Nopi, London

 This was our favorite restaurant of our recent trip to England. Which was filled with great restaurants, so that is saying something.  The best part of the experience is that for the most part, you can envision making most of it in your own kitchen.  Pictured at right is a dish that is warm early vegetables that are tossed in a light dressing, something so simple yet so astoundingly delicious.  The vegetables themselves are flavorful and fresh, so you have to have a good source of food in order to pull this off, but after all, I do live in an agriculturally bountiful area.  Then comes making the lemony dressing that balances richness and brightness in equal quantities.  I literally ordered the Nopi cookbook while I was midmeal, hoping that I could recreate some of it on my side of the Atlantic.

I loved this display of food, and before we even saw this, we had eaten two of the four dishes.  That was by chance, but if I had known, I would have tried to pick at least one, because the waiter brings it directly to your table within a minute or two of ordering it.  An appetizer that you really do not have to wait for, and which has been made in large quantity (I love that, because the flavors have meshed).  The other thing that I enjoyed was the plant based emphasis that the whole menu had.  you can definitely get meat here, but if you want to avoid it or minimize it, no problem, about half the menu, maybe more, is open to you.  I would seek this restaurant out, and I would go more than once if I was in London for more than a couple of days.  That good!