Eating our Fill, continued: London 2024, Part 7

This post covers three places we really enjoyed, two a bit upscale and one that would easily be a “joint.”

Nostimo Mediterranean Gastronomy is a fancily named place that breaks two of my dining rules, normally a major warning sign, but the delicious food makes it so very worth it. We found it simply because it’s just down a bit from our grocery store and we were hungry. (The two broken rules were that there was a guy outside offering to set us at a table, and the menu had pictures of the food, not just text. I really wanted to leave, but . . . .Did I mention we were hungry?) So, with a bit of trepidation, we ordered. We started with the Fried Feta Cheese with Honey and Spanakotiropita. Then J. had the Pork Gyros (platter) and I had the Mixed Pork-Chicken Gyro.

We first had the feta dish (feta me meli) in Crete back in 2019, but it’s one of the most popular dishes in Greece. The combination of salty feta wrapped in crunchy filo pastry, alongside the nutty tang of sesame seed and silky honey is just a match made in heaven. Probably everyone knows about the traditional Greek spinach pie, and done well its delicious, as this was.

But, oh my the meat was incredible. Tender, tender, TENDER!!! Gloriously seasoned, moist, and DEE-licious. The bread was perfect, and the tzatziki rich. The portions are huge, it was a ton of food and we had leftovers enough for easily another meal.

Service was fantastic, and prompt. Highly recommended!

Brasserie Zedel is a Parisian brasserie with an Art Deco interior in Piccadilly. The reviews were good, and the interior reminded us of Paris, so off we went! It’s a truly gorgeous place, with a Hollywood-worthy bar, love music on weekends, a classic Parisian cafe, and an adults-only cabaret.

We were glad we had reservations, the place was packed! A high number of tourists was a bit worrying, and I would say that the prices and quality reflected a population that moves through rather than highly local. (That is, it was solid all around, but not outstanding. Also, they have two prix fixe lunch offerings — two courses for £16.95 or and three for £19.75– that would have dropped the price a bit. ) We settled in, and Lisa noticed they offered a chateauneuf-du-pape, and the simple lunch became an occasion. (It’s a wine nearly impossible to find in Portugal, and her favorite celebration wine. (Thanks to the Ryans. Hi Ryans!) We took our time perusing the menu, reminiscing over meals we’d previously eaten in France, and then ordered.

We started with onion soup (served in a classic lion’s head tureen) and garlicky (tender!) escargots. John then had the Steak Haché, a brasserie classic served replete with sauce au poivre et pommes frites. The meat was tender, the sauce silky and vibrant with pepper, the frites thin, crisp on the outside, tender in the center, and just the right amount of salty. Lisa had the sole meunière, hoping to create a Julia Child-esque moment. However, it fell flat being left on the bone and just a bit overcooked.

If you are in the Piccadilly area and looking for French food, Brasserie Zedel is a decent option, especially if you stick with the prix fixe option.

Finally, we have to talk about the glorious Ognisko Restaurant in the Polish Hearth Club. This is another place we discovered in 2022, following the bread crumbs of a mention in a blog . . . Founded in 1939 to maintain the cohesion of the free Polish community in the United Kingdom during the Second World War, the Polish Hearth Club is now a vibrant hub of social and cultural life for the Polish community. (Side track, 2024 is the 80th Anniversary of the Allied victory of the battle of Monte Cassino by the soldiers from the Polish II Corps under Generał Władysław Anders. Many veterans could not return to Poland as a result of the Yalta agreement and found their new home in the British Isles, partly because of the strength of this Club. As part of this Anniversary, Ognisko Polskie has created a series of podcasts which include interviews with veterans, historians and excerpts of diaries of those that fought in the battle.)

If you like Polish food, you will love it here. We started with a Peach Salad that included Feta Cheese, flakes of almond, and a pomegranate and peach dressing and the Grilled Polish Sausage served with Potato Salad. The peaches were a little under-ripe, but the overall concept of the salad was excellent. The sausage was fantastic! Smoky, rich, and perfectly grilled, the potato salad was a cool, creamy counterpoint that deepened the flavor. We moved on to Pierogi, filled with duck and dried fig, and Pelmeni, which are small dumplings filled with meat. Both were tender pockets of dough with delicious fillings. To balance things out, we get the side dish of “green vegetables” which varies seasonally — this time is was a blend of green cabbage and green beans with fresh herbs. A blast of flavor on the tongue. (Of special note, they make their own vodka, which we saw happily consumed by other patrons.) For us, this was plenty of food, although we wished we had room to try the Kaczka Pieczona (Roast Duck with Kasza, served with Apple Compote and Red Cabbage, served either half for two or whole for four people) or the Blinis (with Smoked Salmon, although you could get them with Caviar or Marinated Herring). In our previous visit we’d tried the Hot Smoked Salmon Salad with Beetroot, Cheese Pierogies, and Kaszanka (Black Sausage with caramelized Apples and sauteed Onion).

Highly Recommended!