Please note, Cure + Cut is now closed. Time Out Food editors, December 2017.
Cure + Cut is a hip place. A dinky all-day eatery just off Seven Dials where the vibe is very much American deli-meets-Ottolenghi counter, with a menu split between grilled sandwiches and attractive big-bowl salads. Ceilings are high, walls are tiled, fittings are subtly chic. I approve.
Looks aren’t everything of course. But when the food’s good, it’s very good indeed. Of particular note was the house hot dog: the frank a dense mix of beef and pork, the roll satisfyingly chewy, although it was crying out for more mustard heat. C+C’s take on a Reuben sandwich was also excellent. This deli standard was stuffed with pastrami rather than salt beef (pepper crust aside, you’d be forgiven for confusing the two; the meat was winningly moist) but it was a filthy, pickly, cheesy triumph all the same. The bread-averse should try the charred cauliflower salad. Dotted with nocellara olives and cool crème fraîche, it was a smoky mound of ‘More, please!’.
On the other hand, a house smoked chicken chipotle sandwich was under-flavoured – certainly not worth the inevitable post-lunch carb coma – and a Caesar salad, though honking with anchovy, was one-note and overly salty. Still, stick with the smokier, beefier end of the menu, and you’ll leave beaming.