Chat Over Lunch: Nick Lander
A fantastic lunch at SOLA in Soho with a London food and hospitality legend
When I launched Professional Lunch, I hoped to do an occasional feature centred on a chat with someone interesting over lunch. I’m glad to be launching that feature this week. As part of the conversation, I’ll also cover the restaurant where we ate. This week, that’s SOLA, the California-influenced, Michelin-starred spot in Soho. All of the usuals — links, address, etc. — are are the end of the article.
Jancis Robinson and Nick Lander are the ultimate food and wine power couple. Jancis is today arguably the most significant and respected wine critic in the world. She became assistant editor of Wine & Spirit magazine in 1975, was the first person outside of the trade to become a Master of Wine, and has been the FT’s wine critic since 1989. She launched her own wine-focused website for subscribers in 2002 and is the editor of the Oxford Companion to Wine, which is now in its 5th edition. Both are indispensable to wine lovers — private collectors and the trade.
Nick and Jancis took over as owners of famous London destination restaurant, L’Escargot, from 1981 to 1988, and Nick served as day-to-day manager. He was then the FT’s restaurant critic from 1989 until 2022 — a span of 32 years — and still writes a weekly review for jancisrobinson.com.
They have three children, and their son Will is the co-owner Woodhead Restaurants, which has a stable of some of the most significant spots going in London right now: Quality Chop House, Quality Wines, Portland, 64 Goodge Street, and Clipstone.
Few families have had a bigger impact on the dining scene or greater longevity over the past 50 years. Their influence on the food Londoners eat and the wine we drink is exceeded, in my opinion, only by the Roux family.
I am a long time subscriber to jancisrobinson.com and when I worked out — through a forensic exam of photos of the specials board — that Nick’s mention of “a table of five noisy men” during his visit to Camille referred to me and some friends who dined on the same day, I dropped him a line. After apologising for contributing too much to Camille’s atmosphere, I invited him to lunch and was thrilled when he accepted.
He asked me to choose the place — which I confess, I found intimidating — but, since I was on the U.S. west coast as we were making arrangements, I thought sticking with a California theme might be fun. He agreed, and on a lovely Thursday afternoon after my return, we found ourselves settling into our table at SOLA.
The SOLA team has recently completed a refresh, installing a new kitchen, converting the basement into a swish cocktail bar and fancy private dining area, and installing new seating in the main dining room. The vibe has evolved from a sense of San Francisco — greys, dark browns, and stained oak — to feeling very L.A. — delicate and subtle pale pink banquets, white table cloths, and light wooden fixtures. It all felt a bit Spago, and I kept looking for a Hollywood A-lister to appear.
Over starters, I asked Nick about L’Escargot, which was (and is) located just two short streets away. I was curious to know how Soho had changed since the 1980s. “It’s a lot busier, younger, and more informal than it was then. There are so many more restaurants today. During our time, most of Soho was offices.” We talked about the immense Soho presence of the creative industries — the advertising agencies that dominated Soho square and how Soho served as a production hub for them and for the nascent Channel 4, which contracted for all of its editing and production services — and the huge role that they played in keeping Soho vibrant and its restaurants busy.
The stand out starter was SOLA’s take on devilled eggs. In this case, devilled quail’s eggs, delicate and well-stuffed. There was also a delicious bite of smoked salmon and another of spare ribs.
I mentioned to Nick how happy I was that devilled eggs had become a fashionable menu item in the UK, and he remarked on the fast rise of diverse cuisines in London over the last decade. “London has everything. There’s good, authentic food from anywhere you want.”
I asked how he balanced the chic vibe of L’Escargot with Soho’s seedier side. “It was a peaceful coexistence. King’s Road [in Chelsea] was the fashionable spot for restaurants then. But we always managed.”
Over time, Nick and his team — driven by star maitre’d Elena Salvoni — made L’Escargot a fashionable destination in its own right. A place for serious business lunches, press interviews, and even the occasional royal visit. Protection officers became commonplace, which was fine, except they usually took one of the restaurant’s best tables for four for the evening, ate alone, and drank nothing.
But the tone for L’Escargot was set on opening night. After a huge push to get ready in time, Nick decided to thank his contractor with a special opening night dinner. On returning to the restaurant after a quick trip home to clean up, Nick found the contractor waiting in the bar, chatting amiably with Robert Mondavi — possibly the most significant figure in American wine history — who had arrived unannounced to show his support, bearing a few bottles. A journalist at a nearby table spotted the scene, wrote it up for the Times diary column, and the climb had begun.
