ottolenghi

i really like the food and the mixture of oriental ingredients with the english spices. the eggplant salad i ate was amazing, the seasoninggreatand the fennels were waw

the cakes always look very enticing in the window. having been put off for quite some time by the 'no reservation' tag (yet another restaurant with this most unfriendly policy) i finally went in for lunch with a friend. we had to wait for available seating and was given seating on a shared table which we agreed to, as having a table to ourselves would have meant a further 30 minute wait. the place was full on a friday lunch time and we were seated elbow to elbow in between other patrons. there is no chance of having any conversation at all, it was dreadfully noisy and uncomfortable, much like eating in a crowded canteen but with everyone squished together. we ordered the fillet of beef with two salads at £14.20.roast aubergine and roast pepper salads were our picks. unfortunately,cold salads in winter do not work at all and my tastebuds were so unexcited and dulled that i could not taste much or perhaps it's the horrible din in the restaurant. we ate our cold lunch withgreathaste and without much of a conversation. frankly,i couldn't wait to get out and get myself into a warm,cosy coffeeshop elsewhere so did not bother to order any of the cakes that i have always loved looking at by the window.
it's more of a summer eating place this and definitely not for the winter cold.i was not enamoured.

came here for dinner with friends (group of 6) and shared 12 plates, 3 desserts and a bottle of wine. everything was fantastic and came out fairly quickly despite the restaurant being full. the decor, while fairly casual and stripped back, provided an excellent atmosphere for catching up. service was impeccable with excellent wine recommendations. agreatexperience.

6/10 to describe the start of my evening at nozomi as difficult would be something of an understatement. long story short; we’re left waiting outside in the cold despite calling up to let the restaurant know that we have arrived for our 6:30pm reservation. with the doors still resolutely locked we resort to knocking, only to be sneered at by the gentleman who finally opens up. i don’t quite understand the logic behind being rude to your patrons (less so your reviewers), but maybe the super-rich like a little bitchiness with their sashimi . maybe its just knightsbridge. once guests are inside, a man with a dubious pony tail and shiny suit will swoop in to start a clunky sales pitch with the question ‘who would like a free cocktail tonight’ . this uninvited proposition ends 15 minutes later with credit card details coerced into an app. the app is foisted onto unsuspecting customers at every table as soon as bums touch seats, before menus are even given. for somewhere so blindingly expensive, it’s both tacky and outrageous. despite the lack of refinement, the kitchen has a few good moves. the special of spicy miso chilean sea bass has every right to be called so; baked to a texture so silken and pearlescent that it almost smooths over the preceding events. an orange miso glazed duck breast is also good; it’s pinkness is swathed in a sticky teriyaki sauce with a wicked citrus edge. anothergreatcombination is seen with seared, buttery soft foie gras and gloriously salty eel. i wouldn’t part with money for the wagyu ; our 150g fillet priced at £75 is intolerably overcooked and it’s grey flesh unpalatable. lobster tempura is also poorly rendered; my dining partner correctly pronouncing the flaccid sacks as ‘lobster mc’nuggets’ – yours for £48. although the kitchen is not without skill, there is definite room for improvement. if the owner can stop ill-mannered associates from negatively interacting with customers, train staff to be more fluent in the menu and cook premium

ottolenghi is always a good option for lunches and dinners with its amazing salads and meals. but, the other day i and a friend went on the islington brunch for breakfast and it was delicious. we had to endure a queue during around 20 minutes but it was worth. the breakfast menu has good options and try to escape from the expected, adding hearty meals to the offer. my friend opted for a shakshuka, a dish with eggs, peppers and tomatoes and it was delicious. i opted for a more common dish: scrambled eggs and smoked salmon. it was cooked to perfection and had a nice little salad on the side. we really enjoyed the dishes and the atmosphere. i love weekend breakfasts and it wasgreatto discover that ottolenghi is also good on this apart from its well known lunch and dinner.

i thoroughly enjoyed the food here as did the others with me. the items on the menu were rather fresh and inventive. and to top it all presented so beautifully. my personal favorites would be the eggplant dish, the tuna and the desserts. the food had somegreatflavors. the decor of the place is done in mostly white. the service was par excellence and the waiter serving us was amazing. the other server wasn't as good as him though.

you'll have to book in advance but it is worth the wait. the food this place has to offer looks amazing and tastes even better. there was a small group of us, so we ordered almost every dish on the menu, and then shared it among ourselves. it was a memorable evening and we booked a return visit then an there!greatservice, good vibe, but don't expect to keep your table for too long, as they have specific settings for that.

