One of the main dining areas of Nela, directly opposite the kitchen.
What can you tell us about Nela?
This is a restaurant that originated in Amsterdam, led by chefs Hari Shetty and Ori Geller whose previous cheffing work included stints at Nobu and another Amsterdam restaurant that's just opened in London, Mr Porter. Here at Nela, it's all about live-fire cooking, with some notable influences from their previous time at Nobu. For Londoners, the location is of particular interest.
And where is that?
Nela is the first restaurant to open as part of The Whiteley, probably better known to Londoners by its previous name, Whiteleys. That closed all the way back in 2018 to make way for the major redevelopment that is The Whiteley, a combination of apartments, hotel, shops and restaurants. Nela takes up a large ground-floor space on the north-eastern corner of the building.
The first part of the restaurant itself is dominated by the open kitchen. And although the whole counter isn't open to dining, there are several curved places along the length that looked like great seats if you like to be close to the action:
If you want to get up close and personal with the chefs, this is the place to be.
As for the rest of the space, there's a big central bar at the back of the room (we'll get to the cocktails served there in a bit), along with a covered terrace space that makes great use of one of the circular towers in the corner of The Whiteley. There is a very big private dining room downstairs, but we think the better option is a semi-private affair that's just off the main dining space. There you'll get a little privacy but still feel the buzz of the main room.
And there really is a buzz, with the restaurant very busy on a Friday night soon after opening. Clearly, there was room for an opening like this in this part of town.
Where should we meet for a drink first?
It really depends on which direction you're coming from. If it's from the north/Royal Oak station (which was our direction), The Porchester pub proved to be a perfectly good pit stop. But if you're coming from the south/Baywater station, then the obvious answer is The Park. If you're passing by Jeremy King's American restaurant, you owe it to yourself to pop in for a martini at the bar.
But the bar at Nela is also a great place to start any meal here. The cocktails are inventive, with a little bit of theatre in the creation, and all priced in the £17-18 range, with a decent no-alcohol list around the £11 mark.
Burning Confession (Tanqueray No Ten, raspberry and rose shrub, lemon, chamomile and honey foam, £17).
Onto the food then, what can we expect?
While they apparently don't want to be compared directly to Nobu (there are raw elements, but no sushi, for example), Nela is certainly Nobu-esque in its approach. That shows particularly in the meat and fish dishes, but definitely not in the bread and pizza section. That said the prices certainly aren't in Nobu territory. It's clearly aimed at more of an upper-mid-market customer, which probably suits the neighbourhood very well. Apart from the pizzas, we're in small/sharing plates territory and while ordering a fair few of these will rack up a good-sized bill, it's certainly possible to have an evening here that won't do critical damage to your wallet.
With all that in mind, here's a taste of what we had:
Lavash (£4.50) - you'll definitely want to order this the minute you sit down, it's perfect snacking food while you take in the menu.
Beef ribeye tartare with langoustine (£25, or £16 without the langoustine) - it's a raw surf and turf dish that might be an acquired taste, but we loved this. Pair it with the lavash to make it even better.
Torched toro with white balsamic (£25) - great tuna, a decent serving and one of our favourite dishes of the night.
Cacio e pepe pizza (£14) - while there's no actual pasta on this pizza, it is cacio e pepe in pizza form. It gets a little unwieldy (it is essentially lots of sauce on a pizza) but just about works on this very thin crust. More standard tomato and fior di latte options are available.
Half lobster, guajillo butter, mandarin (£26) - we've had some pricey lobsters recently, but this is priced decently. Lovely lobster - squeeze the mandarin over it for the best results.
Potato millefeuille with truffle (£22 or £14 without the truffle) - a perfectly decent confit potato, but honestly, the truffle sauce was a step too far. You'd be better off having it without.
Scottish short rib, slow-cooked (£35) - the short ribs are left in the ovens overnight, just before the kitchen closes, very slowly cooking in the remaining heat. It results in some of the most intensely flavoured short ribs we've had in a while (that sauce really delivers too).
There's also a strong vegetable section, so vegetarians should find plenty to choose from here, like some excellent crispy shimeji mushrooms with chipotle aioli (£14), stuffed vine leaves tempura (£13) or grilled artichoke on charcoal (£15).
What about dessert?
Definitely save room for dessert. At the very least, you want to have the tiramisu below, which is one of their signature dishes.
Nela’s Tiramisu (£14) - made with their signature coffee caviar. A unique take on tiramisu that really works. This is also big enough to share between two.
Dark chocolate snow, honey roasted macadamia nuts, vanilla ice cream (£15) - if you can stretch to two desserts, make this your second.
And drinks?
While the menu has some great value dishes on it, the wines are more in Mayfair territory, price-wise, with the cheapest on our visit being £45. They do, however, start the list with a page of wines under £100, but note that this list isn't exhaustive, so check the rest of the menu for more options. There's a small selection of sake available too and we were surprised to find a no-alcohol Riesling on the list.
Overall thoughts
Other than The Park, it's been a while since Bayswater was home to a destination restaurant. But, given how immediately popular Nela is, it's clearly something that the area has been looking for. Ultimately, it's a slight riff off a Nobu-style restaurant, but also one that's much more relaxed. The food is great, there was a good vibe on a Friday night - in all, it's a very welcome addition to the area.
More about Nela
Where is it? 149 Queensway, London W2 4YN
How to book: Book online or call 020 3559 8888
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @nela.london.
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Nela. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
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