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Reviews or Comments for 'Ottolenghi Restaurant' (11)
When I recently left my job, my colleagues very generously clubbed together to buy me a gift voucher for Ottolenghi. I was extremely touched by the gesture and nearly shed a little tear when I opened the envelope. Filled with excitement I booked the table asap; a side table to be precise, as I’d heard about the communal seating arrangements, which are really not my cup of tea. I wanted to enjoy a romantic meal with Chris and also to sneak some photos of the food without attracting any attention although, I warn you now – Ottolenghi is dark. Romantic yes, good for photos, no. Get your imaginations limbered up ready, you’re going to need them.
The prices at first looked very reasonable – between £9.80 and £10.80 for a hot dish ‘from the kitchen’ and £6.80 and £8.80 for a cold dish ‘from the counter’. That is, until you notice the teeny writing at the bottom which states that you need to order 3 dishes per person to create a full dinner. I would say the plates are bigger than tapas but a wee bit smaller than a starter. Having the voucher though, we had no sense of restraint whatsoever and dove straight in with gusto, ordering nine dishes between the two of us. “I really think that might be a bit much for two people” the waitress advised. Oh, how we laughed (on the inside), and then informed her we would have no problem polishing off every last morsel. It was reassuring however that she did speak up rather than just letting us spend more money on food we might not be able to eat.
Firstly, the bread at Ottolenghi deserves special mention, particularly the corn bread. The other varieties were duly dunked in the bowl of grassy olive oil provided but that corn bread was the one we really savoured and squabbled over. It was cakey and slightly sweet, yet savoury and delicately spiked with chilli; I could have eaten half a loaf, no trouble. That crusty looking bit on the bottom is cheese by the way. Unfortunately the waitress didn’t know which type; she suggested Parmesan but I’m not totally convinced.
The nine dishes we ordered then arrived, tapas style, in waves. Here’s a few of the highlights.
Scallops with grapefruit and morcilla were beautifully charred on the outside and so absolutely, precisely on the cusp between cooked and raw within. The silky nuggets sat atop a punchy gremolata, which was balanced by sweet pink grapefruit. It came with a disappointingly small sliver of morcilla that was aiming for crispy but erring on the side of burnt, which was a shame. The dish was otherwise perfect.
That purple coloured blob you can see in the foreground of the above picture was Chris’s favourite dish overall: braised rabbit leg with Jerusalem artichoke purée, caramelised fig and orange and star anise reduction. The rabbit and anise worked in happy harmony as always; each piece coated in the sticky, spice scented, citrus-sweet sauce. The Jerusalem artichoke purée was the real stunner on this plate though. Somehow, someone had managed to wring out the very essence of artichoke into that purée; Chris described it as, “like walking into a wood shed that has been shut for 10 years.” You know, in a good way. Some accompanying caramelised figs sounded promising but were a total let down, being slightly unpleasant in texture due to a really hard caramel coating.
Other noteworthy dishes included the super soft rare beef fillet with a coriander and mustard sauce which was bursting with fresh herby flavour and I made a mental note to re-create it and drizzle it over something like a beef dopiaza. Eating the beef with the grassy flavour from the coriander sauce was like eating the cow with what the cow had been eating; it just seemed to make sense.
Crispy pork belly arrived with two apple-y accompaniments; one a sweet, slightly sharp apple and thyme chutney and the other a refreshing salad of crisp golden delicious apples and mustard cress. You can see that our meal was a little meat heavy overall although my favourite dish of the evening was the aubergine with miso, which is honestly what that blob is in the last picture above. The miso dressing was intense and really brought out the meatyness (probably why I loved it) of the silky smooth aubergine without overpowering one bit. I could have eaten a whole plateful and I’m considering going back for lunch to do exactly that.
The one salad we did order turned out to be the only disappointment of our meal. The combination of peaches, goat cheese and balsamic-orange blossom dressing sounded like a sure fire winner but was lacking in the skilful balance which was so evident in all the other dishes. What actually happened was that the ingredients combined to produce the unmistakable sweet, synthetic flavour of…bubblegum. That’s quite an achievement in it’s own right I suppose, but nevertheless not what I want from my dinner. Quite extraordinary.
Overall, we were incredibly impressed with Ottolenghi. The gift from my colleagues allowed me to relax and not worry about the cost, which of course enhanced my enjoyment of the meal no end. Otherwise, the place was filled with people who were either a) clearly rich or famous (best sleb spot of the night: Paul Whitehouse) b) wining and dining clients or c) wealthy families with a gaggle of small children in tow. The place was filled with kids, including one who made it her sole purpose to stare at us and our food throughout the entire 1 1/2 hours we were there. I went from trying to engage the child through trying to ignore her and then eventually on to considering dealing her a clip round the ear.