when i arrived at this restaurant, i was full of anticipation after hearing suchgreatfeedback and strong recommendations. the food was undeniably good. the flavours were interesting and the ingredients were high quality. however, a good experience needs more than just good food. the staff, barring one waitress, were neither hospitable nor helpful. i will definitely not be returning to this place again.

the huge name and good opinions made me try out this famous place . this place has been successfully serving customers since 2002 and i knew i had to try the place for sure. it is spacious , full- fledged place with highly trained chefs. they provide excellent service and servegreatfood. nobody ever returns disappointed.

coming from a vegetarian this place serves some really healthy and tasty food.but from seeing on my friends' plates i can safely say the non-veg items look prettygreattoo.
i have been here about four or five times, and can vouch for the desserts which are heavenly,and amazing given the uncomplicated blend of simple ingredients.
on the not so good aspects,this place isn't the cheapest option,and unsuitable for large groups.
but despite that the service is amicable and helpful.

this place scores big in the food department. the interiors are not that attractive and therefore there was zero atmosphere. but the menu is what might invite you to this place. it has a varied range of amazing innovative dishes withgreatflavors. i quite liked the size of portions here which were appropriately small and to my liking.this way you can taste many dishes without be over powered with only a few. loved the food!

there is usually a long line to wait to be able to get one of the delicious looking cakes you will see in the window. wow! they do make agreateffort in presentation. all the sweet tooth of islington will be there. there is barely any place to sit down. i just went there to get a special selection of cakes for my roommates one afternoon where i was feeling generous. the success of the cakes was immediate and the next day we came back for more. i can not afford to go there too often but if i could i would. every time i walk past this place i have to turn my head to avoid walking in and getting a few cakes. go there for a sneaky one you will not regret it.

finally my first ottolenghi experience! i flew in from australia this morning & couldn't wait to head over to islington to get ottolenghi out of my system! what agreatexperience this was for my friend & i. greeted at the door by friendly staff only to be told they'd be a minimum wait of at least 45 mins. they constantly came back & informed us of the revised wait time & didn't just forget about us. the queue was out the door and to tell you the truth i felt excited being part of it all and knew as the line moved forward i was one step closer to sampling this amazing looking food! finally sat down ordered coffee whilst we pondered over the menu - all i can say it that it was worth every minute of the wait and looking around the room everyone seemed to be savouring every mouthful of what was on their plate. would highly recommend & can't wait to try nopi this evening.

upper street and more generally angel is one of those places where choosing a restaurant is made difficult by the sheer number of options.  the dilemma is, does it follow that busy restaurants servegreatfood?  perhaps not, but there is one place where this is certainly the case; ottolenghi. opened as a delicatessen, there is a long communal table and a couple of smaller ones.  

better than expected!. it was with some trepidation that i tried dinner at ottolenghi for the first time last night. bad service, seating and price were all concerns of mine but, as it turned out, i need not have worried.

i was in a group of four at the islington branch and as i arrived, the first things which caught my eye were the cakes - beautifully crafted and bright but more of this later.. the seating arrangements are such that larger groups are accommodated at one long table as the only other options are a few tables for two down one side of this. dinner is served mezze style and you are encouraged to choose a selection and share dishes. the food is split into two columns; one is from the counter and is bought to the table cold and the other is from the kitchen and, as the name suggests, takes a little longer to arrive at the table.

i chose the tuna in a panko crust and sweet potato from the counter column and the ox cheek with polenta from the kitchen. the tuna was delicate and came with a lovely sauce, the sweet potato wedges were exquisite. i was a little worried about my choosing ox cheek from the kitchen menu as the only other time i had eaten it, the results had been gloopy, gelatinous and, to be frank, a bit gross but this time it was absolutely delicious; the sauce was rich and sweet and the meat flaked apart and was very tasty. this dish also came with a salad of what tasted like apple and perhaps cucumber and this combined very well with the meat. the only disappointing aspect was the polenta which was a little over cooked and greasy.

the service wasgreatthroughout the meal. as we took our table, it was made clear that we needed to be finished by a certain time but we never felt rushed and they were always on hand to guide if required and topped up our water throughout. as we arrived at dessert and prompted by our attentive waiter i took a stroll to admire the cakes in the window and was steered gently by a friendly waitress in the direction of the chocolate cake to finish. it came with a baileys cream and was absolutely lovely. a perfect end to a delicious meal and i have put some pictures up on the site of the dishes i chose.

it is expensive but the flavour combinations are really interesting and definitely worth it for a special occasion. i would urge all who attend to be adventurous with your choices from the menu and hopefully you will enjoy a meal as lovely as the one i had last night.