London – Ottolenghi’s Deli in Chelsea

Yotam Ottolenghi really opened my eyes to cooking during the Covid lockdown. When Covid first started in 2020 and nobody really knew how long this was going to last, I bought myself Ottolenghi’s Flavours out of sheer boredom and started experimenting. And then I was hooked. His recipes are usually easy to follow, even for an amateur like me, and the flavours and combinations really are outstanding.

Ottolenghi has several restuarants and delis littered around London. Probably his best known restaurant is NOPI, tucked away in a quiet side street that runs parallel to New Bond street. To be honest, I always find NOPI a bit overpriced, even by London’s standards. However, his delis are usually a lot more fun and much more laid back.

The Chelsea outlet is about five minutes on foot from Sloane Square tube station. It’s permanently busy, but they have a reliable queueing system that you can put your name down for. The wait shouldn’t be longer than thirty to forty minutes.

For lunch you can either choose between a variety of salads, or you can have one of the hot main dishes and add two salads to that. I go with the spicy grilled mackrel masala, which was delicious.

With that I have a salad of rice and lentils with crispy onions and an aubergine salad with tahina and chillies.

Whereas my partner clearly goes with the healthy option, which is a combination of four salads.

The dessert buffet alone is worth visiting the deli. Everything on display look lovely and it’s difficult to make a choice.

But eventually I settle on the Vanilla and Maple Walnut cheesecake.

A meal for two at the deli can be quite pricey, even if you’re not drinking any alcohol. As far as the Ottolenghi delis are concerned, I think the price is definitely worth it though. The style of cooking redefines the fusion in fusion food and combines elements from so many different corners of the globe to create dishes that are unusual and just so typical of Ottolenghi.