This is a chronicle of the process that led to NOPI. Over a few months we have been offering glimpses into key points in the restaurant's making, trying to reveal our moments of crisis, times of heightened emotions and every-day aspects of this wonderful creation. We now continue telling the story with our newly-born, very-real restaurant.
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On busy evening services, it’s become something of a dedicated habit of mine to stop & observe Donata at work for a few seconds- a kind of express meditation. The muted speed of her knife, her effortless cool, spot-on balance of flavours and textures are inspiring, calming and downright fun to watch. At the risk of gushing, she injects such delicate precision into her work. Be sure to stay hello to her next time you’re in.
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18/02: The beauty of what we do working in a restaurant is meeting new people all the time and the familiarity that grows with our guests as they dine with us again and again.
The same can be said for the wines on our menu. We are currently trying some delicious and exciting new prospects to add to the tried and tested favourites.Cut to resident winos Albi & Gal hard at work drinking wine and shaking heads upward/downwards for yes and left/right for no.So, as heard on the proverbial grape vine, we may or may not have the best rose in the world soon and an exciting new bio-dynamic Austrian gruner. Breath bated, wine glass polished, ready to taste. -
Valentine’s day menu - 14 February 2013
£55 per person
amuse bouche / dishes to share / dessert/ truffle
Meat
Twice-cooked baby chicken, lemon myrtle salt, chilli sauce
Roast sirloin, spinach, samphire, Belper Knolle
Venison, caramelised yoghurt, blackberries, peanut crumble
Five spice lamb sweetbreads, carrot purée, horseradish cream
Fish
Seared prawns, Pernod, white oregano, feta
Wild sea bass, urid dahl, bergamot oil
Seared scallops, apple and daikon salad, chilli jam
Steamed Norwegian halibut, vine leaf, trottolino peppers
Veg
Burrata, clementine, coriander seeds
Roasted aubergine, black garlic, chilli, broad beans, basil
Sweet potato, date pickle, mint yoghurt, pecan
French beans, sugar snaps, peas, shiitake mushroom, shallots, miso dressing
Salsify, wattleseeds, Parmesan, burnt butter
Courgette and manouri fritters, cardamom yoghurt
Valdeón cheesecake, pickled beetroot, hazelnut, thyme honey
puddings
Chocolate, spicy hazelnut, orange oil
Cardamom rice pudding, rose syrup, pistachio
Pomegranate mess, strawberry sorbet, meringue, sumac, rose syrup
Popcorn ice cream, caramel and black pepper popcorn
Fennel seed, apple, celery sorbet
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31/1: The NOPI meringue is much like a little sister to the Ottolenghi meringue. However, unlike the latter - perched at the shop window as it idly watches the world go by- ours is dainty, rosy, and well on its way to possibly the happiest place on earth: the strawberry and pomegranate mess.
It’s one of Yotam’s moments of simple genius and we love it. Katrina, our new pastry chef, definitely agrees. -
16/1: Matteo’s first run in with a dragon fruit: a moment of wonderment and a meditation of the physical being. Quite heavy stuff!
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10/1: Since our first paper table cloth was laid at NOPI two years ago, we’ve seen everything doodled upon then, from love hearts to Christmas trees to apparently-homicidal crocodiles. This little gem particularly made us smile during an otherwise-energetic Saturday lunch service. So we thought we’d share it with the world. To all the bright and beautiful days indeed and to all the worlds envisaged over a table for two.
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3/1: At NOPI, we’ll use any excuse to combine two of our loves: the pomegranate and our taste for a strong tipple. Queue the cocktail competition! Clementine juice, sumac and gingseng spirit were just a few of the flavours experimented with, but the winner: a pomegranate and Szechuan cracker-of-a-cocktail with Appleton rum! Good work Lukasz… .
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New Years Eve menu
Dinner Menu - 31 December 2012
£75 per person
amuse bouche / dishes to share / dessert/ truffle
Burrata, clementine, coriander seeds
Roasted aubergine, black garlic, chilli, broad beans, basil
Butternut squash, tomato ginger jam, lime yoghurt
French beans, sugar snaps, peas, shiitake mushroom, shallots, miso dressing
Chargrilled broccolini, skordalia, chilli oil
Courgette and manouri fritters, cardamom yoghurt
Valdeón cheesecake, pickled beetroot, hazelnut, thyme honey
Sea bream, fresh coconut, mint, peanuts
Poached sea bass, tomato essence
Seared scallops, apple salad, chilli jam
Steamed Norwegian halibut, vine leaf, trottolino peppers
Twice-cooked baby chicken, lemon myrtle salt, chilli sauce
Roast sirloin, baby fennel, truffle vinaigrette, Belper Knolle
Slow cooked pig cheek, celeriac, barberry salad
Five spice lamb sweetbreads, carrot purée, horseradish cream
Mincemeat strudel, rum ice cream
Coffee pecan financiers, maple cream
Caramel and roasted peanut ice cream, chocolate sauce
Pear poached in white wine and cardamom
Blackcurrant sorbet, cassis liqueur
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12/12: Happy New Year? Almost. But we are ready for it. There’s an exciting menu with all sorts: old classics like the slow cooked pig cheeks or new French beans, with shiitake mushroom and miso dressing.
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Carlos, hot stove chef and can cook whatever you like.
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Luke (king of the pass), Rodrigo (mostly prepping and feeding everybody) and Ainars (“worth his weight in gold”, Basia)
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Francis, hairy sous.
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Kitchen Mark, almost left but then stayed.
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Admin Noemie (also online shop wizard) and Manageros Basia (on the phone, much of the time)
30/11: Introducing some of NOPI’s devoted staff, by name.
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7/10: After criminal neglect to update this blog, we promise to compensate with a stream of food porn from the current menu.
