While iconic author Virginia Woolf can lay claim to a London restaurant whose name is inspired by one of her novels (take a bow, Dalloway Terrace), her lesser-known bohemian artist sister, Vanessa Bell, now trumps her with the opening of Nessa, Soho’s newest venue that’s named after the muse and co-founder of the Bloomsbury Group. And with a team that’s worked at the likes of Duck & Waffle, Noble Rot and Mortimer House, it’s no surprise that the menu is a playful take on modern British cuisine teamed with cushy interiors – think fringed lounges, marble-topped tables, caramel leather dining chairs, oversized plants and a covetable collection of contemporary art.
“One look at the all-day menu and it’s clear that chef Tom Cenci enjoys adding twists to traditional dishes,” says Stylist Loves editor Gemma Crisp. “The classic flavour pairing of cheese and onion comes in creamy croquette form, accompanied by a pleasingly tangy umami grape mustard mayo, while the excellent heritage tomato panzanella boasts punchy black pepper croutons and the zing of wafer-thin slices of jalapeno. Lamb is served in meatball form, on a jumble of creamed spinach and minted peas but the star of the show was the celeriac carbonara, which replaces traditional pasta with ribbons of the root vegetable, topped with chunky nuggets of pancetta, winter truffle and a confit egg. While nursing a perfectly chilled fino martini, I spent far too long discussing how to recreate it for my next dinner party – and I bet you will, too.” 86 Brewer St, London, W1F