Nessa

Thursday, 8th June — By Tom Moggach

Nessa's Trout Crudo [Justin De Souza]

THERE is nothing like a fashionable member's club to make you squirm with envy. Last autumn I got a tour around The House of KOKO, the labyrinthine new club nestled backstage at the revamped music venue in Camden.

Now it's the turn of 1Warwick: six floors of a neo-Baroque mansion on the corner of Brewer Street and Warwick Street in Soho, dotted with shared workspaces, lounges and a swish private gym.

Thankfully, Nessa – their new restaurant and bar on the ground floor – is open to absolutely everyone, from breakfast until the early hours.

Pop in for a breakfast of rye porridge, a sausage and egg muffin with hot sauce or their "Not Avocado on Toast", made with crushed broad beans and green herbs.

Nessa offers a brunch, lunch and dinner menu and snacks at the horseshoe-shaped bar, where drinks include a spritz of East London Vodka with redcurrant, hibiscus syrup and a dash of blood orange and elderflower tonic.

The location of Nessa is exceptional – a few minutes from Piccadilly Circus in the heart of Soho. It's a project by the same team that opened Mortimer House, a thriving venue in Fitzrovia.

Step inside and you are welcomed into the bar and lounge. Escape the crowds, grab a newspaper and relax with a flat white coffee or glass of something stronger. At the back is the 98-cover dining room: an attractive, light space dotted with pot plants, luxe brass fittings and eclectic art on the walls. The publicity explains that the aesthetic at Nessa is inspired by the Bohemian movement and artists such as Vanessa Bell.

The restaurant is described as a modern bistro offering playful and inventive British cuisine with global influences.

Confused? It's a menu that certainly jumps around – offering soda bread, a wild garlic risotto, wood-fired leeks with almond ricotta or their take on a carbonara made with ribbons of celeriac.

Provenance is a big deal here – ingredients are top quality. The chefs source from leading British suppliers, with honey from London hives, rare breed meats and pulses and grains grown in Suffolk.

We took a banquette table in the corner for a weekday lunch. Service is super friendly and informal: our waiter was a charming young man from Rome who could not have done more to make us feel welcome.

The most memorable dish was a pudding – a heavenly slice of moist carrot cake topped with a balloon-sized dollop of light and heavily whipped cream cheese, set in a caramel sauce with a scattering of golden pecans.

At the start, a snack of cheese and onion croquettes equally moreish. My main dish was a celebration of late spring: a fillet of roasted seabass served with a tangle of pickled seaweed, diced Jersey Royal potatoes and a beurre blanc sauce.

I’m planning to revisit in the evening, when the bar gets busy and the atmosphere cranks up a gear or two. Nessa is a new and exclusive hotspot – for everyone.

NESSA 86 Brewer Street, W1F 9UB @nessasoho www.nessasoho.com 020 7337 7404