London: Nopi, an Ottolenghi restaurant in SoHo

Nopi is the restaurant of the celebrated chef and cookbook writer, Ottolenghi.  It is the sort of place to arrive by black cab like the one in the photo in front of its SoHo location.  We didn't arrive that way.  We took a red double decker bus.  Just as iconic and cheaper. 

My sister Chris had kindly offered to take us to Ottolenghi.  We had intended to stroll there from Covent Garden but, as so often happens, took longer than planned.  So when we looked at the time, my sister phoned ahead to check they would be open and have a table.  We hopped on the next bus, rode past Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus to SoHo where we were warmly welcomed at Nopi.  What a dream journey!

I was so excited to be at an Ottolenghi restaurant.  I own one of his cookbooks, regularly read his recipe column in the Guardian newspaper and have loved tasting his recipes. I have read of his restaurants in London but never had the chance to eat there.  Sylvia was less keen but came along.

Upon entering, our coats were hung up for us at the front desk where many Nopi cookbooks were on display together with a dish of red chillis.  Our eye then was drawn to the impressive vase of flowers on a curved golden bench.  Many other Ottolenghi cookbooks were more coyly shelved in a hidey hole in the in the bench under the vase.  Chris told us that before the pandemic, the bench was like a salad bar where you could see before you purchased.

Ottolenghi is famous for beautifully presented plates of vegetables with innovative and fascinating flavours.  These are often a fusion of influences from cuisines around the world, often including a taste of Israel, where he was born and raised.  His restaurant dishes are intended for sharing, which suited us.  Chris loves visiting Nopi when she comes to London and was quite familiar with many of the dishes. She says she rarely looks at the Fish, Meat and Mains sections of the menu.  With her guidance, we ordered a selection from the Nibbles, Veg, and Sides sections.

The first dish to arrive was the Nopi bread board with Kalamata olive oil (£6.50).  As expected it was a magnificent bread, thickly cut with a chewy crust, a dense tender crumb with splendid air bubbles which signal it has risen well.  The olive oil in a bowl on the side was quite flavourful but you had to dip deep to get the most of the seasoning.

To drink we ordered the Evergreen: Barberries, lemon peel, green tea syrup, soda water (£5.50).  This was a nice light refreshing drink that Sylvia and I shared. 

The other Starter we ordered was a Chickpea tofu with coconut chutney and chilli oil (£7).  This was one of Sylvia and my favourite dishes.  I am a fan of chickpea tofu and this one was crisp on the outside with soft besan inside and lots of great herby nutty flavours in the chutney as well as the gentle spiciness of the oil.

I had really looked forward to the Aubergine with black garlic, pomegranate, pine nuts (£14).  As expected the aubergine was perfectly cooked so it melted in the house and I loved the juicy pomegranates and crunchy nuts.  I was less keen on the aubergine being cold with yoghurt.  But it was overall an impressive dish and a favourite of Chris's.

One of Sylvia's favourite dish was my least favourite.  Though I have to admit that the Burrata with quince, hibiscus and fig leaf vinaigrette and coriander seeds (£16) was astoundingly pretty.  Sylvia had been really keen to try burrata.  Although we had had it spread on pizza in Rome, she had not had it as a ball that oozes when you cut into it.  She loved it served this way but I found it too rich and creamy for me.  I did love the sweet quince and intense vinaigrette on the side.

Our main problem with the bread was that it was only three slices.  Generous slices.  But not enough to mop up all the burrata and sauces.  So we ordered more.

My other favourite dish was the Char siu cauliflower, lemongrass, cucumber (£15).  It was unlike anything I had eaten before, possibly because this Asian barbecuing technique is more likely to be applied to pork than vegetables.  The tender cauliflower florets with barbecued to a dark red with an intense spicy, salty, sweet sauce.  They were perfect served with the chunks of cucumber and a mild creamy sauce that coated the plate.  I could have eaten a large plate of this.

The last dish to arrive was the only one that we had ordered from the Sides selection: Baharat-buttered new potatoes with tarragon (£7.80).  The potatoes were wonderfully hot and crispy with the spiced butter, and of course cooked through to perfection. Sylvia was not keen but Chris and I loved them.

When ordering, Chris asked what the Baharat was and we were amused by the waiters scrabbling about to provide us with some precise information from an ingredients sheet.  I can't remember their explanation but according to a quick online search it is a popular Middle Eastern spice mix that can be slight different according to region.  It is described by Ottolenghi as being black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, cumin, cardamom and nutmeg. 

Then we had the obligatory walk to the toilets.  Sometimes it is worth it just to see more of a restaurant.  The toilets were worth visiting to see the mind blowing maze of mirrors that could make it difficult to find a door out.  It was also great that the walk went past the kitchen so you could see the chefs at work.  I would have loved to have seen Ottolenghi there but I knew it was unlikely because he is a busy man with eight restaurants/delis in London, a cookbook empire and newspaper columns.

Also in the basement was a large shared table.  Chris said it was set for the staff meal.  I can just imagine the joy and bonhomie and wonderful array of colourful foods that might be the setting for a group of people celebrating another day producing excellent food!

It was a great thrill to eat at Ottolenghi's SoHo restaurant with my sister and daughter.  Sylvia was less excited but I hope she will come to appreciate the experience more in years to come.  Chris then walked us down to Liberty, intent on us seeing one of London's amazingly stylish department stores.  She did not come in because she had to head to the airport for her plane home.  It was great to see her in London.  We had a lovely time with her and appreciated her enthusiasm and generosity in sharing some of her favourite parts of the city.

Nopi
21-22 Warwick Street, SoHo
London W1B 5NE
https://ottolenghi.co.uk/restaurants/nopi