NOPI

I have been somewhat lacking in the review department recently. No more. More than two weeks have elapsed since I visited NOPI, Yotam Ottolenghi's flagship Soho restaurant, but I remember its Mediterranean flavours vividly. NOPI is a lovely little restaurant with a hint of glitz and glamour (white napkins offset with golden banding) that affords a suitable setting for the sophisticated dishes on offer.

I started with aubergine, whipped feta and aleppo-spiced cashews, a delightfully soft and comforting dish with a textural crunch provided by the nuts. The only problem I have with the dish is quantity, and this carries throughout the meal. I'll visit this in due course.

For my next, I had the mung bean curry with ladopita and braised leeks. The spice blend that carried through the curry was wonderfully complex, each mouthful continuing to unveil the dishes secrets.

To finish, I had the hazelnut ice cream with chilli-infused chocolate ganache. The ice cream was fairly standard, but the chocolate ganache was too bitter (too high a cocoa content) to work well with the ice cream, the chilli infusion being practically absent.

Overall, a good meal, and a return visit is in order to sample the many other interesting dishes on offer. That being said, the dishes are noticeably smell, despite their aesthetic appeal. When the meal is coming to £60 for three courses, I expect more bang for my buck.

Value for money? £60 for three courses. Despite them being small, the flavours are interesting, so I would say break even.

Would I return? Yes!