Nuala is the debut restaurant from promising chef Niall Davidson (Chiltern Firehouse, St. John and Lockhart), and his English/Irish hybrid plates have been causing quite a stir.
Décor and Vibe
We could (and did) sit here for hours: 3.5 to be exact. This is the type of restaurant you don’t want to leave – low lighting, comfortable, relaxed seating and Neil Young, War on Drugs and Dire Straits on the stereo. You’ll see Niall both in front of and behind the chef’s counter, and chatting to customers about the dishes he’s created – you’ll feel as at home here as he does. As for décor: chocolate brown sofas with low backs curve around the smaller tables, meaning you can sit next to your dining companion, and you’ve got plenty of room to stretch out. The floors are concrete, but the warm wood and brick panels mean Nuala feels far from stark. The main room is large, with high ceilings, and they haven’t tried to cram too many tables in, so it’s buzzy but not crowded.
Food
Nuala is more English with an Irish twist than fully Irish. Expect homely classics, cooked to perfection over wood. Starters-wise, the steak tartare with stout sauce (order it with beef dripping chips) and sweetbreads with rarebit cauliflower stood out the most. And the mains? We tried the lamb rump (rare but incredibly succulent) and cod with calcots and yellow pepper sauce, which was a tangy respite from the other rich flavours. Make sure you order both potato sides (dauphinoise and champ), as they are both equally unforgettable.
Drink
If you’re not going for a straight up Guiness, then we’d recommend starting off with a dry Lambrusco (something of a novelty), and then ask for a pairing from Honey Spencer’s left-of-centre wine list.
Highlight
The Irish coffee is (quite rightly) top-notch here, so if you have room, finish off with that over dessert.
Top tip
If you want to order the pre-starter snacks, just order one. They might be light bites, but they pack a lot of intense flavour.
