Nopi London - The Perfect Feast to Bring Everyone Together

Ottolenghi

London

You may have heard of Nopi London. If not, then you’re sure to have come across its owner, Yotam Ottolenghi. A familiar face on UK TV and further afield for his hugely popular cookbooks and recurring food columns.

Ottolenghi is renowned for his incredible use of flavours and spices, mostly from the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean regions, but his recipes manage to marry unexpected ingredients from the world over. They contain the ingenuity to take a simple dish to surprising new levels of taste.

His restaurants, as you might expect, are no different. The food is flavourful to the point of outrageous deliciousness. You’ll find yourself questioning just how humble ingredients can look this good on a plate and taste so good on your palate.

Vegetable Enthusiast

But our favourite aspect of the Ottolenghi cooking world? His careful attention and consideration of the vegetables he cooks. Although not a vegetarian himself or a vegetarian only cook, he does have some vegetarian cookbooks and his restaurants – while they do serve meat and fish, are still considered meccas for vegetarians.

Ottolenghi’s restaurants are a shining example of this approach. Nopi is self-described as a restaurant that “celebrates bold flavours” and the vegetarian dishes reflect that as much as any carnivore dish.

Just off busy Regent Street you’ll find the restaurant itself has a distinctly classy atmosphere but without feeling over-the-top and snooty. You can relax into a cosy table under the soft lighting and feel perfectly comfortable.

Unless you’re a food buff there will be a few dishes on the menu that you haven’t eaten anything like elsewhere. At Nopi you can expect a seasonal burrata dish, an eclectic mix of inspired veg dishes, and exceptional cocktails.

Fresh on Your Mind

With a menu that changes often, new dishes appear regularly. Keeping things fresh and calling out to you to come back and try new concoctions they’ve created.

While not the best choice if you’re holding tight to your purse strings (a main costs upwards of £25 and a small plate in the region of £15), it is highly recommended for a special occasion. The type when you want the food to be as memorable as the celebration itself.

In a city filled with excellent restaurants it is a more than worthy option to choose. Especially if you’re dining with those who are of the meat-eating ilk or the opposite, entirely vegan. Much like Ottolenghi’s skill at coalescing flavours, the sharing dishes and side plates at Nopi will bring everyone together at the table in perfect harmony.