The main restaurant at Nessa
What can you tell us about Nessa?
This Soho restaurant comes from the same people behind Mortimer House in Fitzrovia. Much like that restaurant, it's a private club upstairs (called 1 Warwick) while Nessa is the restaurant and bar on the ground floor which is open to the public. For that space, they've brought in ex-Duck & Waffle and Loyal Tavern chef Tom Cenci to run the kitchen. It's being billed as a neighbourhood bistro featuring Cenci's take on British classics.
Where is it?
It's at the Picadilly Circus part of Soho (that'll be your closest tube), on the Regent Street end of Brewer Street. The ground floor used to be Soho pub The Warwick (hence the name of the club).
Where's a good place for a drink before and after?
Nessa is on a crossroads with two other pubs and we managed to visit both of them before and after our meal - so those are good places to start. The Leicester Arms is a decent place for a pint if you're after something low-key, but if you're up for something livelier then head to The Glassblower. Otherwise, the bar underneath El Pastor Soho is only a minute away as are the various bars underground at the Batman-themed Park Row. The bars at nearby Brasserie Zedel are good too. It's Soho - so there are plenty of options here.
And is there a bar at Nessa too?
There is - you'll find that just as you come in the main door. It's actually a very handy bar for the area, particularly if you're not in a pub frame of mind. We went straight to the restaurant but it's not a bad idea to arrive a little earlier and have a drink in the bar first. There are six house cocktails, all at £14 but we were also impressed that there were another six no/low alcoholic cocktails. So if you're going easy on the alcohol there are plenty of options here.
The no/low alcohol Perfect Storm (3 Spirits Social Elexir, ginger & honey syrup, ginger kombucha) and Forced Breakfast (East London Gin, Grand Marnier, lemon, forced rhubarb, orange marmalade, £15)
So, onto Nessa itself, where should we sit?
The restaurant has a modern bistro look and feel, although personally, we'd like to see it a little more Sohofied - it's almost a little too smart. If you've been to Mortimer House, it's a little similar to that and it would have been good to set out its own Soho-style vibe. That aside, we'd say the best tables are the little two-seater booths (see the right of the picture at the top) or the corner booths towards the window.
And onto the food - what can we expect?
As mentioned, this is European bistro food with a few very specific British influences peppered throughout the menu. It's split into four key sections and of those, Snacks, Small Plates and Vegetables can be considered as your starters, while Large Plates (and sides) make up the main course. So order in two phases along those lines. Two to four dishes from the first three sections and then one main and some sides each should be more than enough for two people. Prices are on the high side for Soho, but there's a lot of talent on show in these dishes.
What should I order immediately?
Have some excellent cheese and onion croquettes with grape mustard mayo (£8) (we ate those before remembering to take a photo. Sorry). They're definitely the thing to order immediately, while you're choosing what you want from the menu.
And after that?
Taking the specifically British element first, you'll want to order this:
Black pudding brioche with brown butter noisette (£13.5)
This is a dish that you'll see pretty much everyone ordering from Nessa on Instagram and it's as good as it looks. In case you're wondering what happened to the rest of the brioche, it's made into breadcrumbs for other dishes on the menu.
The rest of the small plates really stood out in quality. Both of these dishes are well worth ordering. The Carbonara was the star dish of the meal, with an inventive use of celeriac making it a rare gluten-free carbonara (a fair chunk of the menu is gluten-free).
Celeriac Carbonara - pancetta, confit egg, winter truffle (£18)
Woodfired Leeks - almond ricotta, caramelised pecans (£11)
Moving onto the mains, you'll find dishes like Cenci's own take on Chicken Cordon Bleu and a strong selection of sides (we'd recommend the creamed spinach, but we liked the idea of garlic mushrooms as a side too). We went for the following.
Wild Mushroom Ravioli, garlic roasted chestnut mushrooms, Corra Linn cheese (£23)
Roasted Seabass - pickled seaweed, beurre blanc (£28)
It's worth pointing out here that this is a strong menu if you're vegetarian, much of it plant-based. There's plenty to choose from here, including another main course that was the stuffed savoy cabbage with spiced bulgur wheat, creamed parsnip (£16) that we've been hearing good things about.
Onto dessert, the British theme really comes into play with some notable old favourites like a "Nessabockerglory" with salted caramel and rum-soaked raisins. The gooseberry jam roly poly really lived up to expectations - just a million times better than anything we had growing up.
Gooseberry jam roly poly with bay leaf custard (£6.50)
Baked Alaska, poached rhubarb, gingerbread ice cream (£8.50)
What about drinks?
Other than the cocktails mentioned above, you'll find Forest Road Brewery beer on tap and a largely European wine list. That starts at £32 a bottle which isn't too bad at all for Soho (a Chilean Sanama Reserva, Cachapoal Valley Merlot). If you really want to push the boat out, you'll be looking for the 2018 Puligny-Montrachet, Alain Chavy Burgundy (coming in at £192).
Overall thoughts?
While the room could do with a little more Soho charm, that can come with time. In the meantime, Tom Cenci has created an extremely welcoming menu with some true classics on there - the celeriac carbonara is a wonderful dish. That and a very handy new Soho bar make Nessa a good addition to the area.
More about Nessa
Where is it? 86 Brewer Street, London W1F 9UB
How to book: Book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @nessasoho.
Hot Dinners ate as guests of Nessa. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
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