With half a dozen restaurants and a similar number of books to his name, as well as a regular newspaper column, superstars in the culinary world don’t come much bigger than Yotam Ottolenghi. He has arguably done more to change eating habits in London over the last decade than any other figure, making the fusion of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food mainstream. Nopi, his relatively upscale Soho venture, hits all the spots in terms of both vibe and food.
If first impressions count, then the image at Nopi is certainly memorable. Large bowls of gleaming salads sit within sight but frustratingly out of touch, visible from the front-of-house desk. Once over the threshold, upstairs is full of light while downstairs offers the option of viewing the chefs at work in their open kitchen, albeit from large communal tables. The menu emphasises relative brevity (eight vegetable options, three fish and three meat – all meant for sharing) and changes regularly, generally with a nod to seasonal ingredients. Our server suggested that we should each order between two and three dishes. The biggest problem at Nopi is choosing what not to have. Everything sounded so exciting, artfully combining flavour and texture. Based on what we did eat, there would be every reason to return; I want to sample everything!
Roasted aubergine, tamarind yoghurt, preserved lemon and cashews (photographed) perhaps gives the best insight into the Ottolenghi approach. None of the ingredients is that obscure – at least not if you’re a foodie – but it’s the combination that really does it. The smoke from the aubergine complements the rich bitter-sweet notes of both the tamarind and the preserved lemon. It looks a dream too. More plaudits for the other dishes, with a combination of chickpeas, butternut squash, sundried tomatoes, mint, sumac and feta being another notable stand-out. With vegetables this good, the one meat option we sampled – a mutton shawarma – was almost a relative disappointment, albeit from a high bar. No complaints either in terms of service. Pricing, while by no means a bargain, seemed fair given the experience. Go here, eat and opine about Ottolenghi. .