Mains arrived, and Nick’s fish looked excellent, though I refrained from asking if I could try it. My duck was outstanding, served with delicate spring veg and a light sauce. Perfectly cooked and seasoned, it was actually a great lunch main — not too heavy and just the right size.
I asked Nick how he had gotten started with the FT. In those days, he explained, Jancis needed a network of contributors all over the world to assemble the Oxford Companion. Communications were by letter, fax, and personal visits for working meetings. A visit by the South African contributor necessitated a dinner, and the attendees included a former Johannesburg correspondent for the FT who was now the weekend editor. A discussion about the surprising absence of restaurant reviews in FT Weekend revealed that a search had been underway but had failed to identify someone who could write reviews in the FT’s house style. A few weeks later, Nick submitted an unsolicited review of Bibendum following its redevelopment from Michelin HQ into a restaurant by Sir Terrance Conran and long before Claude Bosi. They loved it. And the job was his.
We also talked about the rise of food bloggers, and their contribution to the modern dining scene. “They have made the newspaper restaurant reviewer less essential,” he told me, but agreed that there was a much greater volume and range of perspectives for anyone who wanted it. But Nick regrets the loss of international perspective among the newspapers. “It’s too bad that everything has become so UK-focused.” Reviewing the archive of Nick’s reviews, it’s striking that somewhere between a quarter and a third are multi-restaurant reviews from abroad. I wonder how that relative lack of international exposure affects current critics’ perspectives, and I wish I had thought to ask Nick.
Dessert was Key lime pie, a particular favourite of mine, with which I had some wonderful experiences. I was excited, but tried to temper my expectations.
There was no need. It was delicious.
I asked Nick about his current favourite food and travel destinations. “Turkey,” he said. “We just got back, and I’ve really fallen for it.” (You can read about his Turkish travels here.) Japanese cuisine merited a mention, and we discussed its proliferation in London.
As coffee and petit fours arrived, I wondered where he and Jancis were heading next. And it is clear that even after 25 years of wine and food, they aren’t slowing down. Following their usual summer in France, they are planning a visit the Bhutan, where the King has gotten behind an effort to produce first-rate wine. Bhutan is not exactly a traditional wine-growing region, so I’ll be interested to see what Jancis and Nick discover.
Throughout our lunch, I was struck by the strength of the partnership between the two of them, his tendency to deflect credit to her and to others, and his humility. No matter how much I tried to tease out his experiences, Nick made sure that Jancis emerged the giant. On their website, Jancis refers to him as “He who must be obeyed, Mr. Jancis Robinson and the Financial Times restaurant critic 1989-2022, super-chef, and food service consultant to all manner of arts organisations and developments.” Whatever the contract between them, it certainly appears from the outside that they are comfortable in their roles and that the respect between them is immense.
My lunch with Nick was an absolute pleasure, and I am immensely grateful for his generosity with his time. It was fantastic to benefit from his perspective on the London dining scene. No one matches his longevity or breadth of experience.
At the end of our meal, we were both a bit embarrassed and surprised that SOLA had provided our lunch without charge. Our table was near the kitchen, and I suspect much of our conversation was overheard. It wouldn’t have required a detective to work out Nick’s identity.
So, by way of housekeeping, I’ll only add this: Normally, if I am reviewing a restaurant, I would insist on paying. But in this case, as I have been to SOLA many times, and this isn’t really a proper review, I feel comfortable featuring it. And I didn’t feel comfortable turning down their generosity in the moment. I hope that won’t offend your sensibilities.
Emerging into the sunlight on the busiest street in Soho, I walked around the corner to L’Escargot, and thought about how the area had changed since 1981. It’s almost impossible to imagine. But the street and shop fronts are still there. A few red light establishments still dot the Soho landscape. Start-ups and AI firms populate upstairs offices instead of video production houses. Fashions and tastes have moved on. Everything is different, and everything is the same. But L’Escargot is still there. Like Nick and Jancis. Still showing us the way.
Restaurant Details: SOLA Soho
Quick hit: Fantastic take on California cuisine in the heart of Soho.
Details: Booking essential. Soho. £££
Restaurant website. More on Instagram and from the Michelin Guide.
Find it on Google Maps. 64 Dean St, W1D 4QQ.