The ground floor dining room and bar at Delmina Townhouse
What do we need to know about Delamina Townhouse?
For starters, this is the third Delamina restaurant to open in London. Restaurateurs (and husband and wife team) Amir and Limor Chen already have the original Delamina in Marylebone and Delamina East in Shoreditch (which always seems to be rammed whenever we go past). Now they've taken over the site that used to be Volta do Mar and turned it into an elegant restaurant, full of cosy nooks and little rooms to dine in.
Where exactly is it?
You'll find it in a Grade II listed Georgian townhouse just a few minutes away from the Covent Garden piazza, on Tavistock Street. Covent Garden's the closest station, but Temple isn't far away either.
This is what you're looking for.
Where's a good place to meet for a drink first?
There is a handy bar with a few stools up at the counter here at the restaurant, but if you're looking for somewhere else, the restaurant is just across the road from Plume wine bar, or there are great cocktails to be had at the Side Hustle bar up the road at the Nomad London.
Where's a good place to sit?
This is a particularly good question at Delamina Townhouse, where there are multiple options. For a buzzy space, the downstairs dining room is a good pick. If you'd rather a little more breathing space between tables then the rather lovely upstairs dining rooms are a good choice, with the walls covered in artworks by Limor herself. There's also a hidden room at the back of the ground floor that can be turned into a PDR.
The front section of the upstairs dining room
What kind of food are we talking about?
They describe it as Eastern Mediterranean but they've also made a conscious decision to keep dishes tipped towards the healthy side of things too. This, their newest restaurant, serves up dishes that'll be familiar to fans of the other two, as well as some brand-new ones. If you're on a gluten-free, dairy-free or vegetarian diet there's a lot you'll be able to enjoy here.
Here's what we had - the prices give you an idea of which are for sharing, and which are the smaller plates:
Crispy oyster mushrooms served with a truffled artichoke dip (£9.50) - so good, we ended up almost coming to blows over the last mushroom.
Kohlrabi carpaccio with feta and pistachios (£9) - the must-order dish (we're not kidding).
Venison & lamb koftas, pistachio cream, barberries (£14) - delicate lean koftas perfect for dredging through that pistachio cream.
Lamb tagliata with zhoug, hummus, glazed shallots and dukkah (£27.50) - a fabulous lamb dish and one that lets you try their amazing hummus too.
Seared tuna with pickled ginger vinaigrette, avocado puree and blackberries (£26) - for our tastes, there was a little too much going on in this dish which detracted from the great tuna.
But whatever you do, don't miss getting this legendary side...
Crispy rosemary potatoes, garlic-infused yoghurt (£7) - a pitch-perfect potato dish.
Room for dessert?
If we're honest, we were really pushing it by this stage. Given our chance to order again, we might have foregone that tuna dish because there's also a chocolate mousse on the menu here, with olive oil and coffee and urfa chilli shards that was speaking to us.
Kadayif nest, vanilla cheesecake cream, caramelised pecans, orange peel reduction (£9) - a signature dish of all three Delaminas.
What's on the drinks list?
We thought the house cocktails we had were both well made, so we'd urge you to try one of those.
The Sheinbaum with olmeca blanco, aperol, pineapple, lime (£13) in the foreground and the Fifi Abdou (£12) Prosecco with rose, enderflower and creme de peches.
Overall thoughts:
Visiting Delamina Townhouse at a time of year that's normally characterised by heavier foods and lots of carbs was a real treat. The menu allows you to roam all over the Eastern Med and we reckon it's a great place to go in a group, so you can try more things. And, frankly, any kitchen team that can make us realise that raw kohlrabi is actually a food of the gods is worth a visit.
More about Delamina Townhouse
Where is it? 13-15 Tavistock Street, London WC2E 7PS
Find out more: Follow them on Instagram @delaminakitchen.
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Delamina Townhouse. Prices correct at time of publication.
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