Food Miles

This new Ottolenghi place is all about getting the right balance: it is busy but with a laid-back atmosphere; the Middle Eastern and Asian food is rich and yet refreshes and revives; its décor is bright white but without being dazzling; it is tiled without seeming cold; we had to wait for a table but not for long.

And if you do need to wait for your table, or your companion, there are benches outside so you don't have to stand about awkwardly fiddling with your watch or rechecking your mobile. Instead you can sit down, tilt your head back and let your eyes close while you think about just how much of life there sometimes seems to be.

I was in this exact state when my friend François arrived, and it was here that our first drink was brought. Half a glass later we were ushered in. There had been talk of us sitting at the bar in the long, smart ground-floor room, but we were led to the basement, which houses two canteen tables and the open kitchen, and sat at the corner of one of the tables. 'Such good tiling,' François said admiringly and, as it turned out, regularly. The shelves along one wall are packed with ingredients and occasionally someone chef-like would rummage about for an onion or two.

The menu consists of seven share-friendly options for each type of dish: vegetable, fish, meat and sweets. At François's suggestion, we each chose
one dish of every type. François had the aubergine tart with goat's cheese and I had the summer tomatoes with wasabi mascarpone. These were lovely, but when the fish dishes arrived François finally stopped talking about the tiling. His silver mullet was sublime, as was
my chargrilled octopus with salmorejo sauce. Then came François's rabbit pastilla, handily sliced in two for shar-ing. I had braised pig cheeks with a tremendous sweetcorn purée.

There is a big, diverse wine list. We sampled, by which I mean happily drank, a Bellotti from Piedmont, a Kerner, a Madregale, an Austrian Pinot Noir and a Spanish Garnatxa Blanca. Puddings? But of course. A coffee pecan financier (which sounds like a niche sort of moneylender) for me and cardamom yoghurt for François. We were served by a charming chap who may well have been on his first day such were his nerves. 'Relax,' I wanted to say, 'we are definitely enjoying ourselves.'