Our punter says
As a food hall sceptic, I initially had mixed feelings about Arcade Food Hall but its elevated mini-restaurant formula, lively atmosphere and adventurous food quickly won me over. Table service from the international kitchens, including Nepali, Indonesian and American options, removes the hassle of queuing and allows you to mix and match dishes to your heart’s content.
The décor is airy and sophisticated – dark wood, an Art Deco-style bar and floor-to-ceiling windows – while the DJ’s millennial-friendly tunes and arcade games stop things from feeling too formal.
We kicked things off with two stylishly presented cocktails: an old fashioned and Venetian spritz. Then we chose six plates to share. The stand-outs were the bebek goreng from Bebek! Bebek! – a tender duck leg set off by a zesty sambal korek sauce – and batata harra, a potato side from Shatta & Toum that was perfectly crispy and robustly spiced. Honourable mentions go to Manna’s jalapeño popper fried chicken bun, which layered honey-glazed chicken with pickles for a sour pop; and Hero’s wagyu keema pao, a rich, masala-spiced beef that we stuffed into buttered buns.
There were very few off notes: the chicken MO:MO from Tipan Tapan was perhaps a casualty of the food hall format, with the dumplings’ more subtle, peanutty flavours somewhat drowned out by our other choices. Similarly, Shatta & Toum’s fattoush salad was too heavy on the vinegar. While I’d wholeheartedly recommend Jelladrome’s Penny Licks ice cream – particularly the juicy blackcurrant sorbet – nearly a tenner for three small scoops felt overpriced.
Service was good, with plates delivered and removed speedily. But, as dedicated plate-scrapers, we would have preferred to linger longer over some. Neatly combining the restaurant and food hall experiences, Arcade Food Hall mostly manages to capture the best of both – I’m looking forward to a return visit.
Bill for two, including service: £90.01 Atmosphere: 8
Service: 7
Food: 8
Total: 23/30