Nopi, London W1, North of Piccadilly

Soho on a Saturday morning seems like a good idea on a week day when I am planning my weekend. Come Saturday, it's a different story altogether. The morning usually finds me running around doing weekend chores, feeding the tortoise and so on. All of a sudden I'm begrudging Soho and, being cynical, I'm wondering if Nopi, the newest Yotam Ottolenghi venture, will be worth the effort.

I arrive, promptly, may I add, to find Nopi on the outskirts of Soho, just North of Piccadilly Circus, hence the name. I walk in to find a place of fairly minimalist decor, clean white lines, white splash-back tiles on one wall and exposed brick work on the other painted white. Wooden tables, and reminders of a more kitsch era, with the brass lighting and bar elements prepare me for a relaxed yet elegant lunch. 

My lunch buddy was running late, so while waiting I ordered an espresso and I think in that time I memorised most of the menu which consists of Mediterranean dishes, divided in categories of veg, fish, meat and sweets. The menu recommends three savoury dishes per person and are designed to share. I took their word for it. Dessert should be extra, no?

Lunch buddy arrived about 20 minutes later. First things first. Bottle of prosecco. We finally decided on lunch. You know, I actually remember every single dish without having to look at the menu. Our lunch consisted of the following:
Shakshuka, a North African dish of braised eggs, peppers and tomatoes. The spices used, I detected turmeric, were beautifully balances and made this an excellent dish to start.
Courgette and manouri fritters. A Greek dish, for the Greeks reading this, they are kolokythokeftedes, and very good they were too.
Seabass with mussels and fennel pollen.
Chargrilled octopus. Perfectly cooked.
Rabbit pastilla. If I had to pick a favourite this would be it. The rich flavours of the succulent rabbit enveloped in the perfectly formed pastry.

Shakshuka

Courgette and manouri fritters

All the dishes were deliciously authentic. I was relieved to see that the main ingredients were always basic with no attempt to change them. This was done by way of the accompanying sauces which perfectly complimented the excellently done dishes.

My first impression was correct: relaxed yet elegant dining, with service to match, it was most definitely worth the effort. I am curious to go back one evening, to check out the vibe.

It's on the expensive end of the food scale, but you must go, the food is worth it. A walk around Soho on an early Saturday afternoon can be fun too-amongst other things, there are some interesting book shops!

The dishes are around £10-£12 each. Expect to pay around £40pp incl service, excluding drinks.

NOPI, 22 Warwick Street, London W1B 5NE, Tel: 020 7494 9585 www.nopi-restaurant.com