Don’t let that put you off though, the food is excellent – un-fussed, confident and pretty as a picture (you’ll have to take my word on that bit). At the end we were truly stuffed (we did eat enough for three people) and decided to skip desserts in favour of coffee and Armagnac, then waddled off into the night contented and vowing to return for lunch to try a few more dishes without breaking the bank. I’d like to see a branch of Ottolenghi closer to me daaahn Saaarf but then, it’s not really an Ottolenghi kind of location down here, is it daaahling.
The prices at first looked very reasonable – between £9.80 and £10.80 for a hot dish ‘from the kitchen’ and £6.80 and £8.80 for a cold dish ‘from the counter’. That is, until you notice the teeny writing at the bottom which states that you need to order 3 dishes per person to create a full dinner. I would say the plates are bigger than tapas but a wee bit smaller than a starter. Having the voucher though, we had no sense of restraint whatsoever and dove straight in with gusto, ordering nine dishes between the two of us. “I really think that might be a bit much for two people” the waitress advised. Oh, how we laughed (on the inside), and then informed her we would have no problem polishing off every last morsel. It was reassuring however that she did speak up rather than just letting us spend more money on food we might not be able to eat.
Firstly, the bread at Ottolenghi deserves special mention, particularly the corn bread. The other varieties were duly dunked in the bowl of grassy olive oil provided but that corn bread was the one we really savoured and squabbled over. It was cakey and slightly sweet, yet savoury and delicately spiked with chilli; I could have eaten half a loaf, no trouble. That crusty looking bit on the bottom is cheese by the way. Unfortunately the waitress didn’t know which type; she suggested Parmesan but I’m not totally convinced.
The nine dishes we ordered then arrived, tapas style, in waves. Here’s a few of the highlights.
Scallops with grapefruit and morcilla were beautifully charred on the outside and so absolutely, precisely on the cusp between cooked and raw within. The silky nuggets sat atop a punchy gremolata, which was balanced by sweet pink grapefruit. It came with a disappointingly small sliver of morcilla that was aiming for crispy but erring on the side of burnt, which was a shame. The dish was otherwise perfect.
That purple coloured blob you can see in the foreground of the above picture was Chris’s favourite dish overall: braised rabbit leg with Jerusalem artichoke purée, caramelised fig and orange and star anise reduction. The rabbit and anise worked in happy harmony as always; each piece coated in the sticky, spice scented, citrus-sweet sauce. The Jerusalem artichoke purée was the real stunner on this plate though. Somehow, someone had managed to wring out the very essence of artichoke into that purée; Chris described it as, “like walking into a wood shed that has been shut for 10 years.” You know, in a good way. Some accompanying caramelised figs sounded promising but were a total let down, being slightly unpleasant in texture due to a really hard caramel coating.
Other noteworthy dishes included the super soft rare beef fillet with a coriander and mustard sauce which was bursting with fresh herby flavour and I made a mental note to re-create it and drizzle it over something like a beef dopiaza. Eating the beef with the grassy flavour from the coriander sauce was like eating the cow with what the cow had been eating; it just seemed to make sense.
Crispy pork belly arrived with two apple-y accompaniments; one a sweet, slightly sharp apple and thyme chutney and the other a refreshing salad of crisp golden delicious apples and mustard cress. You can see that our meal was a little meat heavy overall although my favourite dish of the evening was the aubergine with miso, which is honestly what that blob is in the last picture above. The miso dressing was intense and really brought out the meatyness (probably why I loved it) of the silky smooth aubergine without overpowering one bit. I could have eaten a whole plateful and I’m considering going back for lunch to do exactly that.
The one salad we did order turned out to be the only disappointment of our meal. The combination of peaches, goat cheese and balsamic-orange blossom dressing sounded like a sure fire winner but was lacking in the skilful balance which was so evident in all the other dishes. What actually happened was that the ingredients combined to produce the unmistakable sweet, synthetic flavour of…bubblegum. That’s quite an achievement in it’s own right I suppose, but nevertheless not what I want from my dinner. Quite extraordinary.
Overall, we were incredibly impressed with Ottolenghi. The gift from my colleagues allowed me to relax and not worry about the cost, which of course enhanced my enjoyment of the meal no end. Otherwise, the place was filled with people who were either a) clearly rich or famous (best sleb spot of the night: Paul Whitehouse) b) wining and dining clients or c) wealthy families with a gaggle of small children in tow. The place was filled with kids, including one who made it her sole purpose to stare at us and our food throughout the entire 1 1/2 hours we were there. I went from trying to engage the child through trying to ignore her and then eventually on to considering dealing her a clip round the ear.
