“A few years ago, I pushed a leek into the pizza oven,” says Ori Geller, chef and co-founder of Nela. “And when it came out, I was like, ‘this thing is amazing’. And now it’s a signature.” The story behind this unctuous allium is emblematic of Nela – a fire-driven restaurant that’s just opened in the former Whiteley’s shopping centre in Bayswater. The landmark building is currently being rebooted as a mixed-use development with luxury apartments, a cinema and a Six Senses spa. Nela is the follow-up to a restaurant launched in Amsterdam in 2022 by Geller and Hari Shetty – who between them count Nobu and The Duchess in Amsterdam on their CVs, where flames elevate beautiful produce – like leeks.
“The cooking, the skill, the technique, years working in the restaurant business is what defines us. But instead of focusing on a region, we went to the subject of cooking – fire,” co-founder and chef Hari Shetty tells Broadsheet
On the menu, each dish reads like a list of ingredients, but they all have an extra element that magnifies their flavour. There’s a classic beef tartare (made with ribeye); but there’s also a version with slivers of raw langoustine layered on top, what operations manager Paul Murashe (ex-Nobu and Annabel’s) tells Broadsheet is “almost like a beautiful surf and turf”.
Ribs of tempura corn are exceedingly savoury, while raw yellowtail is heightened with truffles and lemon. Heftier dishes include a particularly tender slow-cooked short rib and octopus on butter beans. All have seen the touch of the flames. The fire comes to the diner for dessert, in the form of baked Alaska with a yuzu-spiked meringue that’s lit on a tableside trolley. It and other desserts – including a tiramisu with coffee “caviar” that’s served in a caviar tin – are by pastry chef Deepti Shevalka (ex-Dorchester and Trinity), who is also Shetty’s wife.
Like the food menu, the cocktail list runs the gamut from light to heavy: the First Spark (Italian sparkling wine, Aperol, charred pineapple soda, mint and a scoop of lime sorbet) is an ideal starter, while the Dying Light – Singleton 12, Fusetti cacao, vermouth and coffee foam – rounds out the meal.
While the cooking method is all about fire, the design by Framework Studio – which typically works with residential spaces – is inspired by water. Undulating banquettes, tables and an enormous open kitchen radiate out from a centrepiece bar like water rippling out from a dropped stone. Oak and beige tones run through the space, with elements of drama and contrast from granite and bold red travertine. It’s purposefully comfortable, says Shetty, designed for lingering over plates of flame-licked food.
“We make good food, simple,” says Shetty. “There is no drama, so whatever you see on the plate, you eat.”
Nela
163 Queensway, W2 4BD
020 3559 8888
Hours:
Tue to Thu 5.30pm–11.30pm
Fri midday–2.30pm, 5.30pm–midnight
Sat midday–midnight
Sun midnight–10.30pm
