, where just a few weeks ago we learned that the restaurant there was closing. Fast forward three weeks and we can now reveal that this space is going to be the third restaurant for Portuguese group Bar Douro.
The new opening is like a 10th birthday celebration for the group founded by wine importer Max Graham. And it's a neat closing of the circle for him, as he'd spent eight months running Churchill's Port House on Greek Street before he opened the first Bar Douro. Fun fact: Max's dad was actually the founder of Churchill's port.
It's all about celebrating Portuguese producers at Bar Douro, and a very special one will be getting its UK premiere at the Soho branch. They'll be the first restaurant in the country to import and serve Carnes Irmãos Unidos Maronesa beef from the remote mountains of Trás-os-Montes. Maronesa is an old native cattle breed that's so popular and respected at home it's rarely seen on menus outside the Iberian Peninsula, apparently.
The beef will be one of a selection of Portuguese breeds on rotation (aged at Frank Godfrey's butchers), Minhota, Mirandesa, Arouquesa, Barrosã. The Maronesa won't always be on, but if you see it on the menu, it's absolutely the one to get and will hit the menu as vaca velha ribeye.
Other dishes on the menu include Bar Douro classics like croquetes de alheira, bacalhau à brás, gambas à guilho and secretos de porco preto (acorn-fed black pig). We can also tell you that the wine list will be banging, representing Portuguese wines from all over the country.
All in all, while it's sad to see one longstanding Soho restaurant close, it's heartening to know that a much-loved group are taking this space on.