Don’t let that put you off though, the food is excellent – un-fussed, confident and pretty as a picture (you’ll have to take my word on that bit). At the end we were truly stuffed (we did eat enough for three people) and decided to skip desserts in favour of coffee and Armagnac, then waddled off into the night contented and vowing to return for lunch to try a few more dishes without breaking the bank. I’d like to see a branch of Ottolenghi closer to me daaahn Saaarf but then, it’s not really an Ottolenghi kind of location down here, is it daaahling.
On Saturday night we set off towards Angel with much excitement about eating at Ottolenghi where I have been eager to dine for some time now.
I managed to nab a booking, via email late on Friday for 6:30 the following day for 4 people. Upon arrival the waitress denied all knowledge of any booking and asked whether I had a print out of the confirmation email. Three emails in fact I had received but printed none however I remembered the persons name, Basia, a detail which drew blank looks when offered.
It didn’t look good, a full restaurant and apparently no booking. We were offered a table at the bar area, for 2 not 4 and were informed that should we accept we would be taking a table that the manager would usually sit at to eat her dinner, for this we should have been grateful?
In the end, after all this, they managed to find a table for the 4 of us. We settled down with a bottle of merlot and ordered one dish from the counter and one from the kitchen each.
I started with the Grilled Aubergine with walnuts and pomegranate. When I had my first forkful, I was delighted with the taste combination. I would never have dreamed up this amalgamation of flavours and textures. The soft aubergine was perfectly complemented by the crunch of the walnuts and the sweet pop of the pomegranate seeds. I loved this.
Thomas had the Beef which was melt in the mouth tender and faultless.
The presentation of the dishes is appealing to the eye, Fabi was pleased with the Butternut Squash from the counter and Svenja had the Spicy Aubergine.
When the dished from the Kitchen arrived I think we were all a little taken aback by the portion sizes, considering the prices they are very much on the small side. Having said that everything I tried was delicious and so worth the price when considering the quality and freshness of the ingredients.
My main dish was the Monkfish with Chorizo and Mango which was probably the smallest of them all. The tartness of the mango and piquancy of the chorizo did overshadow the monkfish which did not really hold it’s own.
Thomas’ Duck main was more pleasing served with Cashews, Sweet Potato Puree and Pak Choi. The duck was cooked perfectly and the dish was much more rounded with meat, carb and vegetable elements to it but again, the portion was disappointingly small. Fabi too went for the duck.
Svenja was particularly pleased with her from the kitchen dish of Mushroom Pearl Barley. It’s interesting how barley is being used instead of rice more and more these days. On a visit to Saf last year I had a Pearl Barley Risotto, I have always loved it in casseroles and stews and welcome the less traditional use of it in other types of dishes.
The only good thing that can be said about the diddy sizes of the dishes from the kitchen is that there is of course room left for dessert. The array of sweet treats is the first thing to greet diners upon arrival with displays of cakes, pastries and meringues at the front of the restaurant.
Between us we had the Carrot and Walnut Cake, Chocolate Torte, Toffee and Macadamia Nut Cheesecake and a Fruit Tarte. They were all very good with special mention reserved for the Cheesecake, in my opinion the finest of those we tried.
The idea of this place in hindsight is to get a number or dishes to share, this would be much more sensible but didn’t seem obvious looking at the menu. The salads looked glorious too on the front counters and I only wished there was a branch in central London so that I could pay a visit come lunchtime. It was a suitable venue to celebrate Earth Hour but considering the booking mix up, and the fact that we were given the wrong bill (and subsequently charged a further £50, taking the price per head, with wine and service to £35) means that I probably shall not hurry back for dinner.
I managed to nab a booking, via email late on Friday for 6:30 the following day for 4 people. Upon arrival the waitress denied all knowledge of any booking and asked whether I had a print out of the confirmation email. Three emails in fact I had received but printed none however I remembered the persons name, Basia, a detail which drew blank looks when offered.
It didn’t look good, a full restaurant and apparently no booking. We were offered a table at the bar area, for 2 not 4 and were informed that should we accept we would be taking a table that the manager would usually sit at to eat her dinner, for this we should have been grateful?
In the end, after all this, they managed to find a table for the 4 of us. We settled down with a bottle of merlot and ordered one dish from the counter and one from the kitchen each.
