Paradise Soho to swap sharing plates for set dinner menu

Dom Fernando’s Paradise in London’s Soho is set to reopen after a two-week refurbishment in May with a new £59 six-course evening menu.

The Sri Lankan-inspired restaurant opened in late 2019 and won a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2021 for its “vibrant, contemporary sharing plates”.

It revealed plans to close temporarily on 12 May and reopen on 28 May with a new design from Fernando and Dan Preston, showcasing a centrepiece stone counter that can seat seven diners.

The revamped set dinner menu has been developed by head chef Alfie Bahnan, who takes influences from Portuguese, South Indian, Dutch and Malay cuisines.

Dishes will nod to more native culinary techniques, including heritage claypot cooking and marinating with in-house spice pastes.

Examples include spiced lacto-fermented strawberry rasam broth, with a wild garlic oil and juniper and coconut husk smoked sirloin steak, peanut, ambarella and bone-marrow curry with a selection of condiments and rotis.

The lunch offering will continue to be à la carte.

Meanwhile, head of drinks Erin Mulkerrin-English has curated a list of biodynamic wines and Sri Lankan-style cocktails.

Fernando said: “We want the next phase of Paradise to be a true reflection of modern Sri Lanka, all rolled into a unique dining experience. We will remain true to the spirit of Paradise, but the new direction will reflect our more progressive cooking style.

“It’s an opportunity to showcase what we have been working towards over the last four and a half years and will be a reflection of how our culinary philosophy has progressed in the kitchen and the dining room.”