Frog by Adam Handling: A Tasting Menu to Dine For (Even If You Came Alone)
- GirlWellTravelled
- May 18
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 10
Having added Frog by Adam Handling to my birthday list a few years back, this visit felt long overdue. Over the years and changing seasons, I’ve watched plates upon plates feed across their socials, the kitchen seemingly in permanent motion, staying sharp, current and quietly game-changing in London’s ever-evolving food scene.
Like a great film, Frog is now immortalised in my brain. The restaurant equivalent of a cult classic but with fewer existential crises and better lighting.
And if you've read leapfrogged you'll also know this review is long overdue too.
A Quiet Lane, A Good Impression
My route meanders along Maiden Lane, then down Southampton Street to its discreet, glass-fronted home. Blink and you’ll miss it. Not because it is hidden but because London's rain has a way of blurring even Michelin stars into grey.
Inside, I hand over my soggy umbrella and catch a JJ Adams piece on my left as I’m shown to my seat. The first of several surprises the space has in store. My server approaches with a warm hand towel and an enthusiasm that isn't rehearsed. I'm presented with two options: the Tasting Menu or the Frog by AH Signature Tasting Menu. I go with the former. I'll be grateful later, I just don't know it yet.
No Quiet Lunch Here
Mid-week, mid-day, mid-month you’d be forgiven for thinking you might snag a quiet table. You’d be wrong. Frog buzzes. Every table is full. Like a well-heeled dinner party but hosted by chefs, the energy remains refined. It’s not a trend-fuelled flash in the pan. Frog’s earned its Michelin star (since 2022) and every seat says it knows it but with no need to shout.
A Theatrical Beginning: Snacks, Not Starters
My cocktail has barely touched lips before the parade begins: five dishes arrive, each accompanied by a backstory, though I only catch fragments. The arrival of dry ice is an undoing. Like a Marvel villain’s entrance and yes, I missed half the explanation because I was busy trying to make it look spontaneous on Instagram.
Some of the theatre
I’m fully in. I taste the creamy parmesan egg silky, savoury, with puffed buckwheat for bite. A crab crème emulsion crackles delightfully. Then comes a beef tartare with fresh kimchi that whispers spice. The West Indian in me wishes it shouted, maybe even threw a hot pepper or two and called out my name. But this was as tasting menu, not my mother's scolding. Fair.
At this point, I was ready to settle the bill but these I'm told, were just the snacks.
Bread & Chicken Butter: The Revelation
The sourdough arrives still warm. Its partner? A whipped chicken fat for butter. Add to that a red-stained chicken liver pâté (thanks to beetroot) and I am levitating. This bread and butter alone could justify the visit. Honestly, I’d come back just for this. For the wedding. I'll be that guest crying tears of joy on their marriage.
Why doesn’t Frog by Adam Handling have a bakery? I nearly ask aloud.
I break bread, slather, bite, repeat. One with pâté, one with butter, one with both. Uncivilised? Perhaps. Unapologetic? Absolutely.
Fried Chicken, Elevated
From behind the counter, the smell of fried chicken teased. I finally get to meet it: deboned, skewered, plump, tarragon-laced. Fried chicken but not as I know it. I eye the open kitchen suspiciously. One of those chefs is responsible for this and I want to know who.
I consider asking for seconds. Then remember I'm in a Michelin-starred restaurant, not my great-grandmother's kitchen. Shame.
I’ve tasted thoughtful fusion before the precision at Mei Ume comes to mind, where East bridges West with a serious nod to umami. But here, it’s British ingredients with a kitchen of fluency. Different style, same poetry.
From the Cornish Coast
Then comes the cod sourced from the Cornish coast. The skin crackles, the flesh flakes. It's delicate but bold, ocean-fresh and utterly composed. The reduced jus thick, umami-rich, leaves nothing unsaid. It's an edible postcard from Britain’s most sought-after waters.
Waffles, Caviar & JJ Adams
I find a visual breather in JJ Adams’ artwork throughout the restaurant. Vibrant, bold, pops of culture with grit. My favourite? Her Majesty, regal and reimagined.
But before I can linger long, I’m interrupted by indulgence: a caviar topped waffle. Optional, but for birthdays? Mandatory. The salty rich-i-ness of the caviar is laced with syrupy sweetness. I’m confused. Thrilled. Emotionally unprepared for how well syrup and caviar get along. Is this how matches made in heaven are suppose to go?
An Intermission, Then a Curveball
I’ve lost count of the courses. I believe I’m finished. I’m not. Here is where gratitude kicks in for choosing the menu I did. The intermission is welcomed too.
Another quick glance around tells me this: Frog by Adam Handling is theatre. Entertainment with edible applause. And too, very welcoming of solo diners.
Balmoral chicken with basil and asparagus follows. It's haggis in disguise. Technically clever but my least favourite.
Dessert with a Wild Side
This is a dish I’ve seen teased on Instagram: Malt, meadowsweet, wild strawberries. I’ve watched it plated online; now I watch it materialise before me. Light, balanced and beautiful. A soft landing for what has been a stellar journey.
Its a Wrap with A Wink On Frog By Adam Handling
I don’t move so much as roll out. If Adam Handling added rooms upstairs, I’d check in immediately. But I had the afternoon to wander Covent Garden, reflect and applaud. A necessary cool-down after such an indulgence.
Frog by Adam Handling is a restaurant respecting details and indulging in drama. Though I opted for the Tasting Menu not the Signature Tasting Menu, it was signature cuisine.
Celebrating something special, you'll be seen, fed and impressed.
But if you’re wondering whether you can do a tasting menu solo, the answer is yes. Yes you can. You’ll be seated like royalty, fed like a god and by the third course, you’ll be wondering why you ever needed dinner conversation anyway. Okay, just kidding!
Curtain Call
Of course, if you’re here for the story behind the food stories; a little wit, a little wandering with your lunch time salad you’ll want to hop over to this piece. Or if you've got something of a sweet tooth that needs filling, this is your fix. Or you can go on over to his chocolate shop.
Interested in where else you can do a tasting menu solo? See Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay, Core by Clare Smyth and Helen Darroze at the Connaught.
This is quite the adventure. Those are some fancy dishes for this ole' country gal. But it does look like an experience to remember.