Obika Restaurant,
7 Northumberland Avenue, just off
Trafalgar Square
Obika – Clifford
Mould stumbled upon this innovative
Zen inspired
Italian.
Ambling down Northumberland Avenue
on our way to the Jubilee footbridge
to Waterloo, I spotted a new bar
restaurant, which from its name,
Obika, I assumed to be Japanese.
My error was further reinforced
by the sight of a very modern looking
bar complete with barristas wearing
bandannas. However, when I looked
at the menu outside, I saw that
it was an Italian restaurant whose
decor and modus operandi was Japanese
influenced. But I must point out,
we found no trace of fusion in
the cuisine which is mainly from
southern Italy.
The name of Obika is apparently
the Neapolitan dialect for "here
it is!" And it specialises
in mozzarella handmade in Italy,
certified by the regional authorities
and sent over by courier three
times weekly. We shared a mozzarella
tasting plate with three different
mozzarelle, one of which was afumicata,
or smoked. My favourite was Burrata,
very fresh and creamy, coming all
the way from Puglia in the deep
south of the country. Another house
speciality is the selection of
hams, salami and other cold cuts
which included the best mortadella
I think I have ever tasted. We
also shared the cold meat tasting
platter, which included ham, prosciutto,
salami and the aforementioned mortadella.
These came with excellent bread
with olive oil and balsamic to
dip into.
We then tried a little pasta,
a simple but delicious ravioli
in sage butter, and also the baked
aubergine cooked in tomato sauce
and parmesan, which was really
yummy. These authentic
flavours of Italy were washed down
suitably
with glasses of Barbera d’Asti
from Ca’ dei Matt, and a
very nice Chianti from Conte Placido.
We finished our meal with a shared
tasting platter of desserts, which
included a slice of Torta Caprese,
that wonderfully dark Neapolitan
chocolate and almond cake. Even
the tiramisu made its mark on two
relatively jaded palates! A glass
each of Limoncello was like an
encore and it tasted as though
a dozen lemons had been squashed
into the liqueur glass.
Obika is open daily from 7 a.m.
for breakfast, until last orders
at 10:45 p.m. Don't miss their
traditional aperitivo evenings
when you can enjoy fine wines with
complimentary nibbles, every Friday
between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
sounds like a perfect way to end
the working week.
Obika is at 7 Northumberland Avenue,
just off Trafalgar Square.
Website: www.Obika.co.uk, telephone
020 3002 7400
This is the second Obika to open
in London, the first being in Selfridges
department store. You'll find branches
in Rome, Milan and Turin, where
I imagine the concept might appear
quite exotic; next year they plan
to open in both New York and Kuwait.
Clifford Mould Dec 2008
