Sat 26th September 2015

It’s finally the day! I’ve been dying to visit an Ottolenghi restaurant for a couple of years now. I found Yotam Ottolenghi an extremely fascinating chef, who moved to the UK from Isreal in 1997 with the plan to start a PhD, but ended up signing up to a six-month course at Le Cordon Bleu cookery school in London (and never looked back). Shameful to admit that we haven’t managed to make it happen—not sure why—until tonight. Tonight, my husband and I are dining at Ottolenghi Islington—finally taking advantage of a generous wedding gift from my husband’s ex-boss and his wife (thank you so much Dan and Kate!)

Some may call it a posh deli, no more than an overpriced salad bar. Yes, it has received a lukewarm review or two in the past—I’ve read them—but did not let them put me off. Boy, am I glad I didn’t. As soon as I walked in the door I was impressed by what I saw—a beautiful window display full of sweet treats—a real feast for the eyes. Don’t let the no-fuss, friendly atmosphere fool you. The setting may be somewhat casual, you may get assigned to sit at the long communal tables, shared with other guests (yes, I can see how this can be far from ideal for some). But foods here are far from simple. 15 tapas-style savoury dishes on offer tonight—7 form the counter (cold dishes); 8 from the kitchen (hot plates)—they mean serious business. All are the result of serious consideration of balanced flavours, food rooted in Ottolenghi’s native Israeli upbringing, influenced by a wider range of incredible textures and flavours from the Mediterranean, Middle East and Asia. Small portions; huge flavours.

We went for two cold dishes from the counter—roasted aubergine, and yellow fin tuna, which we paired with a beautifully balanced Sauvignon Blanc—Andreas Tscheppe’s Green Dragonfly. Both dishes were perfectly prepared, brought alive by all the fresh ingredients and interesting flavours. A particular thumbs-up to the roasted aubergine—a taste explosion—who would have thought a simple aubergine salad can be so sophisticated! From the kitchen, we chose 3 dishes: roasted pork belly, miso quail and grilled lamb cutlets. We paired these scrumptious hot plates with a couple of glasses of Barbera d’Asti, which is one of my all time favourite—a highly drinkable wine with old-world charm.

I don’t have a sweet tooth, so normally I’m someone who would opt for a starter over a dessert. Tonight, I couldn’t resist—the vast choices from the sweet table just look too luring. I cave in for the rum and chocolate fondant cake, while my husband selected a slice of their moist chocolate cake—a cake that is baked in Guinness, which makes it ultra moist! Hats off to Mr Ottolenghi. The fondant doesn’t look like a traditional fondant, and it’s definitely not hot. Yet it has the smooth velvety melting-in-your-mouth consistency of a traditional fondant, owing to the best chocolate ingredient they used and the lack of flour (they used almond instead). Clever! In my sheltered view, this is more like a indulgently rich and delicious torte and calling it a “fondant” is still a bit of a mislabel. Having said that, I’ve still thoroughly enjoyed this rich little chocolate heaven.

P.S. Awesome soap from Aēsop in the bathroom, making even hand-washing a sensational experience!

Details

Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

A meal for two (incl. 2 plates from the counter, 3 plates from the kitchen, matching wines, 1 dessert each and fresh mint tea): ~£110

Address: 287 Upper St, London N1 2TZ

Phone: 020 7288 1454