Category: Bistro+ (££ –
£££)
I usually miss new restaurant openings and go there about 2 years after everyone else. But not this time,mind you! There are two current bloggers’favourites,Spuntino (related to Polpo and Polpetto) and Ottolenghi’s chic sister NOPI. Spuntino I’ll probably visit in 2013,but Hooray! I have made it to NOPI and I am so glad I did.
Most of you will know about the Israel-born Yotam Ottolenghi who has taken London by storm. We are talking bold combination of clean flavours taking its inspiration from Mediterranean cuisines with added influences from all around the world. These delicacies you can enjoy at (or rather take away from) Ottotlenghi joints in several locations all around London.
But now the team behind Ottolenghi has transferred its philosphy and delicious cooking to a restaurant. NOPI (which apparently means North of Picadilly (??)) has just opened a couple of months ago in Warwick Street,a small side street just parallel to Regent’s Street,and has seems to have won over even the toughest critics. (Independent,Guardian).
When you enter Nopi the first thing you take in is the clean atmosphere –white tile walls,wooden furniture,brass lamps –and the smell of truffles. You know you have arrived at a good place.
NOPI is all about sharing. Who knows me is aware that I really don’t believe in the concept of ‘your’or ‘my’dish (sometimes not fully appreciated by my respective dinner companions who very selfishly want to enjoy what they have ordered all for themselves). NOPI is fully on my side here!
In the menu it is stated that 3 savoury plates per person are recommended. You can choose from the ‘vegetarian‘,‘meat‘or ‘fish‘section of the pleasantly compact menu. We shared 5 dishes between us which was more than enough as the dishes were bigger than I had anticipated. The dessert was then eaten more out of curiosity than of need.
The concept of NOPI’s cooking seems easy –you take a good quality main ingredient and combine it with 3-4 flavours (different herbs,citrus fruits,chili…) to make it into a unique and hugely pleasant culinary experience. Of the 6 dishes we ordered,5 were superb and also the last one was,if not quite the level of the others,still far above average.
I loved the Burrata,blood orange,coriander seeds (12). A luscious soft lump of mozzarella,silky on the outside and creamy within doesn’t have much taste on its own. Combined with the roast coriander seeds generously sprinkled on top,the slices of blood orange and the small leaves of the spicy globe basil it resulted in a flavour and texture explosion.
A little bit less dramatic but none the less enjoyable were the Braised carrots,mung beans,smoked labneh (10). The subtle flavour of the garden carrots worked lovely against the background of the mung beans (which very much tasted like lentils in my opinion) and the salty cheese gave just a little bit of kick to this otherwise mellow plate of food.
We only went for one fish dish,Grilled hake kebabs,lemon pickle,yoghurt (10),and this was my least favourite. In fact when I tried the fish burger by itself I was really disappointed,it was dry and did not taste of much. But by then I had realised how NOPI works,so I loaded onto my fork a bit of fish cake,some of herbs (chervil,dill,and some various others),a slice of lime pickle and some of the sauce and suddenly,when the flavours came all together is my mouth,the dish went from one to three-dimensional.
I loved loved loved the Roasted beef sirloin,baby fennel,pecorino (12) which was the source of the lingering truffle smell in the restaurant. Cold pieces of perfectly cooked beef were covered in thin slices of fennel (which reminds me again of how much I like fennel,I am surprised it is not used more often) and the supporting and not at all overpowering flavour of truffel oil. This is a must order dish.
My dinner companion’s favourite was the Twice-cooked baby chicken,kafir lime salt,chilli sauce (8). The chicken was superb. Beautifully tender in a thick sweet sauce it worked beautifully with the kafir lime salt. I was not keen on the chili sauce though,the chicken didn’t need it in my opinion.
Almost exploding at this stage the waiter was still able to persuade us to try the Cardamom rice pudding (6.5). I have a real weakness for rice pudding and this one just reinforced my opinion. More fluid than pudding consistency,this dessert combined the oriental flavours of cardamon and rose water with crunchy pieces of pistachio. Very scrumptious indeed.
The service was efficient and amiable without being annoying and all the waiters were smiling a lot. If NOPI gives them a plate of their food once in a while I would be smiling too…
Now the downside…NOPI is not cheap. None of the dishes costs more than 12 pounds but it adds up,particularly when you eat 3 dishes each. The wine menu has only one choice in each colour below 20 pounds (19 to be precise) and then only one wine for 22. All the rest is above 30 which dos push the bill up considerably.
But,NOPI,I love you anyway!
- Food: 8/10
- Service: 8/10
- Ambiance:8/10
- Value for money: 7/10
- Chances of returning:80%
- Verdict:Sharing plates taken to the next level. I love it!
[...] [...]