Yotam Ottolenghi is something of a gourmet
sensation. Since bursting onto London’s restaurant scene last year, this
Israeli-born gastronome has gone stellar- rapidly rising through the restaurant
ranks from his upmarket takeout spot in Notting Hill to his most recent venue,
Nopi, which regularly attracts queues of culinary customers eager to sample his
delicate flavours and signature salads. And no wonder, too: Nopi (bizarrely
named for being located north of Piccadilly) is a bright spark on Soho’s dining
scene- with its all-white tile interior, marble floors and many, many mirrors
(the disorientating toilets seriously play with your head). It’s fresh and
clean- the perfect setting to enjoy his punchy, unique cuisine that wonderfully
fuses Middle Eastern and Asian influences. Fans may know him for his
bestselling vegetarian cookbook Plenty- his sunny salads and creative dishes
with a twist- but the team at Nopi successfully deliver his food philosophy
with innovation, dedication, and delicacy to Soho’s restaurant racket. Here,
exotic ingredients and fresh, full-bodied flavours are the order of the day.
Meat-lovers need not worry: the menu is divided into vegetable, seafood and
meat sections, to ensure there is something to suit all tastes. But selfish
diners should take note. Dining here is something of a lesson in generosity,
with dishes exclusively designed to share. Goodbye food envy. No starters, no
mains: it’s just one big bun fight once the plates are put in the
middle. Forks and knives at the ready, everyone.
Vegetable-wise, we tried the aubergine with
spiced yoghurt, dukkah and pomegranate seeds and the five-spice tofu with
cardamom passata. The flavours were exquisite and wonderfully fresh, and the
tofu in particular easily carried the curious blend of Orient and the Middle
East. From the ocean came baby octopus with skordalia, ras el hanout spices and
hibiscus, whilst the land offered tea-smoked quail with cumquat and satsuma.
Both were delicious, particularly the aromatic quail- each mouthful an
explosion of strong flavours and creative zest. There’s no denying the portions
were tiny, especially given their price tag, but hey- you can always just order
more of the menu’s incredible dishes. Just make sure you save some space for
dessert: to finish, we had the guava compote and the caramel and pecan
icecream- a cherry on top that perfectly crowned this culinary feat.
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