I’m no stranger to Amsterdam’s food scene; I traipse along its pretty canal streets regularly, inhaling an admirable amount of pastries while avoiding TikTok-induced queues for chips.
However, I had yet to try Nela. Meaning 'pure', the adored (perhaps not so famously, but to my amusement, by Formula One driver Lando Norris) fine dining, live-fire restaurant comes from Hari Shetty and Ori Geller, founded in partnership with British entrepreneur Gilad Hayeem. Together, the pair have two decades of experience, including Nobu and The Duchess, with the former's flair evident in a handful of seafood dishes.
After evenings spent drooling at glimpses of its flame-kissed food online, I was thrilled to find that it was launching a spot in London, bringing its signature gastronomy and handcrafted spaces to The Whitley in Bayswater.
The gorgeous interiors of Nela in London.
DesignMyNight's Review Of Nela In Bayswater
I visited only a couple of weeks after it opened in September, and was greeted with an incredibly warm welcome. It was a Tuesday night, and the restaurant was pleasantly full with a variety of diners, representing both business and pleasure, with one family dining alongside an incredibly spoiled dog, curled up under a sturdy oak table.
The colour palette of the 175-seat restaurant was calmly neutral, with a long banquette coursing throughout the middle, beckoning us to sit and watch the open kitchen from afar. A couple of carefully placed seats at the counter enticed those who wanted to be closer to the action.
My partner and I sat at the volcanic-looking, marble-topped bar at the far end of the restaurant to enjoy a cocktail before our meal. The drinks concept flirted with the elements, and, as a tequila lover, I was drawn to the Unspoken Truth (£21).
Both Don Julio Blanco and Don Julio Reposado were mixed with Italicus, lime and a Bessou honey aperitif to create a slightly sweet but very smoky and easily drinkable cocktail. What I really loved, though, were the jalapeno honey ice cubes that transformed the flavour profile of the drink over time, taking it from tart to caramel-sweet.
The Unspoken Truth and Half Whisper (pictured left).
My partner’s Half Whisper (£16) was the complete opposite. It was like a negroni with a tropical twist, thanks to Campari fat-washed coconut butter, Yaguara-infused pineapple and Cocchi Storico di Torino-infused banana - a clever combination of fruity and bitter orange.
From the bar, we took our seats in the centre of the dining room and began with some crispy lavash (£4.50), alongside a silky, smoky butter with pops of harissa, which was very moreish, though it created a sesame seed tornado across the table. Will still had some left by the time our ribeye tartare (£16) arrived, and it posed as the perfect vehicle to scoop meaty chunks into our mouths. The tartare was mild, with a hint of sharpness cutting through but very subtly; a dish made for meat lovers.
While I enjoyed it, I gravitated more towards the scallop ceviche (£16), with leche de tigre. It was a refreshing respite, with a silky sauce that zipped around my taste buds, and a little crunch from the odd golden nugget of sweetcorn.
The lavash (pictured left) and the scallop ceviche (right).
We moved on to a bowl of crispy shimeji mushrooms (£14) with a chipotle aioli, probably our most indulgent savoury dish of the night. They were thin, crumbly strips of vegetables that needed the creamy dip to carry them and inject a little flavour that wasn’t just batter. When it did, they were delightfully naughty, with a satisfying mix of pepper and umami flavours.
The NO-BONE chicken wings (£16) were the type of wings I could get on board with. Five individual pieces were pierced with a skewer, glazed and charred to perfection. The meat’s succulency was so sublime that, as I bit into one, I half expected the bone to be there and that the jig was up.
The same tenderness could be said for the seabass cooked in a yuzu sauce (£32). It had some delightfully crispy edges that my partner and I found ourselves fighting over with our forks, both trying to get the last mouthful of treacly, zingy fish. We had an energy akin to scraping the lasagne bowl or diving in for the last Yorkshire pudding.
The seabass (pictured left) and the crispy shimeji mushrooms (right).
By the time dessert arrived, it was clear that Nela was in the habit of creatively presenting dishes. This was very apparent with the rhubarb and strawberry pavlova (£15), which sported a whipped, candy floss-style topping that looked like a blonde wig. A very tasty one at that, though, especially when whisked around a pool of white chocolate Chantilly.
My favourite dessert out of the two we ordered was Nela’s tiramisu (£14), a clever take on the classic Italian sweet treat featuring ‘coffee caviar’. These little balls of joy were powerful, with an incredibly intense espresso flavour that had a bubbly texture and the feeling of injecting caffeine straight into my veins. It was brilliant. I’ve had a lot of tiramisus in my time, and Nela’s is one I’ll remember.
Nela's tiramisu (pictured left) and the pavlova (right).
Overall: Nela
I had a lovely meal at Nela and found its live-fire cooking to really shine through its well-plated dishes, and I could taste the quality of the ingredients. What stood out most was the hospitality; guests were treated with a lot of consideration, and service was very smooth sailing. If this was the sort of experience Lando Norris had, then I can completely see why he’s a fan. Nela, I’ll be back.
|
💰 Price: £178.50 for two, excluding service charge and a bottle of white wine. 📍 Address: 63 Queensway, Bayswater, W2 4BD. 👌 Perfect for: date night, or a business lunch or dinner. ⭐ Need to know: if you love coffee, don't skip the tiramisu. |
For more, check out our guide to
the best restaurants in West London.
