An acronym for ‘Vingt Quatre’, VQ offers London a unique gift – easy top-quality food and drink, coupled with a buzzing atmosphere and comfortable seating, 24 hours a day. The concept is simple but stunningly attractive, in a city that unfortunately does sleep when it comes to the dining scene. And if the general raving reviews are anything to go by, we hope this sets a precedent.
The magnificent benefit of VQ is its ability to hit the spot. Any spot. All the spots. The menu offers a focussed, top-quality little of everything you might crave at (literally) any point in the day. Broken down into distinct sections, you can find what you’d typically eat for a given meal, but always available to order. And that includes the cocktails.
The breakfast selection includes the usual dishes such as pancakes and poached eggs, as well as bagels and the trusted granola. The best part is the build-your-own omelette, allowing for any number of fillings in a light and fluffy egg mix.
The day menu is where it gets interesting. There isn’t just one cuisine, but a touch on all the most popular ones. There’s Italian Pastas and American Stacked Burgers, Japanese Teriyaki Salmon and traditional British Beer-battered Fish and Chips. The Pork Quesadillas, served up with guacamole, gruyère, and sour cream, are exceptional, and make for an ideal starter, along with the Breaded Butterfly King Prawns which are perfectly cooked and plentiful – perfect for sharing.
The Teriyaki Salmon is worth another mention – the fish itself is fresh and perfectly cooked and seasoned, melting away at the touch of the fork. The chef’s secret teriyaki recipe is its perfect complement, elevating the delicious flavours of the oily salmon and adding an extra dimension to the sweet potato mash bed it is served on. And the presentation is fantastic.
VQ isn’t just for a big meal though – it’s also great for a coffee and sweet snack. The dessert menu contains some must-orders. Undoubtedly, the Salted Caramel Churros are a customer favourite, and are jam-packed with a rich smooth filling that will more than satisfy even the sweetest of teeth. But if that’s not for you, the Apple Crumble & Custard is as indulgent as it comes – and lands on your table in a portion that is too generous not to share.
Of course, VQ is also a bar, and its spectacular wine and cocktail menu reminds you of that. Other than being incredibly Instagrammable, the bar staff know how to balance the flavours with the power of the strength, and can help you select your ideal drink with impressive ease. The Tropical Daiquiri is a brilliant day drink, while the coconut rum-based Painkiller makes for a great end-of the meal accompaniment as well as pit-stop drink for your night.
The atmosphere at VQ is electric, a contented buzz in the air and soft lighting making a lounge-like homely environment to work, relax, eat, or even celebrate in. It’s multi-purpose and as close to perfect for purpose that we can imagine. In fact, when a member of staff wondered what, if anything, would prevent us from awarding a 10/10 ranking, we could think of absolutely nothing.
So 10/10 it is.
VQ may not be Michelin, or authentically cultural, or an all-immersive adventure – but its food satisfies the stomach, its drinks satisfy the appetite, and the vibe satisfies the soul. And best of all, VQ means that you’ll never be stuck on where to eat again. There’s a number of VQ branches to choose from – you can find your closest one here.
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