I started with the Grilled Aubergine with walnuts and pomegranate. When I had my first forkful, I was delighted with the taste combination. I would never have dreamed up this amalgamation of flavours and textures. The soft aubergine was perfectly complemented by the crunch of the walnuts and the sweet pop of the pomegranate seeds. I loved this.
Thomas had the Beef which was melt in the mouth tender and faultless.
The presentation of the dishes is appealing to the eye, Fabi was pleased with the Butternut Squash from the counter and Svenja had the Spicy Aubergine.
When the dished from the Kitchen arrived I think we were all a little taken aback by the portion sizes, considering the prices they are very much on the small side. Having said that everything I tried was delicious and so worth the price when considering the quality and freshness of the ingredients.
My main dish was the Monkfish with Chorizo and Mango which was probably the smallest of them all. The tartness of the mango and piquancy of the chorizo did overshadow the monkfish which did not really hold it’s own.
Thomas’ Duck main was more pleasing served with Cashews, Sweet Potato Puree and Pak Choi. The duck was cooked perfectly and the dish was much more rounded with meat, carb and vegetable elements to it but again, the portion was disappointingly small. Fabi too went for the duck.
Svenja was particularly pleased with her from the kitchen dish of Mushroom Pearl Barley. It’s interesting how barley is being used instead of rice more and more these days. On a visit to Saf last year I had a Pearl Barley Risotto, I have always loved it in casseroles and stews and welcome the less traditional use of it in other types of dishes.
The only good thing that can be said about the diddy sizes of the dishes from the kitchen is that there is of course room left for dessert. The array of sweet treats is the first thing to greet diners upon arrival with displays of cakes, pastries and meringues at the front of the restaurant.
Between us we had the Carrot and Walnut Cake, Chocolate Torte, Toffee and Macadamia Nut Cheesecake and a Fruit Tarte. They were all very good with special mention reserved for the Cheesecake, in my opinion the finest of those we tried.
The idea of this place in hindsight is to get a number or dishes to share, this would be much more sensible but didn’t seem obvious looking at the menu. The salads looked glorious too on the front counters and I only wished there was a branch in central London so that I could pay a visit come lunchtime. It was a suitable venue to celebrate Earth Hour but considering the booking mix up, and the fact that we were given the wrong bill (and subsequently charged a further £50, taking the price per head, with wine and service to £35) means that I probably shall not hurry back for dinner.
Ottolenghi is a strange beast, I refer to the Islington branch as it is the only one I have visited. I have been twice so far and am not sure I will go back. Both times we went before going to see a play at the Almeida (this time, Parlour Song, which we both thought was awful but which everyone else seemed to find hilarious) as it seemed to suit a pre theatre type dinner, what with it's cafe style tables and piles of food on the counters.
The decor is all white, the waiters attractive and clad in black. There are several long shared tables in the centre of the restaurant and other smaller, bookable tables around the side. The menu is divided into 'From the Counter' (cold) and 'From the Kitchen' (hot). From the Counter dishes cost between £6 and £8 and From the Kitchen cost about £10 on average. Dishes are 'for sharing' which means that they are small and you have to order a lot, they recommend about 3 each.
There is nothing wrong with this concept it is just that really what it means is cold food and hot food and I slightly resent the tarted up labels. Particularly as when you order a hot dish the waiter leans in and says 'that dish is From The Kitchen and will take a little longer, we will bring it when it is ready (ie not with the rest of the food) is that ok?'. And I suppose it is ok, it's just that what they mean is that they are going to cook it and bring it when it is cooked, which is what usually happens when you go to a restaurant.
The food itself is very good. As a vegetarian you are basically getting small plates of vegetables, but they are very well seasoned, inventively presented vegetables, green beans with chili jam, ricotta stuffed courgette flowers, griddled courgette with artichoke and black lentils. All delicious. However, there is also something unsatisfying about it all. Probably because it is well cooked, simple buffet/tapas style food presented as a 'concept'. And it is expensive for what it is. £8 for a plate of green beans, however delicious, seems like a lot.
I want to like Ottolenghi, which is why I went back, and I think I would like it better if they were a little more honest about what they were serving and presented themselves in a less earnest and aspirational way.
The decor is all white, the waiters attractive and clad in black. There are several long shared tables in the centre of the restaurant and other smaller, bookable tables around the side. The menu is divided into 'From the Counter' (cold) and 'From the Kitchen' (hot). From the Counter dishes cost between £6 and £8 and From the Kitchen cost about £10 on average. Dishes are 'for sharing' which means that they are small and you have to order a lot, they recommend about 3 each.
