09/24/12 - 1 Comment
Pass the Plate: Mediterranean Dining at Apero
Sharing is caring, especially when it comes to food. Seriously, when you have a dish that’s equal parts healthy, flavorful and delicious, how could you not offer your friends a bite (or two or three)? And, while at nearly every other restaurant in the city you might have to ask your waiter to bring a couple extra forks, at Apero, this week’s latest edition to the London dining scene, shared plates come standard on the menu.
This idea of communal dining is just one of the things we love about Apero, the fashionably tasty Mediterranean restaurant that’s just opened in the Ampersand Hotel. Breakfast, lunch, cocktails, appetizers, dinner and desserts—the possibilities of snagging some expertly prepared morsels from your dining companions’ plates are endless. Pair that with a world class bar and an intellectually trendy atmosphere (really, how cool are those turquoise stools?) and, instantly, you’ve got one of London’s sexiest places to dine out.
Pause for a moment—the Ampersand Hotel. Yep, you’re entirely right, that name does sound familiar. The Ampersand Hotel was recently featured as the hottest spot to crash in London in our list of This Week: Things To Do. Basically, it’s a hotel where intellect meets luxury, and Apero is no exception. Even if you’re not staying at the hotel, we insist on popping in for a bite to eat.
Located in the Victorian cellar of the Ampersand Hotel (think light and airy with walls of whitewashed brick), Apero is the culinary brainchild of head chef Chris Golding, formerly of Galoupet, and pastry chef Ji Sun Shin, formerly of Nobu. The menu boasts an array of tasty Mediterranean foods that change daily, according to availability—exactly what we love to hear when we see that the venue offers seafood. Whether they’re serving the gnocchi with rainbow chard and smoked scamorza or the cured mackerel with purple potatoes, fennel, pistachios and candied lemon, one thing is certain: the food’s going to be fresh and delicious.
And you really won’t believe the prices! Honestly, the only thing on Apero’s menu that’ll cost you more than £20 (around $32) are the 500 ml servings of Sweet Wines (definitely enough to share), leaving plenty of room in your budget to order lots of tasty dishes to pass from friend to friend.
If you haven’t already done so, it’s really time to phone and make a reservation. But don’t just book a table for yourself! Dining alone might have its perks, but, ladies, trust us, at a restaurant where the menu’s been inspired by a pass-the-plate mentality, it’s really best to bring a crowd.
