Mr Ji

For all of one generation’s ‘not-the-same-as-in-my-day’ moans to another’s ‘‘it-was-never-any-good-even-in-my-day’ retorts, Soho is still capable of producing excellent restaurants doing interesting (and by that we mean not homogenous) things. Mr Ji is the best example of that right now. The Taiwanese restaurant on Old Compton Street screams cocktails thanks to its neon-lit close quarters bar space. It also screams chicken, not at you as you decline a third rice martini, but via it’s poultry-focused menu. The PSC (poached soy chicken) is the standout dish, so moist that your hands may turn prune-ish just looking at it, while the deep-fried hearts and breast are also essential. A cubic take on prawn toast, filled with a prawn and béchamel mixture before having parmesan rained over it, feels like the work of TATA Eatery (fomerly in the kitchen at Tayer and Elementary), who helped owner Samuel Haim develop the menu. It’s an exciting addition to Soho right now and for the future.