There is nothing wrong with this concept it is just that really what it means is cold food and hot food and I slightly resent the tarted up labels. Particularly as when you order a hot dish the waiter leans in and says 'that dish is From The Kitchen and will take a little longer, we will bring it when it is ready (ie not with the rest of the food) is that ok?'. And I suppose it is ok, it's just that what they mean is that they are going to cook it and bring it when it is cooked, which is what usually happens when you go to a restaurant.
The food itself is very good. As a vegetarian you are basically getting small plates of vegetables, but they are very well seasoned, inventively presented vegetables, green beans with chili jam, ricotta stuffed courgette flowers, griddled courgette with artichoke and black lentils. All delicious. However, there is also something unsatisfying about it all. Probably because it is well cooked, simple buffet/tapas style food presented as a 'concept'. And it is expensive for what it is. £8 for a plate of green beans, however delicious, seems like a lot.
I want to like Ottolenghi, which is why I went back, and I think I would like it better if they were a little more honest about what they were serving and presented themselves in a less earnest and aspirational way.
This restaurant ticks all the boxes. The decor is simple yet beautiful, and the long tables encourage interaction with your fellow diners. The first time I went there we ended up talking to the groups on both sides. Our waiter turned out to be a part time opera singer and serenaded the birthday girl next to us. What a lovely birthday surprise. The food is just fabulous, tapas but not as we know it. The menu is adventurous and unusual with some amazing combinations, with bread to die for. There's only one thing wrong. It's really hard to get a table!
Too pricey for tapas!Food nice but far too pricey for a 100gm portion costing �7 to �10 each - the menu shamelessly advises that one needs 2 or 3 dishes. Huh I needed a bag of chips afterwards!
17-04-2007
Kieren Brown, MyVillage
Upon entering Ottolenghi, the first thing this reporter noticed was its d�cor of which the best word to describe is simply chic and minimalist. Not a half assed and sloppy �interior designer is a talentless hack with no real artistic flair� kind of minimalist but a �we�ve conveyed everything we need to about what this cool restaurant is about without needing to go crazy with unnecessary BS� minimalist. It seemed like a very nice little place and I liked it, I liked it a lot.The staff were also very friendly, I mean super friendly, charity shop volunteer type friendly! My polite, upbeat, softly spoken and warm smiled waitress possessed an almost sociopathic need to make my stay in her place of business an amazing one. This seriously made a much welcome change from the �I�m not interested in who you are, being nice, prompt, civil or doing even the slightest thing to enhance the pleasure of your dining experience but will still have the gaul to expect a tip at the end of the evening� sobs I�ve had the pleasure of secretly salivating in my gruel in days past..This was a woman who genuinely honest to God looked upset when she had to tell me that they were out of my order for that evening. Either a brilliant actress or a modern day Florence Nightingale, but either way I was touched to the core. Now last but believe you me most certainly not least, we have the cuisine. In honesty it�s not exactly cheapest in the world (my medium sized meal cost me precisely �27.50) but then it�s not the most extortionate either and it�s painstakingly crafted by some of the most talented chefs I�ve come across in my admittedly humble quarter century years. I opted for the triple threat meal of Crispy pork belly served with mouth watering red plum, roast beef with red peppers, and pan friend spicy king prawns with parsnip and lemon burnt butter. Loosely put I was still licking my fingers all the way home.To summarise I can�t really recommend Ottolenghi to you enough. If you�ve never been there before then I suggest you take immediate action to right this terrible wrong. If you are fortunate to have previously sampled their culinary delights then by all means go again and again and immerse yourself in a dining experience worthy of society�s elite. My greatest regret in life is that God didn�t bless me with an extra arm and hand with which to give this place a necessary and greatly deserved three thumbs up.The food is great.The staff are safe.It�s all together, a really nice placeBon apetit
15-04-2007
Barnsbury bit of Ruff
Visted this restaurant on Friday night. Had the most beautiful food served in spotless surrounds by a super efficient waitress. I�m in love with all three.
10-03-2006
Roifield MyVillage
The creme de la creme of sandwich shops, sorry delis! Superb food always fresh made from the best ingredients complimented with killer service. The restaurant has a fantastic buzz in the evenings. It will leave a large whole in your pocket though so beware.
07-03-2006
Helen
"I have been there repeatedly and the food is simply beautiful. The seasoning is perfect the ingredients supreme and the flavour outstanding. Prices are a little on the dear side but the staff is friendly helpful and always at hand. I would highly recommend Ottolenghi for breakfast, lunch and dinner."
07-03-2006
g
"Absolutely delicious - from the corn bread to the chocolate brownies. Each dish was bursting with flavours. "
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